What is it about?
The Finnish folk epic, the Kalevala (final edition published in 1849), has inspired many artists throughout the years. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before metal musicians started adapting the poetry from the epic in their music and lyrics. This article is about two songs that rework the poetry. The first is 'Lemminkäisen laulu' (The Song of Lemminkäinen) by Kotiteollisuus, and the second is 'Rautaa rinnoista' (Iron from the Breasts) by Mokoma. Both songs rework various sources besides the epic. The resulting pastiche-like lyrics show the awareness of the artists on Finnish folk poetry, but also on Finnish art, society, and culture. The songs can be connected to the artists' sense of Finnishness but also to the topics and themes of the global metal scenen
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Why is it important?
Let's be honest, this research won't cure cancer or save the world. Not all research has to do this. This research introduces a non-Finnish speaking audience to two things they might know little about. Metal music and Finnish folk poetry. With the two case studies presented in the article, I challenge the negative stereotype of metal musicians as being dumb and/or uninformed. Instead, these artists use various sources to write lyrics that voice either personal experiences - ones that we might all feel from time to time - or a criticism of society. The lyrics studied show that some metal artists are very much engaged with the world around them.
Perspectives
I hope that this article will make people re-evaluate metal music and popular culture in general. We often have the idea that popular culture is not that important. Even though it is what most of us consume on a daily basis. I would argue that popular culture, whether it is blockbuster movies, gripping TV-dramas, or songs played on the radio, play an important part in our day-to-day lives. Valuing popular culture is not something to be ashamed of and it is worthy of academic attention because it tells us more about who we are as humans.
Dr Charlotte Doesburg
University of Oxford
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Of heroes, maidens and squirrels: Reimagining traditional Finnish folk poetry in metal lyrics, Metal Music Studies, June 2021, Intellect,
DOI: 10.1386/mms_00051_1.
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