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blueoatmeal · 7 years

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TFA Longarm Prime & Shockwave playlist analysis/breakdown

8/3/2017

TFA spoilers!

[Longarm Prime mix] [Shockwave mix]

Alrighty folks, my good buddy @incomingtransmissionfromearth has asked me if I might make a breakdown of my thought process when making these mixes (as I did for my tfa Blurr mix), and I am elated to fulfill that request!

These mixes are linked pretty thoroughly, so I’ll be covering both on this post. It’s,, ahahaha, going to get pretty long, so I’ll remember to use a readmore this time!

Both/The Basics

I wanted the playlists to not only accurately portray Shockwave’s two different characters, Longarm Prime and his true self Shockwave, through lyrics and individual songs that fit, but to tonally differentiate between the two, so that the playlists would actually evoke different feelings from the listener.

I wanted Longarm’s mix to be generally more upbeat or mellow and light, while also being a touch melancholy, with hints of the darkness lurking underneath. I wanted it to seem more sympathetic towards the character of Longarm Prime. “Isn’t it hard to be a spy, to work in intelligence? So many secrets, and trust is such an expensive commodity. But you can trust me; I’m on your (the Autobot’s) side, and friendly, and if the government’s a bit whack, don’t worry, conform and it’ll work out fine!”

Also, in the back of my head I had the notion that Longarm was a kind of victim in his situation with Shockwave--not literally though: There have been many AU ideas where Longarm was originally an Autobot, who was being basically possessed by Shockwave, or where Shockwave’s mind had fractured into two entirely separate personas, or where Soundwave killed the real Longarm and took his place. Some of those AUs hold appeal for me, and while I wanted my mixes to adhere to canon, I wanted to keep a little bit of that feeling from the AUs, where Longarm is really more of an unwitting (or only partially self-aware) pawn, and not only the chessmaster in disguise. I justified this with the idea that Shockwave would probably try to portray Longarm similarly if he was caught, if only so that he wouldn’t be killed outright for truly being a full Decepticon. Pull out the “pity me” card. It felt like the sort of lie he’d try to pull off if he was put into a situation that necessitated it. He did try, in one episode, to deter Bulkhead and Bumblebee from shooting him by transforming from Shockwave to Longarm and trying to say that he was their old friend. The weren’t having that, of course, and shot him anyway. I did have more AU-ish leaning songs in the mix, but I cut them.

With Shockwave’s mix, I wanted a vastly different feeling, so that the two mixes really contrasted. I wanted it to be much darker, much more sinister, finally revealing the truths that Longarm’s mix hinted at. I wanted it to be scary and serious; less lighthearted and more cold and ominous. The mask has been taken off and the thing underneath is a devious monster.

Now of course Shockwave has his silly moments too, so both mixes together accurately portray both Longarm and Shockwave as a whole. But I wanted to distill the ideas OF those characters, in their separateness, and put them in these contrasting mixes.

It’s almost like the two mixes represent not only the characters themselves, but the perceptions of them from the viewpoint of other characters. Longarm is a kind but odd dork who’s competent at his job, which is Head of Intelligence, while Shockwave is the guiding force behind the curtain who manipulates events, secretly murders bots that are in his way, and looms like a shadow in the minds of those who may only know him by his impressive reputation as Megatron’s most trusted spy.

I spent a LOT of time on these mixes and developed both simultaneously. I had once considered making one long playlist, but with the disparity in tone, I thought two would be better. You want upbeat, listen to Longarm; you want dark, listen to Shockwave. Besides, it puts more of a separation between the two identities.

From the beginning, I wanted both mixes to tie into each other, and to a lesser extent, to tie into my previously published tfa Blurr mix. I mentioned this intent in a post a while back, actually. I wanted the small Blurr tie-in because of, naturally, the fact that they worked together (Longarm) in the CIA, and then Shockwave committed what was probably the darkest on-screen act in the entirety of tfa when he “killed” Blurr. It was a significant event for both characters in the course of the show, and it made such an impression on me that I just had to include a nod to it.

Recommended listening: Longarm mix first, then Shockwave’s.

Don’t Let It Show (Longarm Prime mix)

Alternate titles: “Watch What You Say,” or “Words You’re Gonna Regret”

Very 80s

Alludes to darker or malicious acts without dipping into a truly dark tone or feel.

As the playlist goes on, it transitions from comfortably undercover to under suspicion.

Suspicion: the first song I had for this mix. Lyrics fit so well~! “In the park, yesterday, I saw a face that spelled danger, A friendly smile, a worried look, I mistook for a stranger” Introduces the “face/faces” motif.

