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Exploration Document Draft
Nashota Coulibaly
Southern New Hampshire University
HUM200: Applied Humanities
Justin Pierce
May 28, 2023
1
Exploration Document Draft
Cultural Artifacts
My first song is called "Careless Whisper" by George Michael. It is a song written by George
Michael and Andrew Ridgeley a pop duo called WHAM . Being released as a single, it was
credited either to the duo featuring
George Michael
(in North America and several other
countries) or to
George Michael
(in the UK and some European countries) .It came out in August
1984 entering the UK Singles Chart at number 12. It is an 80s classic part of the album
Make It
Big
.There are many versions out there but the one that I will talk about is the original. My
second work is called "Unfaithful" by Rihanna. It came out in 2006 when RNB started to become
very popular, and is part of her album
A Girl like Me.
It was written by Ne-Yo and Stargate, the
song producer.
Common Theme
The common theme shared by both of these work is infidelity. The melody in both songs puts the
listener into a state of sadness as much as it does in a state of love. They both talked about
irreparable damages that they have done to their relationships due to their infidelity and how it
has caused them to feel ashamed and realizing that if they lose their partner , it will be the end.
For example , in " Careless Whisper" , he said "
I’m never gonna dance again , Guilty feet have
got no rhythm".
By that , he is saying that he's paralyzed by the weight of his mistakes, he's
betrayed his love and can't dance because of that and the shame that comes out of it since
dancing is a sign of joy, and it is not what he feels after what he has done. In "Unfaithful" , the
artist said, "I don't wanna do this anymore ,I don't wanna be the reason why, every time I walk
out the door, I see him die a little more inside,I don't wanna hurt him anymore". She is basically
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confessing her infidelity and cannot keep doing it . She knows that her partner is aware of it, and
suffers from it . She wants to put a stop to it, she regrets it and feels bad for her doing.
Personal Experience
The theme infidelity is something that is connected to me because I did hurt a man that I loved
years ago. He did forgive me, and keeps telling me that I should not feel bad and that he will
always see the good instead of the bad in me. Every time he says that , I feel guilty and ashamed
of what I did because it reminds me of that . I forgave myself, but still feel ashamed every time I
hear a song talking about cheating , hurting your partner or watch a movie about these same
themes. The two songs that I picked remind me of this feeling of shame that I experienced and
still experience today due to my infidelity even though we both moved on and are friends.
Profession
Infidelity implies lies , games , dishonesty, pain, depression, and sometimes suicide. These are all
and bad feelings or thoughts to act on. Infidelity within or outside a workplace can disrupt
workflow, badly affect productivity, taking focus off the job, create tension, gossiping , the
morale could be falling, and cause termination. The theme is connected to all professions
because we are humans and have feelings. Once , they are touched, they can be problematical for
our activities or jobs especially if you have an important positions. I believe that having a general
understanding of the humanity will help prepare others to better deal with situations like this in
order to avoid anything bad , productivity to be affected and people doing the irreparable.
Humanities Resources
My first resource is a a biography of George Michael which I think will be helpful in giving a
background on who he was, and how he became a music icon. It is called " George Michael"
by Sisson,Amy,Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia. My second one is "Meaning of
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"Careless Whisper" by George Michael & Wham" by SMF . It talks about the meaning behind
one of George Michael's music that I chose to talk about. My third resource is titled "The
meaning behind the song: Unfaithful by Rihanna" by Jennifer Bell which will describe the music
and its structure. Along the way , I will add more resources depending on how many more I will
need to make my work more clear, explicit , and complete. My process for selecting these
resources was based on how deep each of them were and the kind of information that they had. It
was difficult, and I had to change one of the music since there was not enough information on it.
Thankfully, I found what I needed.
Historical Context
The historical context of both songs is infidelity in relationships. According to SMF (2018),
"Careless Whisper is a 1980s song about an irrecoverable love". " The narrator/singer Michael
wails about losing his partner as a result of an affair he had". Sisson,Amy,Salem Press
Biographical Encyclopedia (2023), "His ability to both musical style & image made him evolve".
