Abstract
This paper examines how "Dancing Queen" by Abba is a prominent example of the popular music of the 1970s. It also discusses how, as opposed to the scientific view on the popular culture, represented by Theodor Adorno and Barbara Tepa Lupack, that suggests the male domination in leisure culture, the dance pop of that time, in particular, ABBA's music, can be distinguished by its highlighting of gender equality and appreciation of expressive and balanced individuality.

Outline:
Introduction.
Musical Analysis of "Dancing Queen".
Elimination of Androcentrism in the Song.
General Discussion of the Disco/Dance Party Culture.
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The song is composed of three verses and three choruses. The chorus is "You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen/ Dancing queen, feel the beat of the tambourine/ You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life/ See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen" (Abba, Dancing Queen, 1975). The chorus melodically differs from the verse, but does not contrast the latter harmonically, as it is perceived as an accelerated and highlighted verse melody. As for the rhythm, the song represents the classical thirty-two bar form, or AABA, in which the A-section is harmonically self-sufficient and cadences on the tonic, whereas the B section is the so-called "middle eight", that seems more harmonically open the previous section but necessarily contains a smooth transitional notes that allow switching to the A-part again. The song writers used regular AABA, which is, however, elaborated by rhyming parts inside the line: queen-seventeen / queen - tambourine/ jive - life / scene - queen. "

Tags:disco, gender

Abstract
This paper examines the musical, "Mama Mia!", and looks at how, set in present times on a small mythical Greek island, the show mingles about 25 ABBA songs into a story of a mother and her soon-to-be-married daughter. It is a frolicking musical that combines a fun and fast-moving yet simple plot, laughs galore, and loads of hits. It looks at some of the history behind the show, the pop group ABBA, and the plot of the story.

From the Paper
"The cast looks as if it is having as much fun as the audience, while inane things keep on occurring in the contrived and cliche plot. In one scene, Sophie has a nightmare to the music of "Under Attack." In the dream sequence, her groom wears a wedding dress, no less. Actually much of the enjoyment of this show comes from seeing where they are going to place each of the 20-odd songs that are listed in the playbill in alphabetical rather than performance order no one wants the audience to know which tune will come when until seeing the play. The show in fact is making fun of itself as well who would think of a story taking place on a Greek island with the Italian words "MaMa Mia!""

Tags:abba, sophie, music

Abstract
This paper discusses the historical relevance and accuracy in popular music. The research discusses the history, musician, and lyrics from three songs specifically: David Bowie is "Space Oddity", Abba's "Waterloo" , and Don McLean's "Vincent". The author examines how these songs are examples of our culture's attempt to understand and relate to history.

From the Paper
"Historical events are often written about in fictional novels, used in television and cinematic forms, and even more often, referenced in music. Popular music often fictionalizes actual events for dramatic effect like Space Oddity by David Bowie or emphasizes a personal lament by referencing actual events like Waterloo by Abba. Some popular songs are even written about the lives of historical figures, such as Vincent van Gogh in Don McLean's Vincent. These three songs are an example of our culture's attempt to not only understand the past, but relate to it as well. The question, of course, is whether these songs are using the history they refer to in the correct context or correctly describe the events of the past."

Tags:abba, apollo, bowie, gogh, lyrics, mclean, pop, song, van, waterloo

Abstract
The paper traces the history of baroque music which reached its peak in the 1700s with musicians such as Vivaldi and Bach. It then compares this music to the development of the rock music of the 1970s, identifying the audience and the culture of both periods. The paper shows the similarity between the two time periods - in each of the two, music has been an instrument to cultural change. They were important to the audience because they could socially represent themselves or expressed their emotions through them.

From the Paper
"Comparatively, in the modern era, the status of music has a different status quo. If one recall the period of the 1970s, the population of America especially experienced a period of "grotesqueness" as well. The culture of American population changed from discriminatory to one of extreme liberty. Different kind of music was experienced right from rock music to reggae. The resulting is an amalgamation of different cultural tunes. One could attribute the change of attitudes of the people towards music to the cultural trends prevailing at the time."

Tags:harpsichord, sonata, concerto, lute, David, Bowie, Abba, Rolling, Stones

Abstract
This paper discusses the efforts constantly being made to improve the security environment for Israel and the Palestinian Authority by both sides and by the Quartet, a diplomatic mission consisting of the US, UN, Russia and the European Union, established in 2002 in Madrid by Spanish Prime Minister Aznar to assist in mediating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The writer describes various political factors in the peace process and recent events affecting it. The writer concludes by describing plans for the international summit organized by the US in the last week of November 2007.

From the Paper
"From the Israeli part, at least in theory, it seems that there is political will to succeed in achieving a peaceful security environment for both nations, the Israelis and the Palestinians. After the 2006 elections, Ehud Olmert and the Kadima party became the most important force in the Knesset and therefore it was considered at the time that there would be more political unity in the decisions being taken in the matter of the Middle East peace process. In this sense, his opinions and support for an eventual agreement that would be respected by all the parties involved are constantly expressed in his public statements, more recently while preparing the US held summit in late November 2007. In a different context he expressed his views that "he hoped a peace deal with the Palestinians could be reached in 2008" (BBC News, 2007). Although there are serious differences of opinion among Israeli political parties, it is an already accepted fact that indeed, there is a need for a resolution to the conflict between the two nations and the international framework created at this moment could be an important element in furthering the talks."

Tags:Hamas Gaza terrorist, West Bank, Abbas violence Arafat diplomatic