Think of any show on TV that you like. Now, think of the title and sing the intro song.
The point of that was to make you aware of the fact that every show – or at least a far, far majority – has a title. I mean, what show doesn't have a title? How is that even possible? That's why titles are the great equalizer around the world... No. I'm kidding. This was definitely about the song you were singing in your head, not the title.
Music, in fact, is the great equalizer. Everywhere you go, every country and every culture you explore, you will find music. It's one of the most impactful creations (or discoveries, depending on how you look at it) of all time. Music can transcend many barriers, language being the biggest. There is a different level of emotional connection to things that involve music. A show can play music to draw you in, push you away, piss you off, make you cry, etc. and sometimes, this will all happen without even a word. Or better yet, without a word you can understand.
La Reina del Sur has two main songs for the show: La Reina del Sur by Los Tigres del Norte and QuĆ©date by Paola Vargas. The first of the two is the theme song for the intro – which most of the time will start halfway through the episodeš – but is honestly a really good song that I typically won't skip because I like to sing along. However, once I started paying attention to the lyrics, I realized that it spells out details about the plot and I learned some spoilers. It's still worth learning the words to the song though. The second song, QuĆ©date, is the love song for Teresa and Santiago, coming on pretty much every single time they're on screen together! Not really, but it does play at a moment's notice, letting me know exactly what scene is coming: a make-out. (This reminded me of the telenovela Cuando Me Enamoro because the song would come on practically every time he would look at one of the women) The main issue I have with that is the fact that by the time I start singing along they have already moved on and the song cuts out.
As I continue to watch La Reina del Sur, I have been changing up the subtitles between English, Spanish and none at all. After a few minutes of zero subtitles, and me realizing that my Spanish needs a good bit of work, I noticed that I came to rely on the music to help me understand what was happening. Obviously the actors facial expressions and the words that I can understand helped, but it was really the music that brought it all together. For example, there was the crazy suspenseful scene of Santiago and Teresa evading the coast guard by plunging into a very dangerous, rocky area. Also, the raging argument between Santiago and Teresa that... you guessed it, led to a make-out scene featuring QuƩdate. I even re-watched some scenes with subtitles on mute so that I couldn't hear anything, and it felt completely off-putting.
So, thanks to the great equalizer that is music, we have such a heightened experience when consuming things like telenovelas. Which adds to the importance of picking the right songs for the right moments. Because a TV show or novela lacking good and often times great music is close to as bad as no music at all.
I think one of the most interesting parts of listening to music that is not in a language you understand, is how it can still become a fan favorite despite this barrier. Music is about how it makes you feel and pretty universal, kind of like facial expressions. In class, we've had to watch clips without English subtitles, and we would get the gist because, this might be a stretch, but I think every culture shares an understanding on facial expressions. I think this can be extended to music- there is an innate feelings towards it. The tone of the voice(s) and the pace of the music is very telling. I also agree music is the finishing touch to anything, and it can be and is a detrimental aspect to any medium.
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine watching a weird, longing stare between two characters but with no music? That image has me dead, it would be so weird and incomplete. I never realized just how much I rely on music to fill any movie or TV show until studying telenovelas. Because I have zero background in spanish, I heavily rely on facial expressions, body language and music to get me through scenes without english subtitles. And I think it's so noticable because they like to use the same personalized score of music within each telenovela. They have go-to pieces of music that's used for every makeout scene, and it becomes so recognizable and such a unique tactic. US tv shows tend to use songs from the radio and individual artists instead of creating a custom score for their show. I think it's really cool to see just how much thought goes into the production and how it pays off in real time.
ReplyDeleteMusic is definitely one of the most important things when producing film or media like it. What is interesting is that you can take a scene, change the background music, and I promise it will change your opinion of it, music makes or breaks things usually. I know people who hate certain video games or movies, but will watch or play over and over because the sound tracks give them goosebumps when they hear it.
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