Don’t Let It Show provided the title of the mix. This track is meant to make Longarm more sympathetic by highlighting how hard it is to hide his true self and work among bots that he cannot trust and who may put their trust in him, when he knows he is going to break that trust someday. “Even if it's taking the easy way out, Keep it inside of you. Don't give in. Don't tell them anything. Don't let it, Don't let it show.”

Everybody Wants to Rule the World has the government surveillance feel. “Even while we sleep, We will find you, Acting on your best behaviour, Turn your back on mother nature, Everybody wants to rule the world” It also feels like some of the lyrics could be taken as the Decepticons wanting to take back Cybertron.

Every Breath You Take has a strong surveillance/spy/CIA vibe to it. Also the lyrics are super creepy but the song shrugs it off like nah dude it’s fine it’s not creepy to literally watch everything that somebody does. “Every breath you take and every move you make, Every bond you break, every step you take, I'll be watching you, Every single day and every word you say, Every game you play, every night you stay, I'll be watching you”

You Don't Believe: now this one is a remnant of that AU stuff I mentioned, where Longarm and Shockwave are more separate, and Shockwave controls Longarm. Aside from that though, it explores duality and has these lovely lines: “And the face I see before me, Is both sides of a mirror, You really know you've got a hold on me, And the face you're looking into, Is both sides of a window, And any way you look you see through me” “my eyes, with your vision” This track has both the “faces” and “eyes” motif. The “eyes” motif is used more thoroughly in the Shockwave mix.

The Logical Song has the theme of conformity. Shockwave has to pretend to be an upstanding Autobot citizen by day, just to be accepted (and to carry out his insidious mission), while at night he can realize his true self. Also the word “logical” is a nice nod to G1 Shockwave. “Now watch what you say or they'll be calling you a radical, liberal, fanatical, criminal. Won't you sign up your name, we'd like to feel you're acceptable, respectable, presentable, a vegetable!” Also a nod to the fact that the Autobot government is messed up.

Talking In Your Sleep is another track about hearing secrets that aren’t meant for the listener to hear. Upbeat and light. “And I know that I'm right, Cuz I hear it in the night, I hear the secrets that you keep, When you're talking in your sleep”

Private Eyes is absolutely perfect. Eyes motif. “You can’t escape my private eyes” “Why you try to put up a front for me/ I'm a spy but on your side you see/ Slip on, into any disguise/ I'll still know you/ Look into my private eyes” IT’S SO PERFECT.

Chateau is a tie-in to Blurr’s mix. Blurr has Classical Gas, a faster song, and this is from the same artist, on the same album. I read into the tone of this song really heavily. It’s light and carefree, then darker and more dissonant, then light again, and I really just picked this song on gut feeling rather than solid reasoning.

The Grand Illusion has the theme of illusion and falsehoods, indicating that the media can be used to make you feel or think things that aren’t true. “But don't be fooled by the radio, The TV or the magazines, They show you photographs of how your life should be, But they're just someone else's fantasy”

You’ve Got a Friend in Me is in this mix purely because of the “friendly neighborhood Longarm Prime” act that he puts on. He acts so friendly and nice and it's ALL LIES!

Party In The CIA is pretty straightforward; this covers Longarm’s duties as part of the Cybertron Intelligence Agency--the CIA. “So I get my handcuffs, my cyanide pills, my classified dossier/ tapping the phones like yeah/ shredding the files like yeah/ I memorized all the enemy spies I gotta neutralize today/ yeah it's a party in the CIA” “I've done a couple of crazy things that have almost gotten me dismissed/ like terminate some head of state who wasn't even on my list/ burn that microfilm, buddy, will you?/ I'd tell you why but then I'd have to kill you/ you need a quickie confession?/ We'll start a water boarding session”

Somethin’ to Hide: really just a reference to the fact that Longarm is hiding his true identity. Touches briefly on the “face” motif. “You've got somethin' to hide, That you're not telling me, You got somethin' to hide, And I know, Well there's something about you and I know, That you're not telling me”

Mirror Man: Change is a big theme in this one, which is fitting considering how Shockwave changes to Longarm and back with his size-changing ability. “And if it seems I'm not the one you used to know, Our little friendship left behind not long ago, Don't feel too hurt as distance heals the strongest pain, Things are much better now and just a nagging doubt remains”

I Know There's Something Going On: more on the theme of change. “I can see that it won't be long, You grow cold when you keep holding on, You know you've changed and your words they lie, That's something you can't deny, I know there's something going on”

Jekyll And Hyde One of the best examples one could use for dualities and hidden identities. Face motif. “Duplicated man, inside, double tied/ Prisoner, he's back to back, face to face/ Mirrored shadows always changing place/ Separated man himself he divides/ Opposite needs he can't see where to hide/ A single double side - Jekyll and Hyde/ This man was good, he was calm/ He'd never do any harm/ Gentle soul as you may see/ As caring as he could be/ Deep down inside he hides/ A twist that we maybe missed/ Confusion and nasty trick of fate/ Might be the break/ Don't find yourself too late/ Now who's outside, inside, Jekyll and Hyde” Jekyll being Longarm, of course, and Hyde, Shockwave.

