Kanye vs. Dylan

ΚΑΝΥΕ Η DYLAΝ A HEAD-TO-HEAD MASHỤP OF THE WORDS THEY USE Songwriters in all genres choose their words wisely and draw upon a host of influences to create a single song. Oftentimes, the albums that take shape from these individual songs capture entire new worlds. With a little help from corpus linguistics, we can explore these worlds and make meaningful comparisons about famous artists from different eras -- Kanye West and Bob Dylan, for example. So sit back, relax, and enjoy your journey into the different worlds of Kanye's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) and Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited (1965). ABE RIP RI.P. R.I.P. LIGHTS MILAN HIGHWAY 00 00 / LADIES QUEEN JANE NEW YORK CITY MJ ALLEY CHICAGO Ferruri CLOWNS ALLAH MERCYE GALILEO PRAY AFTERLIFE FREEDOM PRIEST PROJECTLL HOUSING POWER ASSHOLE DOUCHEBAG ALEC BALDWIN JESUS MISTER JONES SOLD PRIERS H NAPOLEON DESOLATION BLUES MAMA VERSADE M- OP MT. OLYMPUS RUE MORGUE AVENUE Oscan de ta Rute CRITIC'S CORNER CRITIC'S CORNER "Yeezy goes for the grandeur of stadium rock, the all-devouring sonics of hip-hop, the erotic gloss of disco, and he goes for all of it, all the time. Nobody half- way sane could have made this album." - ROLLING STONE “Highway 61 Revisited - 2.5% named after the road 7.5% that runs from Dylan's home state of Minnesota down through the Missis- sippi Delta – is one of those albums that, quite simply, changed every- thing." - ROLLING STONE References to self out DYLAN of total words in album EGO METER KANYE References EGO METER out of tota to FACT SHEET FACT SHEET Total Total Album tracks (includes iTunes bonus track*) 14 Album tracks 6. Words in album 8704 Words in album 3653 Unique words in album 3790 (43.5%) Unique words in album 1940 (53.1%) * Song with the most words "See Me Now" (ft. Beyonce & Charlie Wilson) Memorable lyrics / admit my first watch was a Fossil/ 1341 Song with the most words 781 "Desolation Row" Memorable lyrics Cinderella, she seems so easy / "It takes one to know one," she smiles / And puts her hands in her back pockets / Bette Davis style Now I'm in the Louvre, lookin' for fossils Song with the fewest words "Who Will Survive In America" 269 Song with the fewest words "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry" 257 Memorable lyrics America is now blood and tears instead of milk and honey Memorable lyrics / wanna be your lover, baby /I don't wanna be your boss / Don't say I never warned you when your train gets lost EMOTIONAL PROFILE EMOTIONAL PROFILE Kanye expresses many emotions through profanities, which make up 2.5% of the words in the album. There is no profanity in this album. Instead, Dylan expresses emotions with words such as: • 32% F-Bomb Variations "happily" 1x =70 2.5% profanity • 68% Other "negativity" 1x =149 “weeping" 1x 1x “smiles" • "emotional" 1x "disgusting" Ix - "disappoint" 1x "surprise" 1x "empathy" 1x "pride" 1x - "whimper" 1x "gloom" 1x "desolation" 10x "smiles" 1x "pride" 1x "cry" 1x 6x "lost" "blues" 6x 4x "pain" "blues" 1x "pain" 1x "hope" 1x "tears" 1x "sorrow" 1x "happy" Ix "stress" 1x "lonely" / "alone" "lost" 2x 3x "tears" 3x "laugh" 2x 2x "satisfied" • "hurt" 2x 2x "appalled" "lonely, alone" 2x "amazed", "frown(s)" 2x 2x "exciting" "amazes" 2x FACES OF THE ALBUM FACES OF THE ALBUM People mentioned by category People mentioned by category 2% 1% • Politicians Actors Bette Davis=1 Obama=1 Colin Powell=1 6% Historical Figures 2% Music Artists • 32% General 2% Georgia Sam (aka Blind Willie McTell)3D1 Bo Diddley=1 Actors & Businessmen Socrates=1 Napoleon=1 Paul Revere=1 mama=10 daddy=6 man/men=5 lady/ladies=4 woman=2 Alec Baldwin=1 Donald Trump=1 Rosa Parks=1 3% • Authors T.S. Eluiot=1 F. Scott