Monthly Archives: February 2022

“Smell of the Game” is the opening theme for the fighting game Guilty Gear -Strive-, with Daisuke Ishiwatari being the producer of the game and the composer of the song, and Naoki Hashimoto of the band Outrage as the vocalist. The song is a mix of hard rock and heavy metal and was fully released to promote the game on November 5th, 2019. The Guilty Gear games, like the music, contain many rock and metal elements that are seen in the sharp UI, elaborate character design, and even the gameplay with its massively over-the-top attacks.

By their nature, the dual genres of “Smell of the Game” already make the song wild, under my definition of wild things being exciting or exhilarating. Death metal growls accompany guitars and drums, creating a sense of thrilling energy as the song progresses. Delving deeper by examining the lyrics, the song first talks about the speaker’s bestial nature with “long fangs” & “nails sharper than ice” This and a later lyric which speaks of being “trapped in a dark cell created by this world” conjures the definition of wild as the savage beast who must be contained as well as an acceptance of the speaker’s own status as the beast. The speaker is repetitively told to acknowledge “that is who you are”, and that “norms, standards, rules, and guidelines must be kept” but ultimately rejects these statements by calling them “bullshit.” Though still a beast, the speaker breaks their chains and fights back against the “new world order”. Even if they are beaten down, their “heart is still blazing” and pushes them to continue fighting against the lies set by the rules of their world. This act exemplifies wildness, continuing their unrestrained rebellion and repeating that their heart won’t burn out even in death, claiming no one could break them. Overall, wildness is the core identity of the song. From the explosive instrumental to the themes of being a beast and rebelling against society, I see “Smell of the Game” as an embodiment of many aspects of “wild.” 

– Kenny Ly

A song that I think is wild is “Wildest Dreams” by Taylor Swift. This is a pop song written and released by Taylor Swift in 2014. The song was featured in “1989” which was Taylor Swift’s fifth studio album. The song “Wildest Dreams” is about a perfect relationship that is doomed to end. During the whole song, the singer sings about her perfect and passionate relationship but is torn because she knows it will end soon. The relationship features a perfect man in terms of appearance and character and is filled with passion and excitement. This is why she tells her partner to remember her in their “wildest dreams”. She asks that her partner remembers their amazing memories and how beautiful she was. The music video takes place in Africa and features many wild animals. The song is wild mostly because it focuses on something so perfect it is almost unrealistic. The singer tells her partner to remember her in his “wildest dreams” because of how crazy, passionate and exciting the relationship was. The bridge of this song also features the wild and passionate love, “You see me in hindsight, tangled up in you all night, burning it down”. Lyrics such as these emphasize the passion in the relationship and how the relationship should be remembered by making it almost “wild” and “animalistic”. The music video features wild animals and takes place in a setting that is associated with the wild to help reinforce the central theme of this song around the wild. 

Released in 2008, Katy Perry’s hit, pop-rock song, “I Kissed A Girl”, topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for multiple weeks and is still streamed regularly by music listeners. During this time, sexual orientation and curiosity pertaining to sexuality were quite rarely touched on in pop music, as well as popular culture overall, because prejudice against homosexuality was on a greater scale during the 2000s compared to that of 2022. In the genre of 2000s pop, it was common for artists to write and produce songs regarding love and the opposite sex. Although most artists refused to refer to homosexuality in their work, Katy Perry, known for her musical experimentation and “wildness”, has touched on sexual orientation on multiple occasions and can be seen as an artist who deviates from the “norm” of pop. Specifically, “I Kissed A Girl” is about the female narrator getting drunk and soon becoming curious about a girl whom she does not know, even though she already has a boyfriend. She then describes kissing the female stranger and being torn on whether it was the right or wrong thing to do but concludes that she liked it. I find this song to be “wild” because at the time, girls were expected to not act so uncontrollable nor be homosexual. Perry acknowledges this expectation by stating “It’s not what, good girls do/ Not how they should behave”. Because the narrator does what is not expected by her and, instead, does what she is naturally inclined to do, this song aligns with the definition of “wild”. As a result, a large listening audience was attracted/shocked by its wildness, boosting its sales.

https://genius.com/Katy-perry-i-kissed-a-girl-lyrics

Vivian Nguyen

“If your soul’s locked in a cage

You can make a great escape

We’re made to run wild, live free

Love strong, you and me”

A song that I consider to have “wild” aspects is the song “Run Wild” by For King and Country, a band whose genre could be considered a mixture of pop, rock and alternative. The band, whose main members are Australian-born, American-based brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, released this song in 2014 after gaining inspiration from Luke’s son learning to walk but trying to run. The song begins by asking some specific person if they are isolating themselves on purpose or not to try to hide your true self. The lyrics then ask the person if they would rather “run wild, live free, love strong, you and me,” suggesting that the person break free from isolation and be their true selves. This becomes the chorus of the song and the main point of the theme; to “run wild,” be yourself, and enjoy life to the fullest. 

