In “Like Rock &Roll and Radio”,
Ray LaMontagne utilizes perspective
allusion, vivid imagery, and comparative
similes in order to explain how some things can change over time and have
different outcomes, such as rock and roll and the radio. Ray explains things
with few words but plenty of details in order to make a more general touch to
the song.
Ray LaMontagne uses perspective
allusion to help relate how things can change over time just like they do in
history. One of the many allusions that he uses in his song is the Vaudeville
show. This was a theatrical genre of a variety of entertainment in the US and
in Canada from the 1880’s to the 1930’s. Each show was created by a series of
separate, unrelated acts put together on a common thing. He uses the line, “Are we strangers now? Like
the Ziegfeld Gal and the Vaudeville show?”. Ray uses the Vaudeville show as an allusion in
order to show that things over time because the show was popular at one point
but is now not in existence anymore. People can be so close at some point and
then the next second they could be total strangers and that’s basically what
LaMontagne is trying to explain through the use of allusion.
Another tool that Ray LaMontagne
uses is vivid imagery to relate to help elucidate that some things can change
over time. The use of this imagery may be small but you can see the meaning
behind it. He writes, “Does it deepen
over time, like the river that is winding through the Canyon?”. This helps the
people listening to visualize water going through a canyon and trying to figure
out if it deepens the canyon over time by the weathering away of the canyon
itself. Also it refers back to love and
if love can deepen over time. A person can visual compare that and realize it
is possible because people end up in marriage and in most cases it’s because
people have fallen in love over time, they weren’t born that way. Many things
can be changed over time and vivid imagery is an excellent way to have a person
visualize this.
Lastly, LaMontagne uses similes in
order to compare things to things that can relate but not in the way that would
be make sense in the big picture. He writes, “Are we strangers now? Like rock
and roll and the radio?”. This is the biggest simile with the most meaning in
the entire song because of the meaning behind it. Ray uses this simile to
compare rock and roll with the radio, and how rock and roll really doesn’t show
up on the radio much anymore. He is also comparing it to strangers because of
how rock and roll is becoming a stranger to the radio. The genre of music played on the radio varies
depending upon the station being played. Over time radio stations have changed
very much and play a variety of different music. Just like people change over
time so do other things, this can be depicted by the similes used through this
song.
Throughout the song “Like Rock
& Roll and Radio”, Ray LaMontagne
uses perspective allusion, vivid imagery, and comparative similes in order to
show the progression or change of things over time. The allusions used help to
relate to things from the past and show people how they have become strangers
now instead of closely relatable. The imagery in the song helps to show the
reader how things change over time and give them a visual aid. The last but not
least thing used throughout the song is the similes which help the most to
compare things and show how change has occurred over time. All these different
tools and devices work together in the song to help piece together the puzzle
and for a picture of how things can change over time.
