金融時報:監(jiān)獄金曲《Let it Go》

監(jiān)獄金曲《Let it Go》

盡管迪士尼動畫《冰雪奇緣》席卷全球票房榜已經(jīng)是幾年前的事了，但很多人仍對片中的主題曲《Let it Go》念念不忘。據(jù)一家專為全英國囚犯舉辦音樂活動的慈善組織披露，《Let it Go》是犯人中人氣最高的一首歌。這樣一首動畫主題曲為何格外受到囚犯青睞？

測試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識：

superficial[?su?p?r'f??l] adj. 表面的，膚淺的

incongruity[??nk?n'ɡru??ti] n. 不調(diào)和，不一致

resonate['rez?ne?t] v. 產(chǎn)生共鳴

coronation[?k??r?'ne??n] n. 加冕禮

villain['v?l?n] n. 壞人，惡棍

chord [k??d] n. 弦，和音

exhilaration[?ɡ?z?l?'re??n] n. 高興，興奮

latent ['le?tnt] adj. 潛伏的，潛在的

frazzled ['fræzld] adj. 疲憊的

Why ‘Let it Go’ is loved by prisoners and preschoolers alike(650 words)

By Helen Brown

This March a charity running singing workshops at prisons across the UK announced that the most popular song among inmates was “Let it Go”, the big number from Disney’s 2013 animated blockbuster, Frozen.

Despite the superficial incongruity of old lags carolling along to a song more commonly associated with preschoolers dressed as animated princesses, anyone alive to the profound emotional truths of the film would not be surprised to find it resonating with prisoners struggling to own the guilt and shame of the past and yearning to move on.

For the few souls who have still not seen Frozen, “Let it Go” is delivered by the character of Elsa on the day she is crowned Queen of Arendelle. As a child, little Elsa developed magical powers to create ice and snow, with which she accidentally hurt her sister, Anna. So her parents locked her up in their castle, teaching her to control and conceal her dangerous gift. But an emotional upset at her coronation exposes her “witchcraft” and turns her subjects against her. She flees Arendelle — the force of her fear and anger leaving eternal winter in her wake — and delivers “Let it Go” as she strides into the mountains where she finally unleashes her powers to build a dazzling ice palace, create a sexy new outfit and shut herself away from a world she kisses off with a defiant shrug of a line: “The cold never bothered me anyway.”

Based on the fairy tale of The Snow Queen, Elsa was originally written as a villain. But when Broadway songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez set out to write “Elsa’s Badass Song”, the couple realised they were writing “a transformation song”, which Elsa begins as a vulnerable girl and ends as a powerful woman.

“Who doesn’t have something there?” says Anderson-Lopez. “Shame or a secret that keeps them from owning their own power? We dug into that and imagined how it would feel at a much higher level.” The film was re-written to suit the song, making Elsa a flawed heroine, saved by the true love of her sister (not the traditional Prince Charming).

Melodically, the song circles the sadness of minor chords and blasts exhilaration through the majors. Its unusual structure includes phases of ballad and soft rock with an orchestral centrepiece, ending on a lingering, unresolved chord. Its vocabulary is unpatronisingly advanced, with Elsa’s soul “spiralling in frozen fractals all around/ And one thought crystallises like an icy blast/ I’m never going back, the past is in the past!” That last, long, high exclamation was written for the dynamic vocal range of Broadway powerhouse Idina Menzel, whose in-film version massively outsold Demi Lovato’s poppier version which Disney had expected to be the big single.

It was inevitable that children would connect with the song’s bold expression of latent power. But they weren’t alone. The internet filled up with tributes and parodies. Frazzled mums converted the chorus to “Fuck it all!” and dads pleaded “Let it go/I’m gonna smash the radio”. It became a coming out anthem for those expressing LGBT feelings, suffering from mental illness or on the autistic spectrum (like Andersen-Lopez’s younger brother).

To bawl along is pure release: the official singalong version has racked up more than 1bn YouTube views, almost double that of the standard version. It’s the most successful Disney song of all time, in the highest grossing animated movie (and third highest grossing movie) of all time.

It’s been recorded in over 40 languages and almost every genre, although (with the exception of a patchy live effort by Pearl Jam in 2014) major artists have steered clear, knowing this one’s for the fans.

Brighton folk rocker Passenger does regularly receive requests for it at gigs, from people muddling it with his 2012 hit, “Let Her Go”. Anybody interested in how those two songs sound when spliced together should check out the glorious mash-up by YouTuber Sam Tsui. It’ll give you shivers.

請根據(jù)你所讀到的文章內(nèi)容，完成以下自測題目：

1.What kind of transformation is illustrated in ‘Let it Go’ ?

A. Elsa transforms from the Queen of Arendelle to the Ice Queen.

B. Elsa transforms from a vulnerable girl to a powerful woman.

C. Elsa gradually learns to control her powers to create ice and snow.

D. Elsa finally unleashes her powers to build a dazzling ice palace.

答案(1)

2.Who sings ‘Let it Go’ in the film?

A. Katie Lopez.

B. Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

C. Idina Menzel.

D. Demi Lovato.

答案(2)

3.Which of the following statements about the film Frozen is true？

A. It was originally targeted at preschoolers but later became a blockbuster.

B. It was written and directed by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

C. It tells the story of a wicked queen who trapped the kingdom in eternal winter.

D. It is based on the fairy tale of The Snow Queen but the plot is not quite the same.

答案(3)

4.Why the song "Let It Go" appeals to prisoners?

A. Because the song inspires prisoners who yearning to move on from the past.

B. Because the song teaches them to control and conceal themselves.

C. Because the song expresses their shame and anguish at a much higher level.

D. Because the song expresses their wish to be saved by the love of their family.

答案(4)

* * *

(1) 答案：B.Elsa transforms from a vulnerable girl to a powerful woman.

解釋：《Let it Go》是一首講述改變的歌，Elsa從一個脆弱的小女孩變成了強大的女人。

(2) 答案：C.Idina Menzel.

解釋：Idina Menzel錄制了《Let it Go》的電影版本，其銷量大幅超出更加流行的Demi Lovato的版本。

(3) 答案：D.It is based on the fairy tale of The Snow Queen but the plot is not quite the same.

解釋：《冰雪奇緣》改編自童話《冰雪女王》，但他們改變了Elsa這個角色。

(4) 答案：A.Because the song inspires prisoners who yearning to move on from the past.

解釋：《Let it Go》受到囚犯歡迎，因為這首歌使那些努力擺脫過去的罪惡開始新生活的犯人感同身受。