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Sean Davis8 December 2010Dr. Klein, Dr. ZohnCurrent Trends in Music Theory/Musicology

Musical Narrative in The Resistance by MUSE

WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. These words are

the iconic slogans of Big Brother from George Orwell's famous political novel, 1984. Orwell's

influence is not difficult to spot in a perusal of American media; 1984 spawned two major motion

picture releases and influenced several graphic novels (such as V for Vendetta by Alan Moore). The

progressive rock band MUSE displays a clear homage to the story of Orwell's classic novel in its most

recent studio album, The Resistance. As a band with a history of political music (see Knights of

Cydonia, Exo-Politics, Apocalypse Please and several others) and lyrics that make reference to

rebellion and revolution, it is not surprising that MUSE was drawn to the story of 1984. In an

interview with BBC Radio, lead singer and songwriter Matthew Bellamy cited Orwell's dystopian

novel as one of the main inspirations for The Resistance. This paper will demonstrate how the story of

1984 parallels the musical expression in select songs from The Resistance by using various analytical

techniques: Schenkerian graphs, transformational networks, etc. In order to ascertain an in-depth

understanding of the unique musical attributes of popular music, this paper adapts analytical methods

to the task at hand. Instead of traditional Schenkerian analysis, I will graph important arrivals and

harmonic moments. In addition, I will expand transformational networks to include augmented triads.

I will synthesize these techniques to analyze the narrative in “The Resistance,” “Unnatural Selection,”

and “Exogenesis Symphony” from The Resistance by MUSE.

Scholars take various approaches to the analysis of popular music. Walter Everett uses

Schenker graphs extensively in his essay "Making Sense of Rock's Tonal systems." John Covach

focuses on intertextuality in his analysis of the satirical film "The Rutles: All You Need is Cash" in the

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article "The Rutles and the Use of Specific Models in Musical Satire." Covach also studies the

intertextual references in the 1984 mocumentary film This is Spinal Tap in his essay "Stylistic

Competencies, Musical Humor, and This is Spinal Tap," focusing mainly on the incongruous moments

of the music that evoke humor. Kevin Holm-Hudson analyzes the intertextual aspects of Styx's "Come

Sail Away" as well as the defining characteristics of the progressive rock genre in his 2005 essay

"'Come Sail Away' and the Commodification of 'Prog Lite.'" Neo-Riemannian transformational theory

is often used by theorists to explain the tertiary movement and parsimonious voice leading of much

popular music, for example: Guy Capuzzo's 2004 essay "Neo-Riemannian Theory and the Analysis of

Pop-Rock Music." I will expand on the analytical techniques adopted by these scholars in my analysis

of The Resistance by MUSE.

MUSE is most well known in the United States for the use of their songs "Supermassive Black

Hole" and "I Belong to You/Mon coeur s'ouvre à toi" in the popular book-turned-movie series Twilight.

However, the adoption of their work into other popular media is not what draws all people toward

MUSE, it is the careful attention to detail in the construction of their songs. MUSE has a similar sound

to the band Radiohead, specifically the album OK Computer and the chromatic harmony associated

with it.1 Espousing a message of anti-establishment, almost anarchic in nature, MUSE's songs often

have lyrics charged with angst directed at an unseen (and often ambiguous) representation of authority.

For example, “Knights of Cydonia” illustrates signs of disappointment in government, as well as signs

of rebellion and aggression: "How can we win, when fools can be kings . . . You and I must fight for

our rights, You and I must fight to survive . . ." These anti-establishment sentiments are also prevalent

in The Resistance––an overarching theme of rebellion permeates every song. The album frequently

uses ostinato patterns and variation forms (e.g. ground bass, chaconne, etc.) that promote a static

atmosphere, signifying society's lack of progress and adherence to dogmatic rules. The album's eleven1For an in depth look at the style of Radiohead see Nadine Hubbs' essay "The Imagination of Pop-Rock Criticism" in John Covach's bookUnderstanding Rock, where she discusses the Chopinesque qualities of the song "Exit Music (For a Film)."

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songs bring all of these features together to form a coherent narrative of political upheaval, love and

loss.

