Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, and Tori Amos Levent Donat Berköz

292 Pages·2015·3.73 MB·English

by  Donat Bayer

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Citation: Berköz, Levent Donat (2012). A gendered musicological study of the work of four
leading female singer-songwriters: Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, and Tori Amos.
(Unpublished Doctoral thesis, City University London)
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A Gendered Musicological Study of the Work of Four
Leading Female Singer-Songwriters: Laura Nyro, Joni
Mitchell, Kate Bush, and Tori Amos

Levent Donat Berköz

Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

City University London
Centre for Music Studies

June 2012
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………………………… 2

LIST OF FIGURES ……………………………………………………………… 5

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………………… 7

DECLARATION ………………………………………………………………… 9

ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………………………… 10

INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………….. 11
Aim of the thesis…………………………………………………………………. 11
Selection of case studies………………………………………………………….. 12
Literature review…………………………………………………………………. 15
Methodology, sources and structure of chapters…………………………………. 19
Why French Feminism…………………………………………………………… 23
Jacques Lacan, The Symbolic order, the phallus and jouissance………………… 27
Research questions and an overview of the thesis……………………………….. 35
CHAPTER 1……………………………………………………………………… 39
Weaving the Loom’s Desire: Laura Nyro in ‘Timer’, ‘Once It Was Alright
(Farmer Joe) and ‘December’s Boudoir’………………………………………… 39
1.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………….. 39
1.2. Kristeva and the semiotic……………………………………………………. 50
1.3. Words for a Serious Playground…………………………………………….. 54
1.4. Music for a Serious Playground………………… ………………………….. 64

1.5. Nyro’s ‘Confession’: The cover art for Eli and the Thirteenth Confession…. 79

1.6. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………… 84

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CHAPTER 2……………………………………………………………………… 88

‘Out of the City and Down to the Seaside’: Joni Mitchell in ‘The Dawntreader’,
‘Ladies of the Canyon’ and ‘Shadows and Light’………………………………… 88
2.1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………... 88
2.2. Luce Irigaray and the multiplicity of the female body and text……………… 95
2.3. ‘Something truthful in the sea’: Joni Mitchell the poet………………………. 100
2.4. ‘Songs like tiny hammers hurled at bevelled mirrors in empty halls’:
Joni Mitchell the composer………………………………………………….. 114
2.5. ‘She weaves a pattern all her own’: Joni Mitchell the painter……………….. 124
2.6. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………. 135
CHAPTER 3………………………………………………………………………. 142
‘Swapping Places’: Kate Bush in ‘Wuthering Heights’, ‘Babooshka’ and
‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’……………………………………… 142
3.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………….. 142
3.2. Womanliness as a masquerade and écriture féminine……………………….. 150
3.3. Writing the feminine………………………………………………………… 155
3.4. Composing the feminine…………………………………………………….. 165
3.5. Visualizing the feminine…………………………………………………….. 177
3.6. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………… 189
CHAPTER 4……………………………………………………………………… 197
Songs Under a Black Sun: Tori Amos in ‘Silent All These Years’,
‘Pretty Good Year’ and ‘Hey Jupiter’……………………………………………. 197
4.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………….. 197
4.2. Theorizing female melancholia……………………………………………… 203
4.3. Writing the silence…………………………………………………………… 212
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4.4. Composing the silence………………………………………………………. 227
4.5. Visualizing the loss………………………………………………………….. 241
4.6. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………… 254

CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………… 265

APPENDIX A: THE LYRICS OF ‘TIMER’, ‘ONCE IT WAS ALRIGHT NOW
(FARMER JOE)’ AND ‘DECEMBER’S BOUDOIR’…………………………… 275

APPENDIX B: THE LYRICS OF ‘THE DAWNTREADER’, ‘LADIES OF THE
CANYON’ AND ‘SHADOWS AND LIGHT’…………………………………… 281

APPENDIX C: THE LYRICS OF ‘WUTHERING HEIGHTS’, ‘BABOOSHKA’
AND ‘RUNNING UP THAT HILL (A DEAL WITH
GOD)’…………………………………………………………………………….. 287