Fitzgerald=1 Casanova=1 2% Athletes Nat Turner=1 babe=2 boys=1 girls=1 8% Tiger Woods=1 Kobe=1 Music • Artists Celine Dion=1 Kelly Rowlands=1 Historical 7% • Figures MJ=1 Louie the King=2 Napoleon=1 Galigeo=1 Belle Starr=1 Fergie=1 Tony Matterhorn=1 7% 18% Fictitious By Profession Characters doctor=2 lumberjacks=1 professors=1 lawyers=1 crooks=1 insurance men=1 bandits=1 peasants=1 Austin Powers=1 Chucky=1 King Kong=1 Godzilla=1 Willy Wonka=1 Ichabod Crane=1 20% Religious Figures 55% General man=17 girl(s)=13 ladies and gentlemen=3 mama=3 chick=2 boy=2 women=2 girlfriend=2 mother=1 lady = 1 babe=1 daddy=1 gangster=1 20% God=5 devil=5 Jesus=2 angel=2 preachers=1 priest=1 Christians=1 18% Mysterious Identities Religious Figures God=5 Abraham=5 Cain and Abel=1 John the Baptist=1 Jezebel the nun=1 King of the Philistines=1 Saint Annie=1 Queen Jane=10 Mister Jones=7 Good Samaritan=1 Priest=1 angel=1 lepers=1 THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE References to Love and Hate References to Love and Hate "hater(s)" "lover" - I wanna be your lover, baby /I don't wanna be your boss "love" Cause you haters got PHD's /Y'all just some major haters and some math minors / Tiger Woods don't make me Everybody is making love / Or else expecting rain "hate" • Let's all call names. I hate you, more grab iron 5x 5x 2x 31x "lovers" Disguising ourselves as secret lovers/ We've become public enemies "love" Let's play the blame game /I love you, more BEST SIMILES BEST SIMILES A crip set is an individual crip gang, Crips wear mainly blue, and they're a violent gang; give them too much bad news, and they'll kill you. It's also a double-entendre: Kanye is saying he's too sad ("blue") for any "Like a rolling stone" is not a reference to The Rolling Stones. It is taken from the phrase "A rolling stone gathers no moss." Dylan got the idea from the Hank Williams song "Lost Highway," which contains the line, "I'm a rolling stone, more bad news. GORGEOUS It's been a while since I watched the tube Cause like a crip set I got way too many blues for any more bad news I'm alone and lost." LIKE A ROLLING STONE How does it teel To be on your own With no o direction Like a complete unknow Like a rolling stane? This is a Step Brothers movie reference: John C. Reilly's charac- ter claims Wil| Ferrell's character's After voice is "like a mix between Fergie and Jesus." Kanye is saying that he takes it to the next level - his music is a a long and terrible journey. the song's main character (Mister Jones) plods forward, walking into mix between Christianity and pop his house "like a SEE ME NOW camel". music. First of all, we all know the beats is BALLAD OF A THIN MAN well you walk into the room. Like a mix between Fergie and Jesus Like a cameland then you frown You put youL eyes in yourpocket And your nose on the ground It's true - Kanye is living the rich life like a teenager would: spending money left and right, bragging about it to anyone who will listen, and raining on other people's parades. The singer finds himself surrounded by sickness, drugs, despair, whores, and saints in Juárez, Mexico. He tells the tale of Angel, who was destroyed by the nightmarish city and departed looking worn out and defeated- like a ghost. SEE ME NOW Here's something that you could use in analogy. My life is like a child's illusions become reality ST LIKE TOM THUMB'S BLUES Now all the authorities, they just stand around and boast, How they blackmailed and pickinat-arms into Jeaving his post from the coast, who looked so fine at first the Lup angel who just arrived here but left looking just like a ghost HEADE HEAD learn a language from life O Y SOURCE: ROLLING STONE, RAPGENIUS.COM, SONGFACTS.COM Voxy.com/blog PHILISTINES 8::