The Resistance

In the interview on BBC Radio, Bellamy stated that in his most recent reading of Orwell's novel

he was inspired by the relationship between the characters of Winston and Julia. "When I read it

[1984] this time I was much more taken with the love story." This is readily apparent in the lyrics of

many songs on the album, for example in the titular song, “The Resistance,” the relationship between

the main characters in the midst of Big Brother's totalitarian regime is the focus:

If we live a life in fear,I'll wait a thousand years

Just to see you smile again.Kill your prayers for love and peace,

You'll wake the thought police.We can't hide the truth inside.

These lyrics feature an arpeggiation over a chaconne-like progression beginning on the tonic A minor

and descending by step through VII, VI and V; it then returns to i and, by means of a [viiø7], VII is

temporarily embellished before the descent begins again (see Example 1). The dominant chord is the

focus of the progression, it acts both as a half cadence at the end of each phrase and the springboard

that starts the next. In addition to the obvious lyrical reference to the thought police, the music's

sinking melodic and harmonic lines, coupled with chain suspensions throughout the chordal ostinato,

evoke an atmosphere of despair. The classical resolution of each suspension, commonly referred to as

“sigh” figures, add to the forlorn character of the song, paralleling Winston and Julia's increasingly

precarious predicament. During the refrain, “The Resistance” sets up a narrative that is clearly

presented from the viewpoint of two characters (Winston and Julia). As is evident by the contradictory

nature of the lyrics (it could be wrong, could be wrong; but it should have been right; it could be

wrong, could be wrong; to let our hearts ignite...) the characters are perplexed by their situation and

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their minds are filled with questions, such as: Is Big Brother friend or foe? Are we doing the right

thing? This is represented in the music by a re-orchestration and truncation of the chaconne

progression; this time instead of chain suspensions, we hear a bass-driven rhythmic push and the

progression stops on VI and moves back to i without moving to the dominant. The melodic rhythm

doubles, moving from quarter-note to eighth-note emphasis. This rhythmic increase reflects Winston

and Julia's agitation while they live in fear of discovery; the missing V signifies a lack of direction that

alludes to the confusion and self-doubt that the characters feel in their plight. Finally, at the end of the

refrain our protagonists find their resolve on the words “Love is our resistance, they'll keep us apart and

they won't stop breaking us down. Hold me, our lips must always be sealed.” A strong arpeggiated VI

leads to the return of the suspensions, which heralds a temporary tonicization of C major (III),

signifying resolve in their defiance of authority (see Example 2). The chorus comes to a close by a fast

reprise of the i-VII-VI-V progression that leads back into a reprise of the opening music and marks the

return to the feeling of despair.

Example 1 (mm. 26–40)

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Example 2 (mm. 41–58)

Unnatural Selection

Other songs on The Resistance share this sense of foreboding; “Unnatural Selection” expresses

dissatisfaction with a society that places a greater priority on the lives of the few, rather than the many.

The song begins with an organ prelude that simultaneously acts as a bleak reminder of the dismal

conditions of Oceanic society (the setting of 1984), as well as a harmonic roadmap for the entire song

(see Example 3). Beginning in E minor, we hear a tonic triad in the organ while the singer arpeggiates

i7, claiming “They'll laugh as they watch us fall.” We hear the resolution of the 7th on the word “fall,”

the dissonance of the 7th reinforces the grotesque nature of the lyrics: there are those who take pleasure

at the failure of others. The melodic phrasing suggests a sentence structure: the arpeggiated vocal line

repeats down a whole step; it then continues to build until cadencing on the words “I want the truth.”

This cadence is marked by a modulation to the relative major key (G), signifying a desire for clarity: in

Big Brother's world no fact is without suspicion, and no person entirely trustworthy. Moreover, the

move from minor i to major III predicates the overall harmonic motion of the song; the prelude

modulates from E minor to G major, while the main body of the song progresses from G minor to Bb

major.

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Example 3 (mm. 1–17)

After the modulation to III (G major), the guitar and bass increase the speed of the rhythm.

