Ever since I could read, I’ve been fascinated by Greek myths. Like many others, I jumped onto the Percy Jackson bandwagon. Even at university, so far four of my classes in my two years here have in some way centered around Greek mythology and epics. Even though these myths originate from a culture born in the 8th century, they still hold prevalence today. Many poets, lyricists, and novelists use allusions to the gods or retell the ancient stories in some way. Where it was once a religion, it has now become a fascination: an area of study. What do these gods symbolize to us now? How have they been adopted by the current culture?
- “Hera” by Justin Nozuka
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Nozuka is a Canadian-American singer signed to the label Coalition Entertainment Records. Nozuka was raised in a mixed-race household with six siblings. He named his debut album, Holly, after his mother and had written two of the songs “I’m in Peace” and “Supposed to Grow Old” when he was only 15. If the name sounds familiar, you may know his brothers Henry Nozuka (musician), George Nozuka (musician) and Philip Nozuka (actor). His latest album, Run to Waters, was released May 18th, 2018.
This song represents the nature of Hera’s role in the hierarchy of Greek gods. As the wife of Zeus, she represented marriage and childbearing and was also known as the Queen of Olympus. Nozuka winds her story into his own lyrical narrative as he describes her to be “in winds of jasper.” The stone jasper symbolizes health, strength, passion, and stamina. Often seen as the motherly figure, Hera instills these restorative powers onto her children and onto those who uphold her virtues of loyalty. He also describes this person that Hera has saved to be “bound in gold.” This likely ties to the divine quality that Hera represent as the goddess of the heavens. Gold also can convey elegance and status. By being “bound in gold,” perhaps this person is tied down by a life of luxury.
- “Athena” by The Who
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The Who is an English rock band that has been around since 1964. It is composed of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and vocalist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. The band is best known for their songs “Baba O’Riley” which is featured on their album Who’s Next and “Pinball Wizard” from The Kids Are Alright. In addition to their hit songs, The Who has had a lasting impact on the way music is performed. They were instrumental in the creation and development of the rock opera as well as commercialized use of synthesizers. They are truly a band like no other.
While this song shares the name of the goddess of Wisdom, it was written about an ordinary woman. In fact, the original title for the song was meant to be “Teresa” after Nicolas Roeg’s girlfriend whom Pete Townshend found himself enamored with. They decided to change the track title to “Athena” so that the comparison would no longer be drawn between the two. The song opens with the lines “Athena, I had no idea how much I would need her. In peaceful times I hold her close and I feed her.” The fact that the speaker references “peaceful times” plays into Athena’s role as the goddess of battle strategy, likely alluding to the fact that at times of war, Athena would be at the forefront of the battle. Although the name mimics that of the Greek goddess, the line “she’s just a girl” is repeated throughout the song. The inclusion of this repetition serves to illustrate how even the toughest figures are people at the end of the day with real emotions and problems. He also follows by saying “she’s a bomb,” which could be a reference to her explosive character or the fact that perhaps she is dangerous as well as beautiful.
- “Dionysus” by The Buttertones
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Los Angeles rock band The Buttertones formed in 2012 under Innovative Leisure. The band members include lead singer and guitarist Richard Araiza, guitarist Dakota Böttcher, bass player Sean Redman, multi-instrumentalist and drummer Cobi (Modeste Cobián) and keyboard player and saxophonist London Guzmån. They have claimed the label “cinematic rock” by drawing influence from post-punk rock, surf rock, and garage rock. Members Sean, Richard and Cobi met when performing at the Musicians Institute back in 2011 and began playing music together. After the release of their second album, American Brunch, the band was joined by Dakota and London. On May 4th, 2018, The Buttertones released their fourth studio album Midnight in a Moonless Dream.
Dionysus is the Greek god of wine and parties. He was often praised during times of celebration and achievement. He also represents lust, theater, and ritual madness. In “Dionysus” by The Buttertones, the concept behind Dionysus’s character is followed through the imagery of alcohol and wanting to get with a girl. In the opening verse, the lyrics say “Bring me some rum with your sweet talk.” Here a comparison is made between the girl’s words and the relaxing qualities of alcohol. The song follows a rather persistent speaker who is vying for the attention of a girl. While she seems not to be receptive to his advances, he tells her “Stay right here. I’m more sincere when I drink.” He believes that if she just gives him the chance to come clean and be real with her that she will want to be with him. Maybe it’s the alcohol, but this guy seems a little delusional.
- “Apollo” by St. Paul & The Broken Bones
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St. Paul & The Broken Bones is a soul band out of Birmingham, Alabama formed in 2012. The eight members of the group are vocalist Paul Janeway, guitarist Browan Lollar, bassist Jesse Phillips, drummer Kevin Leon, keyboarder Al Gamble, trumpet player Allen Branstetter, saxophonist Amari Ansari, and trombonist Chad Fisher. The band recorded their debut EP, Greetings from St. Paul and the Broken Bones, in 2012 before they had even played a live show together. In 2013, they recorded their first full-length album, Half City, which was produced by Ben Tanner of the Alabama Shakes. Their latest album Young Sick Camelia was released in 2018.