In the song, the band uses lyrics like, “You’re a lion full of power who forgot how to roar, You’re an eagle full of beauty but you can’t seem to soar.” These metaphors compare the subject to animals that are typically regarded as being wild in nature, suggesting that their wildness has been suppressed, as well as the subject’s. This idea of “wild” suggests that wild means to them one that is uncontrolled and completely free. This theme of the song suggests that everyone should embrace their “wild” side as this would be the best way to live their lives. By grouping the words “wild,” “live,” and “love” together, their message is clear in their thoughts of being “wild” as a great thing. The end of the song even says, “We’re made to run wild,” suggesting that being wild is natural and even human nature.

Anna Ranslem

When I think of a wild song, I think of “Sincerity is Scary” by the 1975, one of my all time favorite bands. The 1975 is based in the UK, and the genre of their music could be categorized as pop rock, alternative, or synth pop. This song is from their album A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, and is largely about Postmodernism. As a background, Modernism was a period in time around the early 1900s, where people were discovering new ideas, some based in science and some not, but this point in time represented humanity learning a lot and having a general direction/reason for everything. Postmodernity came after the World Wars, making people start to question the truth, and realizing that not everything you are told is true. 

“Sincerity is Scary” is quite an upbeat song featuring elements of jazz with drums, horns, synths, and even a trumpet. This instrumentation is wild in that these instruments are not typically seen in rock or alternative genres. This song is wild not only in the instrumentation, but also in the commentary it provides about our backwards society. It starts off slow and has tactful pauses in the beginning, almost drawing you in to keep listening. The message reveals itself at the very beginning, as it leads with “And irony’s okay, I suppose culture is to blame. You try and mask your pain in the most postmodern way.” This discusses how irony has become almost a point of self-defense for people to hide behind. The song links this lack of emotion back to not being human. The chorus goes, “Why can’t we be friends, when we are lovers? Cause it always ends with us hating each other.” This reemphasizes how it is wild people often go to extreme lengths to not care as a way to act “cool,” and not get hurt, especially in relationships. Sarcasm and putting up a front has become so normalized that we live in fear of being genuine and showing others who we truly are. This song pushes the themes of Postmodernity and the importance of self-awareness, true self-expression, and individualism. The song is truly wild in how unusually upbeat the tune is for how striking of a message it gives on humanity. Every time I listen to it, I think about how living in the truth and expressing all the awkward, emotional, and human qualities I have is so meaningful. It has almost become bizarre to be human, which I think is truly wild. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K93ioXL63c

elina chen

Wrestling is defined as a combative sport that utilizes techniques for overpowering an opponent. There are two wrestlers on the mat and a referee who makes calls of judgment. Typically, wrestling is seen as a masculine sport, so most of the audience demographic is men. However, in recent years, more women have been attracted to this sport. But, this does not mean that women wrestlers have the same prominence as their male counterparts. In this sport, the rules are to pin the other player down using legal techniques for a certain amount of time to score points. The rules emphasize using techniques rather than using strength alone. With proper technique, someone could overpower their opponent who has more strength. This is why I believe that wrestling does not have to be considered a ‘manly’ sport. Strength is seen as a masculine trait to have, which is why people perceive wrestling to be masculine. But women wrestlers show that strength is not the only aspect needed in wrestling. In the video clip I selected, Tamyra Mensah-Stock wrestles in the 2020 Olympic gold medal match. Not only does she demonstrates her strength, but her technique is what helps her win the match. She has to move at a fast pace, and if she hesitates it could result in her being pinned down. Her quickness and strength allowed her to score and overpower her opponent. 

This sport can be considered “wild” because of its aggressive nature and the violence that occurs. However, I would say that this is not a “wild” sport even though there is aggressiveness shown. There are rules that the players must follow and a referee that enforces those rules. If it were to be “wild” then there wouldn’t be any rules and the players would have full autonomy to fight each other. Rather, the sport is just showmanship of technique. This is a very civilized sport because the players need to be respectful of the rules and their opponent. 

https://youtu.be/GEhEIy_YHx8

Anna Allen

Volleyball is a team sport played with two teams of six players separated by a net. The players score points by getting three hits to get the ball over the net following a set of rules specific to the sport. The main rules include that each team can have up to three touches to get the ball over the net, an individual player may not hit the ball two times consecutively, the ball may not touch the ground, players may not catch or throw the ball, the ball must fall within the boundaries of the court when hit to the other side, and players may not touch the net. There are the twelve people on the court, and the audience includes the people interested in watching or supporting the game. The game is typically played with all women or all men, but sometimes games are played co-ed (with both genders). In women’s volleyball the net is typically shorter than the men’s volleyball net, but all other rules remain the same. 