Repeated eighth notes destabilize the cadence in G major, the common-tone G allows for a mode

change to minor without affecting the harmonic hierarchy of the song. However, as is evidenced by

example 4, the repeated Gs are interrupted by a syncopated gesture. This syncopation indicates the

anxiety of Winston and Julia while they resist Big Brother; in measure 26 a chromatically embellished

compound melody suggestive of dominant enters, adding to the despondent atmosphere and further

alluding to confusion and anxiety. This melody leads to an ostinato pattern that pervades a large

portion of “Unnatural Selection.” The ostinato (Example 5) draws thematically from the immediately

preceding material; it combines chromatic ambiguity suggesting tonic–dominant motion, with an

anxious compound melody. This theme's ferocious chromatic ascent illustrates Winston and Julia's

frustration with society: the music stubbornly insists on rising. Note that when the C# moves to D

halfway through the pattern the downbeat is obscured, further signifying frustration and anxiety. When

the lyrics enter over the ostinato at measure 35, we hear a consistent forward momentum due to the

obscuring of bar-lines; the vocalist almost never changes words on a downbeat. The lyrics, coupled

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with the ostinato, illustrate a sentiment of militant defiance: “I am hungry for some unrest, I want to

push this beyond a peaceful protest, I wanna speak in a language that they'll understand...” This section

represents desire and frustration thematically and harmonically; the music descends repeatedly from ^5

to ^2 in typical Schenkerian fashion (Example 6). At measure 51 the statements that provide harmonic

closure for the song begin to emerge: example 7 shows how the modulation from G minor to Bb major

supplies a sense of completion, even though there is no final descent to ^1. The initial ascent lands on

^5 in G minor and descends to ^2, once again leaving our frustration unresolved. Lyrically, this ascent

references the impersonal lives led by party members: “Counter balance this commotion, we're not

droplets in the ocean.” After we hear ^2 the theme of the organ prelude returns, still in sentence

structure, and modulates to Bb major after a long falling fifths progression. The lyrics of the prelude

repeat, “They'll laugh as they watch us fall, the lucky don't care at all. No hope for fate, it's unnatural

selection and I want the truth,” once again signifying a desire for truth in a world where truth is an

illusion.

Example 4 (mm. 19–26)

Example 5 (mm. 27–34)

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Example 6

Example 7

Both the ostinato section and the transposed restatement of the prelude repeat, however the song

does not end there; another section arrives at measure 78. Reminiscent of a passacaglia, this part shows

the stagnation associated with Oceanic society (Example 8). Marked by an inverted pedal that

permeates much of the passacaglia, this section references Winston's feeble attempts to rationalize

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Oceania. This idea is illustrated by the lyrics: “Try to ride out the storm, whilst they make you believe

that they are the special ones (we have not been chosen).” A gritty guitar solo enters the texture; it

continuously pushes up while simultaneously increasing in rhythmic intensity. This build-up signifies

the mounting tension and frustration in Winston and Julia as they discover “injustice is the norm, you

are not the first [victim], and you know you won't be the last.” After a half-cadence in G minor, there is

a reprise of the modulating section from G minor to Bb major, providing the only real sense of

harmonic closure in the entire song. The cadential figure on “I want the truth” is repeated three times,

each time additional vocal harmony and progressively higher pitches intensify the desire for closure

embodied by those words.

Example 8 (mm. 78–97)

A short coda heralds the end of the song (Example 9). It begins by referencing the syncopation

and anxiety illustrated earlier; F chromatically descends to D in syncopated statements reinforced

through octave doubling. The descent and heavy texture allude to the hopeless nature of Winston and

Julia's predicament, however at measure 108 this problem is augmented when the chromatic descent

from F to D is thickened through the use of power chords. The F is now accompanied by two Bbs, the

E by two As, etc. This added thickness marks the difficult and dangerous essence of defiance against

Big Brother. Unbeknownst to Winston and Julia (as well as the listener) at the time, the thought police

will eventually capture and bring them to the Ministry of Love for interrogation. MUSE portrays these

events in a three-movement symphonic finale to their album titled “Exogenesis Symphony.”

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Example 9 (mm. 106–end)

Exogenesis Symphony

The first movement of the “Exogensis Symphony” depicts Winston's imprisonment in the

Ministry of Love; he is depressed and confused, trying to ascertain the gravity of the situation at hand.

The piece begins with tonally ambiguous statements that suggest A major/F# minor, although there is a

lingering sense of uncertainty pervading the scene due to the unrestricted use of augmented triads. In

the opening measures this augmented sound is predicated by the transformation of A major into A

augmented. This transformation is accomplished by moving the fifth of the A major triad up by half

step (E to F). I call this an Inverse Leading Tone transformation (ILT). The existing LT network

follows this procedure: a major triad lowers its root by half step to transform into its mediant, and a

minor triad raises its fifth by half step to transform into its sub-mediant. The ILT does exactly the

inverse of the LT: a major triad raises its fifth to become augmented and a minor triad lowers its root.