Apollo, god of the sun, archery, medicine, music, poetry, and the oracle is often called the “catch-all” god as he is one of the most complicated yet important players on Mount Olympus. He is also associated with the perfect male form, being represented as athletic and tanned in most depictions. The song “Apollo” by St. Paul & The Broken Bones plays to Apollo’s reputation as a player while also tying the song to the famous Apollo 13 spacecraft. The opening chorus speaks to how easily Apollo is taken with women and their beauty. In the first verse, he says “Lookin’ down from my orbit, Captain, can you get her to call me?” These lines conjure up the image of Apollo looking down from his place in the sun chariot onto a beautiful girl. The “Captain” he refers to might represent his father Zeus and the king of Mount Olympus. When he sees this beautiful girl, he says “Lose control and I might go crazy.” This line could allude to the story in Ovid’s Metamorphoses in which Apollo falls in love with a girl named Daphne and is so driven by lust that the only way she can escape him is by turning into a tree. All I’m saying is that you better watch out if you get caught in Apollo’s sights.
- “Alrighty Aphrodite” by Peach Pit
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Peach Pit is a band formed out of Vancouver, Canada in 2016. They first met when members Neil Smith and Chris Vanderkooy collaborated on a high school project. Afterward, they were joined by Peter Wilton (bassist) and Mikey Pascuzzi (drummer) to round out their lineup. They have named their specific musical niche as “chewed bubblegum pop.” They attain this name through a combination of summery sounds and teenage angst. The band amassed popularity after being discovered by another YouTube channel for their title track, “Peach Pit.” Since then, Peach Pit released their nine-track mini-album Being So Normal in 2018.
In “Alrighty Aphrodite” the Greek goddess of love, fertility, and beauty is used as a metaphor for the subject of the song. In the first line, the speaker sings “Take a seat back in your clamshell. If the ocean’s not enough, nor am I.” Here, the lyrics cleverly reference Sandro Botticelli’s painting “The Birth of Venus” as it depicts Venus (the Roman version of Aphrodite) standing naked in the center of a clamshell, arriving to shore after her birth. The lyrics tie in this historical piece of art to their jab at Aphrodite’s vanity, pointing out that the speaker could never be enough to satisfy her because she never stops wanting. By telling her to “take a seat back in [her] clamshell” what they are really saying is for her to get down off her high horse. Over the course of the song, the speaker makes it apparent that this Aphrodite figure seems to be wasting his time and playing with his feelings. In the second verse, the line “Little pearl you think you’re in gold, but I can see the dirt in your lines” is in conversation with the famous painting by Herbert James Draper titled “The Pearls of Aphrodite.” The painting depicts a freshly bathed Aphrodite removing a pearl necklace from around her neck. By telling her that he can “see the dirt in [her] lines,” he’s telling her he knows she’s not really as perfect as she’s led everyone to believe. In addition to great music, Peach Pit sure does have extensive knowledge of art history.
- “Artemis” by Stephen Rezza
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Stephen Rezza is an extremely new artist to the music scene and as of now has only released four singles, the earliest being “Artemis” in 2018. Before he started uploading his music to Soundcloud and Spotify, Rezza put out various covers of songs on a YouTube channel back in 2013. You may also be familiar with Rezza through his association with YouTuber and The Voice contestant Christina Grimmie whom he was dating until her tragic death in 2016. Early in 2019, Rezza updated his fans that doctors had found a tumor in his brain and started a GoFundMe page to help mitigate the cost of surgeries. As of April 1st, Rezza updated his Facebook announcing a successful surgery and has begun performing again. Here’s to hoping that Rezza will remain in good health for a long time to come.
The goddess Artemis is representative of the moon, hunting and is deeply associated with nature. Throughout the song, Rezza uses the goddess as a comparison to a female figure present in his own life. He describes this girl as having “hands made of flint.” Flint is a type of stone often uses for making arrowheads and other sharp tools associated with hunting. He also claims that she comes “rolling in on chariots” which alludes to Artemis’s moon chariot that she drives across the heavens each evening to trade day for night. Rezza also sees this girl as someone nurturing as he says “the seed is planted and the earth is watered,” meaning that the girl is invested in their relationship and wants it to grow. While she is someone independent and ferocious, she also shows a softer and more caring side.
- “Zeus” by Denny Lanez
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Denny Lanez is a rapper and hip-hop artist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Born Denzell Armon, Lanez got his stage name from fellow musicians Denny White and Tory Lanez. Aside from music, Lanez enjoys watching The Office and has acted in small roles such as an episode of Chicago Fire and an independent film titled Jim Shoe. He has also worked as a model for Ford. The up-and-coming rapper released his first single “The Oath” in 2015 and now has released two full-length albums Title 96 and 4 You.
“Zeus” is a song about not forgetting where you came from. While the rap anthem comes off as a brag about Lanez’s status now by comparing himself to Zeus, he addresses the work he’s done to pave the way for himself as an artist. For those unaware, Zeus is the Greek god of lightning, storms and is king of the Olympians. By drawing such a lofty comparison, Lanez is telling those around him not to mess with him. When speaking about his work ethic, Lanez says “Gettin’ no sleep for like four weeks. Newest version of the old me. I ain’t eatin’ ‘til my bros eat.” Here he illustrates that he’s the kind of person who supports and raises up his friends and family. He knows that in order to make it big, he has to work hard at it and that when he does, he’s going to take the people he cares about with him. The song also serves as a commentary on the music industry and the way that rap artists often have to sell out to be successful. He says “I used to write ‘til my right was sore. Tell these rappers don’t write no more.” Lanez is commenting on the fact that many rappers simply perform pieces now that were already written for them or depend more on the beats backing their tracks rather than their lyricism. As someone who has spent a long time conceptualizing his pieces, Lanez’s frustration is one that can be shared by many artists.
Though Greek gods are no longer ones that the mass culture worships, they still play a prominent role in iconography. These myths have taken on new forms, creating archetypes and moral lessons from their characters and stories. They have been a muse for artists for centuries, and it doesn’t seem like that will stop any time soon.
Listen to the full playlist here!