Although there are both men and women who play volleyball, the sport is more popular among women. Therefore, the audience of people that watch volleyball are probably more female heavy. My personal view of the interplay of playing sports and playing gender is that I think it is very nice to have a female dominated sport in a society where most sports are male dominated. The video shows clips of a women’s volleyball team playing and they are able to play the sport very well. Wildness in this sport might be displayed in the way that the ball is hit with much power and force when “attacked” to the other team.   

Basketball is a sport which involves great athleticism, hand-eye coordination, agility, perception, and, somewhat uniquely, height. It is a team sport which is played by both men and women in which there are five players from each team on the court at a given time. Winning a game requires the team to shoot enough hoops while also preventing the other team from scoring on their hoop. Basketball is a mainstream American sport watched widely by people of all races and genders. Interestingly, basketball holds appeal among nearly all racial groups despite over 90% of NBA players being either black or white.

In contrast to the NBA, the WNBA is much less popular and only draws in a fraction of the audience the NBA does. The rules are entirely the same except for the ball being one inch smaller and the three-point line being one foot closer to the basket. This difference in popularity could be due to basketball’s frequent depiction as a “masculine” sport, with displays of powerful dunks and aggressive drives gaining the most attention from the audience. Basketball hoops are 10 ft tall in both leagues, making it more possible for men, who are taller on average, to perform stylish dunks than women. I believe that much of the difference in skill level seen can be explained by the lack of attention and support given to women who show talent in basketball versus men. The basketball world does not readily provide the same resources and training to women showing promise in the sport, in part due to the deep-seated belief that women are not as impressive in sports than men.

Basketball’s “wildness” is made apparent when players achieve the impossible and exceed what is thought possible of them. In the first clip provided, LeBron James exceeds expectations by yet again propelling his team to the finals in 2018 while using every trick in the book to do so. In the second clip, multiple WNBA players achieve the unbelievable by landing half-court buzzer beaters or dunking multiple times in the same game.

-Avinash K

When it comes to sports, there’s only one sports event that I avidly watch every four years when it comes around: the Summer Olympics. While the gymnastics, beach volleyball, and track events are fun to watch, my favorite events are the swimming events, specifically Katie Ledecky in her freestyle distance events. This Youtube clip is from the 2016 Rio Olympics for the Women’s 800m freestyle. She was the reigning gold medalist from the 2012 Olympics, and in this race, she proved to the world that she dominates in distance freestyle swimming. This sports branch in the freestyle distance events is defined by swimmers with endurance and good form. This sport is geared towards people during the summer when swimming is more accessible due to good weather conditions. The rules of this sport are straightforward, having competitors stay in their lane and complete the required 800m, as well as making legal flip turns. Within the video that I have chosen, I think there is more interplay regarding “playing sports” instead of “playing gender.” This is because, in the Olympics, the events are divided by gender. Katie Ledecky also beats the world record previously held by herself. Therefore, the fact that she broke her world record and had such a considerable lead throughout the entire race, leaving the rest of the swimmers competing for silver and bronze, is indeed “wild” as it shows the domination of one person in this freestyle event.

Furthermore, at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Katie Ledecky also won the gold medal for the 200m and 400m freestyle events, thereby sweeping gold for all three distance freestyle events, which a woman had not accomplished since 1968. Additionally, Katie Ledecky would later successfully campaign to add the 1500m freestyle to the Olympics. This had been an event for men’s swimmers since 1904 and was only just added to the Olympic roster for women in 2021. Therefore, it is wild to think that women were barred from this race for such a long time.

-Juliette Chartier

For this sports study, I decided to look at the game of men’s ice hockey, which is defined as a game played on ice between two teams who skate around to score the puck into the opposing team’s goal. The players are all men, and there are typically 6 players competing against each other on the ice at a time. There are two goalies, one per each team, defending their goal from the opposing team, and the other five are trying to both defend their goal and score into the other team’s goal. As this sport is very popular in the northern hemisphere where it is colder, the typical audience is those from colder climates and are majority those aged between 18 and 34, and the majority of ice hockey fans are white. However, the sport is still played in warmer climates, although the sport must be played indoors at an ice rink since the warmer climates do not have frozen ponds or outdoor ice rinks throughout the year, making the ice hockey fan base much smaller than other sports in the United States. However, the sport is extremely popular in Canada where the average temperatures throughout the year are much colder, as well as it being the sport’s country of origin. The object of the game is to hit a small puck across the ice before then hitting it into a goal with a hockey stick, and the players may use physical force to win the puck from their opponent, making the game very violent in nature and geared more towards the male population. My personal view of the interplay between sports and gender is that the general population regards male sports to be more “masculine” and, in consequence, more interesting and popular than female sports because of stereotypes that men are stronger and more athletic than women, which especially can be seen in men’s ice hockey due to its violent nature, associated with masculinity. “Wildness” can be easily seen in this sport when considering the speed, physical blows between the players, and the frequent fights that break out between the teams. To me, it is wild that the violent aspects of the sport are ingrained within the rules of regulation for the game.

Anna Ranslem