Example 10 illustrates this network. The augmented triads in combination with powerful tremolos and

dynamic swells, suggest that Winston is having an intense internal struggle. Example 11 shows how

the music unfolds in similar statements with harmonic instability; there is an ambiguous tonality

moving with chromatic embellishments that signify a slow drift toward madness or apathy. The weight

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of life is reflected in the textural doubling of the A in m. 7, F# in m. 8 and the C in mm. 9–10; this

heavy burden brings the psyche of the narrator into the depths of depression and dispassion. The first

lyrics of the song show this forlorn sentiment just as well as the opening music, “Aping my soul, you

stole my overture. Oh, trapped in God's program oh I can't escape.” After the introduction the

harmony and texture change from the augmented sonority to a more stable arpeggiated progression in

D minor (see Example 12). This arpeggiation signifies a move into Winston's mind as he contemplates

the events that have transpired, a mood that is present in the music by changing few notes from chord

to chord. Note that even though the harmony changes from iv to V to viiº7/VI, the melody stays on A.

Also note that the lyrics here are questioning in nature; they suggest Winston's anxiety as well as a loss

of individuality: “Who are we? Where are we? When are we? Why are we?” Here, the subject is

enveloped in confusion: his very mind about to collapse from disappointment and disillusionment. The

arpeggiated texture is unceasing until the end of the movement. This relentless texture is a reference to

the mysterious nature of the Ministry of Love: all of the rooms are identical and the lights constantly

bright. The end of the song is marked by a pseudo authentic cadence, instead of V(7) – i, the music

ends with viiº7 – i. The dissonant diminished-7th-chord cadence is a reiteration of Winston's confusion,

which is signified by an incomplete tonic at the end, leaving us with octave Ds. This confusion is

supported by the lyrics, which restate the questions asked before, “Who are we? Where are we? When

are we? Why are we in here?” Such uncertainty suggests that the narrator is in a kind of psychotic

state: he is unsure of his humanity, unsure of his fate.

Example 10

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Example 11

Example 12

The second movement, “Cross Pollination,” begins where the first left off, with octave Ds.

However, we immediately hear the confusion is driven away, or that Winston is moving toward

something better. This direction is evidenced by the continuous chromatic line that sinks until it arrives

at a D minor chord (see Example 13). This chord arpeggiates up until it is altered chromatically when

A moves through B flat to B natural, propelling the music to C major. Moving to the key of purity and

understanding signifies Winston's search for truth; the absence of lyrics for a minute or more adds to

the uncertainty of this search. When we reach C major it appears that Winston comes to an epiphany,

however, a closer look at the music suggests otherwise. This brief reprieve from psychosis is nothing

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more than a fantasy, an imaginary solution, or perhaps a dream. The sliding chromatic roots of the

chords illustrate this idea: the root of the C major chord descends by half step through B, and B flat,

before pushing through A to A flat, reaching bVI. From bVI, the music repeats this process until we

reach F minor, which continues to sink until C returns (see Example 14). These sliding chromatic notes

remind us that Winston's search continues; he has not found an actual solution, only false hope.

Winston seeks solace by latching onto anyone or anything that can offer a reprieve; in his case this is

O'Brien, a man who simultaneously represents both redemption and torture. These ideas are apparent

in the lyrics: “Rise above the crowd and wade through toxic clouds, breach the outer sphere, the edge

of all our fears rest with you, we are counting on you, it's down to you.” Winston's mind is filled with

confusion and fear, he must rise above all others and place his faith in some nameless all-knowing

entity: Big Brother (in this case represented by O'Brien). The phrase “it's down to you” reinforces this

idea because it is accompanied by a large C dominant-7th-chord, pointing toward a desire for answers

and resolution. The song ends with the words “Tell us, what is your final wish? We will tell it to the

world!” which serves two functions: it is a representation of the still unresolved desire for

understanding, and it acts as a return to the imaginary solution embodied by the C major section from

the opening of the movement (Example 14). These chords have a new purpose now; they are not

Winston's fantasy dream, but the fantasy solution of the nameless entity that he asks for help so

imploringly.

