Bloody Mary South Pacific Interpretation

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While lyrics might seem to be the easiest way to dissect a song, there are other factors at play. The next layer to a song other than lyrics is the instruments that back up the singer. In the musical South Pacific, the character known as Bloody Mary sings the song Bali Ha’i. Bloody Mary attempts to entice the character Joe Cable over to a seemingly amazing island. The musical accompaniment is able to display the allure of the island just as well as the lyrics. One instrument, in particular, that does this is the harp. A harp is heard throughout most of the song and harps have a strong association with heaven in western culture. Since Joe Cable is an American, it is assumed he would understand the link between the harp sounds and heaven. The

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