Repetitive song
Encyclopedia
Repetitive songs are song
s containing a large proportion of repeated words or phrases. Simple repetitive songs are common in many cultures as widely spread as the Caribbean
, Southern India
and Finland
. The best-known examples of such songs are probably children's song
s. Other repetitive songs are found, for instance, in African-American culture from the time of American slavery.
Repetitive songs can be and are used by advertisers in order to familiarize potential customers with a product. Using the principle of repetition, people use repetitive songs in order to retain information. In music, the use of repetition helps the audience learn, or familiarize, themselves with a particular melody. With the use of repetitive song, a musician or composer can instil ideas into their audiences more effectively. With most songs, the use of repetition, along with contrasts, creates a unique melody.Repetition and repetitive songs also helps people to understand what a composer and lyricist are trying to say. The use of the familiar keeps people grounded and attentive to the meaning behind the song. Repetition also makes it more accessible to children to learning.
In popular culture the use of repetition in songs, helps solidifies it in a person’s memory, allowing it to become more easily recognized. With repetitive songs, the use of repetition helps in order to help build neural pathways. Age also affects how a person can learn from repetitive songs.
s. Examples abound in African-American culture, in political groups, and among traveler, marchers, and walkers.
The use of repetitive songs throughout history, in the chants and work songs, help convey a person's meaning more thoroughly. The repetition of the melody, solidifies the slight changes in text and becomes easier to remember. The use of a simple, repeated melody helps the listener pay attention to the lyrics and understand the hidden meaning of the song, if there is one.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s containing a large proportion of repeated words or phrases. Simple repetitive songs are common in many cultures as widely spread as the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Southern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The best-known examples of such songs are probably children's song
Children's song
Children's song may be a nursery rhyme set to music, a song that young children invent and share among themselves, or a modern creation intended for entertainment, use in the home, or education...
s. Other repetitive songs are found, for instance, in African-American culture from the time of American slavery.
Repetitive songs can be and are used by advertisers in order to familiarize potential customers with a product. Using the principle of repetition, people use repetitive songs in order to retain information. In music, the use of repetition helps the audience learn, or familiarize, themselves with a particular melody. With the use of repetitive song, a musician or composer can instil ideas into their audiences more effectively. With most songs, the use of repetition, along with contrasts, creates a unique melody.Repetition and repetitive songs also helps people to understand what a composer and lyricist are trying to say. The use of the familiar keeps people grounded and attentive to the meaning behind the song. Repetition also makes it more accessible to children to learning.
Repetition in children's songs
In children's songs, repetition serves various educational purposes: repetition aids memory, can aid in learning punctuation and reading skills, and is very valuable in learning (foreign) languages.In popular culture the use of repetition in songs, helps solidifies it in a person’s memory, allowing it to become more easily recognized. With repetitive songs, the use of repetition helps in order to help build neural pathways. Age also affects how a person can learn from repetitive songs.
Repetition in work songs
Repetitive songs are also found in traditional work songWork song
A work song is a piece of music closely connected to a specific form of work, either sung while conducting a task or a song linked to a task or trade which might be a connected narrative, description, or protest song....
s. Examples abound in African-American culture, in political groups, and among traveler, marchers, and walkers.
The use of repetitive songs throughout history, in the chants and work songs, help convey a person's meaning more thoroughly. The repetition of the melody, solidifies the slight changes in text and becomes easier to remember. The use of a simple, repeated melody helps the listener pay attention to the lyrics and understand the hidden meaning of the song, if there is one.
Examples of repetitive songs
- "Michael FinniganMichael Finnegan (song)Michael Finnegan is an example of an unboundedly long song, which can continue with numerous variations until the singer decides to stop. Like most other unboundedly long songs, this song tends to be sung by schoolchildren. It is a popular song often sung around a campfire or during scouting events...
" - "The Song That Never EndsThe Song That Never Ends"The Song That Never Ends" is a self-referential and infinitely iterative children's song. The song is a single verse long, written in an infinite-loop motif in a march style, such that it naturally flows in a cyclical fashion, repeating the same verse over and over. It is very popular with...
" - "There's a Hole in My BucketThere's a Hole in My Bucket"There's a Hole in My Bucket" is a children's song, along the same lines as "Found a Peanut". The song is based on a dialogue about a leaky bucket between two characters, called Henry and Liza. The song incorporates an infinite-loop motif: Henry has got a leaky bucket, and Liza tells him to repair...
" - "John Jacob Jingleheimer SchmidtJohn Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" is a traditional children's song of obscure origin. Its lyrics are close variations of:John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt,His name is my name, too.Whenever we go out,The people always shout,...
" - "Found a PeanutFound a Peanut'"Found a Peanut"' is a traditional song, often considered a children's song, in the United States, Australia and Canada. It is popular to sing on long trips, as it has a very repetitive format which is easy to memorize, and can take a long time to sing. It is sung to the tune of "Oh My Darling,...
" - "Yon YonsonYon yonsonYon Yonson is an infinitely recursive poem, nursery rhyme or song, perhaps best known from the novel Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, although Vonnegut did not create it.- Origins of the song :...
" - "10 Green BottlesTen Green BottlesTen Green Bottles is a song for children that is popular in the United Kingdom. In essence the song is a single verse repeated, each time with one bottle fewer:...
" - "99 Bottles of Beer99 Bottles of Beer"99 Bottles of Beer" is a traditional song in the United States and Canada. It is popular to sing on long trips, as it has a very repetitive format which is easy to memorize, and can take a long time to sing. In particular the song is frequently sung by children on long bus trips, such as class...
" - "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me YetJesus' Blood Never Failed Me YetJesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet is a 1971 composition by Gavin Bryars. It is formed on a loop of an unknown homeless man singing a brief stanza. Rich harmonies, comprising string and brass, are gradually overlaid over the stanza. The piece was first recorded for use in a documentary which...
" - "Ti amoTi amo"Ti amo" is a 1977 song recorded by Italian singer Umberto Tozzi from the album È nell'aria...ti amo. It achieved success at the time, becoming a hit in many European countries, including Sweden and Switzerland where it topped the charts. A Spanish version was released as "Te Amo", and had a good...
" - "Ievan Polka" (5th stanza) by Loituma, seen frequently in the infamous "Leekspin" animation
- "The Wheels on the BusThe Wheels on the Bus"The Wheels on the Bus" is a popular children's song in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. It is popular on journeys to keep children amused and has a very repetitive rhythm. In particular it is sung by pre-teens on bus journeys...
" - "If You're Happy and You Know ItIf You're Happy and You Know It"If You're Happy and You Know It" is a popular repetitive children's song, stemming from an old Latvian folk song. The song is supposed to belong to the public domain, although many of the different versions of the song are still protected by copyright law...
" - "Badger Badger BadgerBadger Badger Badger"Badger Badger Badger" or "The Badger Song" is a Flash cartoon by British animator Jonti Picking. It consists of images of badgers doing calisthenics, a toadstool in front of a tree, and a snake in the desert...
" - "Around The WorldAround the WorldAround the World may refer to:* Circumnavigation, to navigate a circumference, as around the Earth-Music:* Around the World , a musical by Cole Porter* Around the World , a concert DVD by Mariah Carey...
" - "The Rockafeller SkankThe Rockafeller Skank"The Rockafeller Skank" is a song by English big beat musician Fatboy Slim. It was a hit single released from the 1998 album You've Come a Long Way, Baby....
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