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Example 13

Example 14

The final movement, “Redemption,” presents a stark contrast to the ambiguity and frustration of

the first two movements. Perhaps stemming from the false sense of security of the fantasy at the end of

the second movement, the third has more clearly defined harmonic progressions that give it a sense of

direction and purpose: something missing from the previous movements. However, this newfound

direction is not without flaws; the subject is still not fully grounded, since the first section of the song is

comprised of arpeggiated I 6/4 chords (see Example 15). Beginning with a second inversion tonic

chord simultaneously suggests instability (because of the weak inversion) and stability (in comparison

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to the augmented sound of the first movement and chromatic slipping of the second). The third

movement begins, then, with a contradiction. To further this contradiction there is a small reference to

the stagnant motion of the first movement, which had many examples of harmonic change while the

melody stayed on the same note. This stagnation occurs here as well; the opening progression follows

this pattern: I 6/4 – [V6] – vi – IV 6 – I 6/4, where the first three chords have B natural in the melody

(see Example 16). In another contradiction, this progression refers to the confusion of the first

movement while also following a clear directional pattern. I think contradiction in this context is a

musical analogy to the concept of “doublethink” from 1984. The static melody represents a

recollection of contradiction, and the directional harmony points toward deliberately forgetting that the

contradiction exists at all. This realization is true redemption in the mind the narrator, the realization

that the he was wrong all along and must live according to the ideals of “Ingsoc” (English Socialism in

1984). We can hear this realization from the build up of the music to where the lyrics begin. Up until

this point the music was in G major, but when the texture thickens and Winston prepares to proclaim

his understanding, the key changes to the dramatically different Eb major. Winston comes to the

realization that much of what he was suffering was generated from his own lack of vision, that

understanding and happiness come from within and not from outside. The lyrics illustrate this

realization: “Let's start over again, Why can't we start it over again? Just let us start it over again and

we'll be good. This time we'll get it right, it's our last chance to forgive ourselves.” Thick textural

chords accompany the lyrics, outlining a plagal motion in E flat major (see Example 17). This is the

moment of anagnorisis for Winston; his mindset is turned completely on its head as he realizes the truth

of “Ingsoc.” The rhythms are still suggestive of the opening of the movement, where we first glimpse

redemption, but here with the key change and thicker chords (as well as the entrance of the voice) we

hear the true change in Winston's mindset. He is no longer controlled by confusion and

disillusionment, finding a new sense of purpose through submission to Big Brother. This is also shown

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in the closing bars, which end with a reprise of the opening material. This time the harmony is not

plagued by unstable inversions; all of the chords are in root position or first inversion. However, the

song ends with an imperfect authentic cadence, signifying that even though he found solace, he did so

by succumbing to Big Brother and tyranny (see Example 18). True psychological closure would be

signified with a PAC.

Example 15

General Harmonic Outline:

Example 16

Example 17

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Example 18

The Resistance exemplifies some of the qualities that make up tightly-constructed popular

music: careful attention to motivic and thematic detail, word painting, innovative chord progressions,

and use of classical techniques and forms. Specifically, MUSE’s use of narrative on this album

demonstrates how a story can connect the music to the listener in a deep and meaningful way. I set out

to illustrate how one might attempt to analyze musical narrative in the context of popular music, a feat

that will aid future theorists who may embark on similar endeavors. Although the analytical tools of

music theory are firmly established, in order to gain an in-depth understanding of popular music we

must adapt these tools so they can be crafted into flexible applications. Furthermore, we can gain

important insight into the expressive capabilities of popular music and possibly discover some of the

musical and extra-musical characteristics that influence these capabilities.

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Sources

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Covach, John. Understanding Rock: Essays in Musical Analysis. New York: Oxford University Press,1997.

. “The Rutles and the Use of Specific Models in Musical Satire” Indiana Theory Review, 1991.

Everett, Walter ed. Expression in Pop-Rock Music: Critical and Analytical Essays. New York: Taylor and Francis Group, 2008.

. “Making Sense of Rock's Tonal Systems.” Music Theory Online. Vol. 10, No. 4 (December, 2004).

. The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

. The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Holm-Hudson, Kevin. “'Come Sail Away' and the Commodification of 'Prog Lite'” American Music. Vol. 23, No. 3 (Autumn, 2005): 377–394.

Marvin, Elizabeth West and Richard Hermann ed. Concert Music, Rock, and Jazz since 1945: Essaysand Analytical Studies. Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 1995.

Orwell, George. 1984. London: Harcourt Inc., 1949.