MUSIC ANALYSIS #1

Santeria, by Sublime

For me and many others, music can transform my emotions. There are just some songs that when it comes on in the car. You just have to sing along with the gusto of a 5-year-old child on Christmas day opening presents. Some songs can change your entire day by coming on. For me, music can alter my mood and bring up old memories long forgotten. 

If someone had told me in high school, that I would be working in an Emergency Room in Alaska I would have thought them to be crazy. As an Emergency Medical Technician or EMT, my life can get crazy quickly. Whenever I need a “pick me up” because of a long day, I start thinking of songs from my childhood, and it just brings up so many happy memories. One song that has always had a special place in my heart is Santeria by Sublime. A song that did not even get released until six months after the singer/co-songwriter Bradley Nowell's tragic death. While a tragic song, this song personally conjures up so many happy memories from my childhood and young adult years with many different people. 

Music Elements

The first musical element is the timbre. There are only three instruments used throughout drums, electric guitar, and bass guitar. The song introduction starts off with a lone guitar playing softly. This helps in my mind start delivering the sadness at the beginning. Right before the first verse comes up, we hear the drums ease into the song. When the first verse starts there is a slight shift. As the sadness of the song in the very beginning is still there; the drums and the sting instruments add the anger and pain along with the sadness. It is not only evident by the instruments, but the wavering in the singer’s voice. It is highlighted by the guitar with its inconsistencies going in and out of key. 

The second musical element is rhythm and tempo. The overall tempo the song is not very fast paced at all.  The very beginning starts soft strumming, the beats per minute start off at 76.  When the first verse starts, we see the shift. Once that shift happens, and we hear the rhythm for the first time. It follows a moderate tempo in 4/4 time, with the total beats per minute at 90. The drums and bass play off each other well in this track. The bass with its heavy and straight forward features, and the drums just complementing the bass with a simple and uncomplexed rhythm. The guitarist with its inconsistencies, from in key to off key in a drop of a hat.  It feels lazy, promoting it’s effortless feeling as if they were at a friend’s house just messing around. 

The third musical element is lyrics. The lyrics in this song help carry a lot of the weight of this song. Just like the timbre, the lyrics has so much sadness and hurt associated with them. The very beginning Bradley is talking to us as if we are friends having a conversation. The first few lines are “I don't practice Santeria, I ain't got no crystal ball”. The crystal ball refers to magic or being able to see the future. In the mention practicing Santeria “Santeria is a religion that is known for its devotees' communication with their divine deities. These deities provide the religious devotees with protection, success, and wisdom. “ So by magic or gods he may not see the future. It continues to go into how the relationship he was in ends with the women leaving him for another man. This is why he needs to find a new one, so maybe one day he’ll be happy. However, at this very moment he is upset and wants to kill the man he was left for and wants to “Slap her down”. It shows a wide range of emotions, especially during an event such as a breakup. 

                                                            Work Cite

“AZLyrics - Request for Access.” AZLyrics.Com, www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/sublime/santeria.html. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024. 

“Santeria (Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Aug. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santeria_(song).

Ogunyemi, Yemi d. “Santería.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 24 Aug. 2024, www.britannica.com/topic/Santeria.