APPENDIX D: THE LYRICS OF ‘SILENT ALL THESE YEARS’, ‘PRETTY
GOOD YEAR’ AND ‘HEY JUPITER’………………………………………….. 293

APPENDIX E: THE MUSIC OF ‘TIMER’……………………………………… 298

APPENDIX F: THE MUSIC OF ‘DECEMBER’S BOUDOIR’………………… 304

BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………… 306

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List of Figures

Figure 1.1. The opening page of ‘Timer’ .......................................................... 69
Figure 1.2. The chord A + E + G# + B .............................................................. 74
Figure 1.3. The chord C9 resolves to F ............................................................. 75
Figure 1.4. The chord Cmaj9 in ‘Emmie’ ......................................................... 75
Figure 1.5. The opening bars of ‘December’s Boudoir’…………………........ 77
Figure 1.6. Bars 7-15 of ‘December’s Boudoir’……………………………..... 77
Figure 1.7. The front cover of Eli and the Thirteenth Confession…………….. 81
Figure 1.8. The back cover of Eli and the Thirteenth Confession…………….. 83
Figure 2.1. Bars 5-12 of ‘The Dawntreader’………………………………….. 118
Figure 2.2. Bars 31-35 of ‘The Dawntreader’………………………………… 118
Figure 2.3. The opening bars of ‘Ladies of the Canyon’……………………… 119
Figure 2.4. Bars 5-8 of ‘Ladies of the Canyon’…………………………..…… 120
Figure 2.5. Bars 1-16 of ‘Shadows and Light’………………..………………. 122
Figure 2.6. Bars 25-27 of ‘Shadows and Light’…………..………………....... 122
Figure 2.7. The cover art for the album Song to a Seagull …………………… 125
Figure 2.8. The cover art for the album Ladies of the Canyon………………... 128
Figure 2.9. The cover art for the album Hissing of Summer Lawns…………… 131
Figure 2.10. Joni Mitchell in the booklet of Hissing of Summer Lawns………... 133
Figure 3.1. The opening line of ‘Wuthering Heights’ presented by
the piano and celeste……………………………………………… 167
Figure 3.2. The chords A, F, E and C# repeated three times
throughout the verse.……………………………………………… 168
Figure 3.3. The chords E♭min7, G♭major and Fsus4 repeated three
times throughout the bridge……………………………………..... 168
Figure 3.4. The coda of ‘Wuthering Heights’ ………………………………… 169
Figure 3.5. Screenshots from Kate Bush’s video for ‘Wuthering Heights’.….. 180
Figure 3.6. Screenshots from Kate Bush’s video for ‘Babooshka’ …………… 183
Figure 3.7. Screenshots from Kate Bush’s video for ‘Running Up That Hill
(A Deal With God)’ ......................................................................... 186
Figure 4.1. The opening line of ‘Silent all These Years’ presented
by the piano ………………………………………………………. 229
Figure 4.2. The return to the opening line (after the chorus) in
‘Silent all These Years’ ………………………………………....... 229
Figure 4.3. The use of four descending notes in the main melodic line
of the verse (‘Silent all These Years’) …………………………… 230
Figure 4.4. The melodic line of the chorus in ‘Silent all These Years’ ………. 231
Figure 4.5. The single B of the middle eight in ‘Silent all These Years’ .……. 232
Figure 4.6. The opening line of ‘Pretty Good Year’ ………………………….. 233
Figure 4.7. The accompaniment of the first verse............................................... 233
Figure 4.8. The successive use of a major second in the vocal line
and a perfect fourth in the accompaniment of the chorus of
‘Pretty Good Year’ ……………………………………………….. 235
Figure 4.9. The opening of the middle eight with a figuration built
on a minor second, and the incessant use of a single note
(B natural) in the vocal line ………………………………………. 236
Figure 4.10. The opening chords of ‘Hey Jupiter’ ……………………………... 238
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Figure 4.11. The melodic cell that consists of a major second
and a minor second heard in the second part of ‘Hey Jupiter’s
first verse …………………………………………………………. 238
Figure 4.12. The use of a melodic line heard in the verse and also in the
chorus.............................................................................................. 239
Figure 4.13. The cover art of Little Earthquakes and screenshots from the
video of ‘Silent all These Years’ …………………………………. 244
Figure 4.14. Screenshots from the video of ‘Pretty Good Year’ ……………….. 248
Figure 4.15. Screenshots from the video of ‘Hey Jupiter’ ……………………… 251
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Acknowledgments

I would first like to express my extreme gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Christopher
Wiley, whose support, guidance, patience and intellectually generous readings have
made this thesis possible. I would also like to acknowledge the generosity of the Centre
for Music Studies of City University London in granting me a scholarship which has
enabled this research.

I would like to thank Canan Maxton, Bilge Erengul and Talent Unlimited for believing
in my project and giving me a scholarship. My thanks also go to Mufide Bicakci, Hamra
Sarici, Petek Gunay, Serdar Akman and Caglayan Arkan for their support.

I would like to express my appreciation to my friends Serkan Delice, Veysel Essiz,
Keith Beresford, Gulcin Ozkisi, Alkan Akinci, Emre Dundar, Jean Philippe Calvin,
Fatos Ustek, Dogus Simsek, Basak Ertur, Alisa Lebow, Bugra Hikmet Ogan, Serpil
Inci, Cuneyt Cakirlar, Ozlem Unsal, Elif Akcali, Irem and Billur, Simon Hutta and
Pinar Celik Warsi.

I am also grateful to a very close friend, Barbara Rampoldi, for her kindness and
support.

I want to say a special thank you to a very special family, Caroline, Adrian, Stacey and
Spencer Pinkus, who always supported and encouraged me on this journey.

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I would also like to thank my cousins Taciser Alganer and Birgan Iseri, my sister, Idil
Kazak, and my brother, Sarp Bayer.

Finally, the biggest thank you is reserved for my mother Canan Berkoz, and my aunt,
Ilhan Ozcan for always being there for me and believing in me, and my beautiful
grandmother Macide Bicakci who instilled in me a love for music.

This research is dedicated to Ilhan Ozcan who makes life more beautiful and
meaningful with her light and knowledge.

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