They talk about Michael's background which influenced his career. Jennifer Bell,Unfaithful by
Rihanna ( 2023),"The song tells a ruinous story about a woman cheating on her man and
experienced pain while finding it hard to get out of the relationship".
Similarities and Differences
The theme infidelity is clearly present in both songs. In George Michael - Careless Whisper, he is
lamenting over his mistake and the fact that it will cost him his relationship. He said " Should
have known better how to cheat a friends", " And waist the chance that I have been given. He is
regretful and think it could have done it differently. According to SMF (2018), "His betrayal left
him lonely and full of regrets". In Rihanna - Unfaithful, she said " And I know that he knows I
am unfaithful" ," And it kills him from inside to know that I am happy with some other guy". The
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singer here is clearly aware of the fact that her partner knows about her infidelity, and that it is
killing him. Jennifer Bell (2018), " The singer expressed that she felt bad, shameful for her
infidelity and wanted to be punished for it". The differences that I observe in my work are that in
George Michael- Careless Whisper, his partner heard about his infidelity by a "careless
whisper" . In the song , he says " Time can never mend the careless whisper of a good friend" .
George Michael loved partner and wanted a second chance. He also said " Please stay ".In
Rihanna-Unfaithful , her man knew about it based on her actions and as soon as she started the
song, she said " Story of my life". Also, it seems like she was unhappy in her relationship and
was looking for more unlike George Michael who want to be forgiven and stay with his partner.
In her song, she said " Searching for the right but it keeps avoiding me". Another difference is
the instrumental. They both used different instrumentals that still expressed the theme in a
precise and clear way.
Medium
To make us fall into the depth of the song, "Careless Whisper" by George Michael used a
saxophone to get our attention. At the beginning, the music is pretty slow and gradually
intensifies as the chorus comes. The chorus itself is louder and stronger and we can feel the
emotions .We feel his melancholy and the guitar in the background intensifies his confession .In
"Unfaithful" by Rihanna, the song starts slowly with the piano and progressively changes to
louder showing the intrigue. After that, the chorus gets bitter unlike the beginning that is pretty
slow and holds some kind of suspicion . As the song advances, the music becomes darker and
expresses pain. The lyrics , melody, tones, instruments and harmonies worked well together in
conveying the meaning of each songs.
Thesis Statement
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Despite the fact that both songs are separated by 22 years and are slightly different music genres
and styles , they express infidelity in relationships.
Audience
The ideal audience would be people affected by infidelity. Those being cheated on will be able to
learn that nothing should be taken for granted,and that we cannot make the happiness of others
against their will. They will also be able to learn from that and be more careful. Those who cheat
would reflect on themselves and be reminded that they are consequences to every actions. It can
also be beneficial for teenagers old enough to date in order to educate them on the realities of
relationships, that nobody is perfect and that we all make mistakes.
Message
I will adjust my presentation to my audience by being careful when talking to them about the
consequences of infidelity and how it can affect marriages, families , work and the kids. I will
make sure to weight my words and pick them carefully so that I do not offend anyone. For
teenagers, I will guide them through relationships and tell them that not all relationships are bad
or the same.
I will also talk about the positive in relationships and why fidelity, loyalty should
always prime in all kind of relationships.
6
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References
Sisson,Amy,Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, (2023). George Michael.https://eds-s-
ebscohost-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=6&sid=e99a5ed1-3ee0-43f3-830a-
309b8f23dc09%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU
SMF,(October 2,2018). Meaning of "Careless Whisper" by George Michael &
Wham.https://www.songmeaningsandfacts.com/meaning-of-careless-whisper-by-george-
michael-and-wham/
Jennifer Bell, (May 13,2023).The meaning behind the song: Unfaithful by
Rihanna.https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-unfaithful-by-rihanna/
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