Physical Abuse Effects

The Effects of Physical Abuse

Introduction

“Domestic violence is the most common cause of injury to women ages 18 to 44 in the United States” (Gerber MR, 2005). According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), a woman is assaulted or beaten in the US. every nine seconds (http://www.ncadv.org). Unfortunately, often times the abuse goes unreported because the victim denies the abuse, or makes excuses for its occurrence. The song “Ultraviolence” by an indie/rock artist Lana Del Rey, from her album Ultraviolence, addresses the denial, blame, and shame many females experience when they are in an abusive relationship. The song “Saturday Night” by a dance-pop/electropop artist Natalia Kills, from her album Trouble, addresses

the situation from the perspective of a child growing up in an abusive home. In the song “Ultraviolence”, the music starts with a powerful beginning to grab the listener’s attention. However, as soon as the lyrics begin the music fades into the background. This persuades the audience to focus on the words that the artist is saying. In the song “Saturday Night”, the music begins with a strong note on an electric guitar and an audience clapping in the background. The electric guitar sound and the clapping creates an aura of a show and the feeling of anticipation. The guitar note slowly builds but it does not overtake the strength of the voice of the singer, making the lyrics just as important to the song as the music. Both songs address the issue of domestic abuse but from different perspectives. These songs illustrate how domestic abuse not only affects the primary victim, but it also affects people around them.
Issue Discussion
Domestic violence can take different forms.

Most people associate domestic violence with physical abuse, meaning the abuse leaves some type of a mark on the victim’s body. However, domestic violence can be in a form of psychological abuse. In this case, a victim is traumatized by name calling, shaming, blaming, or stalking. The goal of the abuser is to make the victim feel as though she has no worth. For the abuser to be in control, he needs the victim to think, that the reason the victim is being abused, is because they deserve it. The abuser needs the victim to believe the only person that could ever love them is the abuser. Psychological abuse can be a stepping-stone to a physical one. Sometimes psychological abuse is enough to render the victim helpless and the abuser does not need to resort to physical violence to be in control. However, sometimes a person’s mental state is strong enough to withstand psychological abuse, forcing the abuser to resort to physical violence in order to gain dominance over the victim. According to NCADV “one in five women are physically abused by their partner” (http://www.ncadv.org). Furthermore, if the abuse is occurring in the home with children, the children also suffer. In as many as 30% to 60% of the violent homes, the children are abused (Family Violence Prevention Fund, 2004). These children have a much higher risk of suffering from depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and behavior problems (Roberts TA, 2003). Domestic abuse not only affects the victims, but it also affects the economy. According to NCADV, physical abuse costs the U.S. economy over eight billion dollars each year due to victims taking time off from work to heal (http://www.ncadv.org). The cost of healthcare for domestic violence exceeds four billion dollars per year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003). Unfortunately, as costly as domestic violence is, be it financial or physical, it is still very rampant in our

society.
Comparison of the songs
The songs “Ultraviolence” by Lana Del Rey and “Saturday Night” by Natalia Kills paint a picture of physical abuse. The first song describes the abuse as it is seen from the perspective of the victim. The lyrics state, “He hit me and it felt like a kiss.” In the second song, the abuse is seen from the perspective of a daughter whose mother is abused. The artist sings, “Momma you’re beautiful tonight. Movie star hair and that black eye.” The statement “black eye” paints a picture of abuse without having to say it outright. The songs also show that the victims have experienced the abuse for some time and they have learned how to accept it, hide it, and justify it. In the song “Ultraviolence” the artist has accepted the abuse as part of her relationship with her lover. Her statement “he hit me and it felt like a kiss” demonstrates that she has turned the physical abuse into something positive in order to continue in this relationship. In the song “Saturday Night” the artist says, her mother looks beautiful, even though she has a black eye. This statement explains how victims hide the physical abuse, either with make-up or in other ways. Both of the songs show an example of how the victims make excuses for the abuse. In the song “Ultraviolence” the artist says, “He hurt me but it felt like true love. Jim taught me that loving him was never enough.” In the song “Saturday Night”, the artist says, “Go kiss the liquor off his laugh. Another suitcase full of cash. Shiny apologies in a velvet box, what a real good man.” These lyrics portray what many victims incline to believe, which is, that because their lovers have taught them that they are the ones in charge, they have the right to do whatever they want, even if it entails abusing them.
Music/Lyric Connection
The intro music in the song “Ultraviolence” begins with a sound of the violin and the piano. The combination of the two instruments give the song somewhat of a classical sound. The music gives a feeling that a story is going to be told. As the song progresses in to the verse section, the violin fades into the background and the sound of the piano becomes more prominent. During this time, the sound is very clear and it makes the listener focus on what is being said. However, as the song progresses to the chorus and Lana Del Rey begins to sing, “With his ultraviolence, ultraviolence, I can hear sirens, sirens. He hit me and it felt like a kiss. I can hear violins, violins. Give me all of that ultraviolence” more instruments come into play. The sound of other instruments make her voice fade into the background. This gives the feeling as though she is fading as the violence progresses. In addition, throughout the chorus, her voice has an echo sound to it. This gives the song its eerie and almost an ‘out of body’ feeling. It encompasses the feeling many victims experience when they are being hit. It is a defense mechanism many victims employ as a way to try to disappear from the situation.
The intro of the song “Saturday Night” begins with the clapping of an audience. The clapping quickly progresses to the strong note on an electric guitar. The note fades and more rapid electric guitar playing begins. The transition from the clapping to the electric guitar gives a feeling, as though, a show is about to begin. Natalia Kills begins the song with “Momma you’re beautiful tonight. Movie star hair and that black eye.” The combination of the intro music and the lyrics accurately paint a picture of physical abuse. Many victims ‘put on a show’ to hide the physical abuse they are experiencing. As the song progresses into the chorus, a steady and consistent electric guitar sound continues. This sound is in the background as Natalia Kills sings through the chorus and until the end of the song. Natalia Kills uses her voice to highlight what really needs to be herd. As she sings “We drive brand new cars and we light fine cigars.
We shine like small town stars through the best days of our lives” she raises her voice to emphasize what she is trying to convey. Which is, even though her family has what appears to be a good life, in reality, they do not. In this song, the music mainly provides a background, or a small accent to what the artist is saying. The artist’s voice is the focal point. As Natalia Kills continues with the song, she sings “Another fist, another wall, we lose ourselves we lose it all. I wrote him a hundred times. Can you hear my heart through the prison bars?” during this portion of the song her voice is still prominent, however, it is calmer and almost conversational. This gives a feeling that she has experienced what she is talking about many times before. For many victims of physical abuse, as the abuse continues it becomes less shocking. It becomes a part of their life.
In conclusion, both artists and their songs portray physical abuse through effective lyric and music combinations. The two songs have completely different sound, one has a classical musical sound and the other has a modern dance-pop sound. However, both songs send the same strong message about physical abuse and its effects on the people who are being abused, as well as the people around them.