Chapter 4
Singing for peace
Metaphor and creativity in the lyrics and performances of three songs by U2
This chapter explores how metaphoric creativity contributes to shaping and recontextualizing ideological and socio-political practices in three songs by U2, “Sunday, Bloody Sunday”, “Please” and “Peace on Earth”. The contextual motivations of metaphoric creativity are analyzed by exploring three main dimensions. Metaphoric creativity is analyzed, first, in the conceptualization of the topic of conflict in Northern Ireland in the lyrics of the three songs. Second, it is analyzed as hinging upon the multimodal interaction of verbal and visual modes in the performance of the song “Please” in a YouTube video. Third, we explore the potentiality for creative recontextualization of the songs, which have been performed to reinterpret other political conflicts and tragic events, starting from the 9/11 attacks.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.The Northern Irish conflict, U2, the three songs and their performance across contexts
- 3.Metaphor and creativity as social practice in songs
- 3.1Metaphor and creativity in pop-rock songs: From discursive to social practices
- 3.2Metaphor and political action
- 3.3Recontextualization of the songs and reinterpretation of the metaphors
- 4.Metaphors and metonymies in the lyrics of the three songs
- 5.Multimodal metaphor and metonymy in the video performance of “Please”
- 6.Recontextualization of the three songs across performances
- 7.Conclusions
-
Acknowledgements
-
Note
-
References
References (46)
References
Bar-Tal, Daniel; Ariel W. Kruglanski, and Yechiel Klar. 1989. “Conflict Termination: An Epistemological Analysis of International Cases.” Political Psychology 10 (2): 233–255. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Barcelona, A. (Ed.). (2000). Metaphor and metonymy at the crossroads: A cognitive perspective. Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Benito García, I. (2013). OneLove… U2. Análisis de la banda de rock U2. Madrid: U2fanlife.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Bew, P., & Gillespie, G. (1999). Northern Ireland. A chronology of the troubles. 1968–1999. Dublin: Gill & MacMillan.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Caballero, R. (2014). Exploring the Combination of Language, Images and Sound in the Metaphors of TV Commercials, Atlantis, 36 (2), 31–51.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Cameron, L., & Maslen, R. (Eds). (2010). Metaphor analysis: Research practice in applied linguistics, social sciences and the humanities. London: Equinox.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Carter, R. (2004). Language and creativity: The art of common talk. London/New York: Routledge.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Charteris-Black, J. (2004). Corpus approaches to critical metaphor analysis. Basingstoke: Palgrave. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
CNN (2016). September 11, 2001: Background and timeline of the attacks. CNN News September 8, 2016. [URL]
Cogan, V. (2008). U2. An Irish phenomenon. New York: Pegasus Books.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Fauconnier, Gilles & Turner, Mark. (2002). The way we think: Conceptual blending and the mind's hidden complexities. New York: Basic Books.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Forceville, C. (2009). Non-verbal and multimodal metaphor in a cognitivist framework: Agendas for research. In C. Forceville, & E. Urios-Aparisi (Eds.), Multimodal metaphor (pp. 19–42). Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Forceville, C., & Urios-Aparisi, E. (Eds.). (2009). Multimodal metaphor. Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Filardo-Llamas, L. (2017). When the Fairy Tale is Over. An Analysis of Songs and Institutional Discourse against Domestic Violence in Spain. In L. C. S. Way, & S. McKerrell (Eds.), Music as multimodal discourse. Music, power and protest (pp. 159–178). London: Bloomsbury.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Francis, J. (2009). Stuck in a Moment: 9/11 and U2. The Daily Record. [URL]
Gibbs, R. W. Jr. (1994). The poetics of mind: Figurative thought, language and understanding. Cambridge/ New York: Cambridge University Press.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Gibbs, R. W. Jr. (2017). Metaphor wars. Cambridge/ New York: Cambridge University Press. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Hart, C. (2008). Critical Discourse Analysis and Metaphor: Toward a Theoretical Framework. Critical Discourse Studies 5 (2): 91–105. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Hennessey, T. (1997). A history of Northern Ireland. 1920–1996. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Hidalgo Downing, L. (2015). Metaphor and metonymy. In R. Jones (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of language and creativity (pp. 107–128). London: Routledge.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Hidalgo-Downing, L. & Kraljevic-Mujic, B. (2011). Multimodal metonymy and metaphor as complex discourse resources for creativity in ICT advertising discourse. Metaphor and the Social World 9 (1), 153–178.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Jones, R. H. (2012). Discourse and creativity. London: Routledge.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Jones, R. H. (2015). The Routledge handbook of language and creativity. London: Routledge. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kövecses, Z. (2002). Metaphor. A practical introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kövecses, Z. (2010). A new look at metaphorical creativity in cognitive linguistics. Cognitive Linguistics, 21 (4), 663–97. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kövecses, Z. (2015). Where metaphors come from. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Machin, D. (2010). Analysing popular music: Image, sound and text. London: Sage. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Maybin, J. (2016). Everyday creativity. In R. Jones (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of language and creativity (pp. 25–39). London: Routledge.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
McCormick, Neil. 2005. U2 by U2. London & New York: HarperCollins.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Musolff, A. (2004). Metaphor and political discourse: analogical reasoning in debates about Europe. London: Palgrave Macmillan. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
McKittrick, D. & McVea, D. (2001). Making sense of the Troubles. London: Penguin.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Melnick, J. (2009). 9/11 culture. America under construction. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Pietzonka, K. (2008). List of Songs about ‘The Troubles’” CAIN
. A conflict archive on the internet. [URL]
Semino, E. (2008). Metaphor in discourse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Semino, E., Deignan, A., & Littlemore, J. (2013). Metaphor, genre and recontextualization. Metaphor and Symbol, 28 (1), 41–59. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Semino, E., & Demjén, Z. (Eds.). (2016). The Routledge handbook of language and metaphor. London: Routledge. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, Mat. (2014) U2: Revolution. New York: Race Point.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Urios-Aparisi, E. (2009). Interaction of multimodal metaphor and metonymy in TV commercials: Four case studies. In C. Forceville, & E. Urios-Aparisi (Eds.), Multimodal metaphor (pp. 95–118). Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Vagacs, Robert. 2005. Religious nuts, political fanatics. U2 in theological perspective. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Van Dijk, T. A. (1998). Ideology: A multidisciplinary approach. London: SAGE.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Van Leeuwen, T. (2008). Discourse and practice: New tools for critical discourse analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Van Leeuwen, T. (2012). The Critical Analysis of Musical Discourse. Critical Discourse Studies 9 (4), 319–328. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Cited by (2)
Cited by two other publications
Tseng, Ming-Yu
2024.
‘Just Like Pandemic Prevention’: The Semiotic Flow That Interweaves Multimodality, Metaphor, and Narrativity.
Metaphor and Symbol 39:2
► pp. 110 ff.
![DOI logo](//benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Hidalgo-Downing, Laura & Paula Pérez-Sobrino
2022.
Rest in space, Starman! Creative reframing of death metaphors on David Bowie’s mural in London.
Discourse Studies 24:5
► pp. 566 ff.
![DOI logo](//benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 28 june 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.