Tangled up: this song does play briefly with identities, but mostly I added this song because of this post of Longarm getting his arms tangled up. Somebody replied to the post with this song, and that was the first time I’d heard it. Later I revisited the song and decided I liked it and that it fit well enough to use. “I can’t separate your sins, To me you’re acting like you’re twins. This is a mess, Is this a test? How many guesses do I get? Till only one of you is left, You're quite the same”

Ain't Nobody But Me mentions Jekyll and Hyde, and some dualities. “Well, you can run, you, know he'll find you, It don't matter now, just look behind you, You had your warn, and you knew the score, You got it wrong, and that means war” And in the main chorus” “ain’t nobody but me/ gonna lie for you/ gonna die for you” could be interpreted as Shockwave’s loyalty to Megatron.

Shadow Play: ANOTHER reference to Jekyll and Hyde! “In the flinty light, it's midnight/ And stars collide/ Shadows run, in full flight/ To run, seek and hide/I'm still not sure what part I play/ In this shadow play, this shadow play.” The idea of a shadow play infers hidden intentions and hidden people controlling things from behind the scenes, like he is. Also convenient nod to IDW Shockwave, who was subject to a procedure called shadowplay.

Goodbye Mr A: to be honest, this is more a nod to other Shockwaves, who tend to be unemotional and obsessed with logic. “There's a hole in your logic, You who know all the answers, oh-oh-oh, You claim science ain't magic, And expect me to buy it” It could also be interpreted as to play with the idea that Longarm’s persona was imperfect, hollow. “You promised you would love us but you knew too much” “You had all the answers but no human touch/ If life is subtraction, your number is up/ Your love is a fraction, it's not adding up” “So busy showing me where I'm wrong/ You forgot to switch your feelings on”

This World of Fools (Shockwave mix)

Alternate title: “Dealing with Fools”

“This World of Fools” is a line from “Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive,” a song that’s more science-y and therefore didn’t fit here as well with the other songs. It’s in my tfa Perceptor mix though.

More alternative and dubstep

This playlist in particular went through a lot of changes, a lot of cuts, before I decided I liked it enough to publish

When researching for songs, I read the wiki page of Corey Burton, voice actor for Longarm Prime/Shockwave, and G1 Shockwave. I found that he had lent his voice to music producer ShockOne (ShockOne, eh?) for an album. I checked it out and took the first song, Singularity (The Monochord of Creation from it. Burton does talk in the second song, Chaos Theory (actually the two songs flow into each other as one larger song here), but he uses a swear that I’m not comfortable using in my mixes, so I just stuck to the first song. So like, that’s awesome. Got his VA in the mix! Dark song, ominous.

The Game Has Changed: IT SURE HAS. If the first song didn’t already indicate it, this TRON Legacy song should let the listener know that Things Are Different Now--alluding to the switch from Longarm to Shockwave, and his change in method once he’s outed. Less subtlety, more death and destruction coming up. This song is one that ties into the Blurr mix’s Outlands, another song from the same soundtrack. A vague and mostly insubstantial tie-in, sure, but that’s how I wanted it. The majority of the song is alternately softer and louder, orchestral and synthesized, until it crescendos in the last thirty seconds.

Sirius & Eye in the Sky: A nod back to Longarm, with the sort of mellow tone that is found more in his mix, but with lyrics that fit Shockwave pretty well: “I am the eye in the sky/ Looking at you/ I can read your mind/ I am the maker of rules/ Dealing with fools/ I can cheat you blind.” Besides, come on, Eye In the Sky is better for the guy with one eye. (Eye motif!) (Also 8tracks only lets me use two Alan Parsons Project songs per playlist, and I already had two in Longarm’s mix, so this had to go SOMEWHERE! It was too perfect to cut.)

Dangerous: @incomingtransmissionfromearth had introduced me to the Oliver remix of this song, which fits nicely, but I personally enjoyed the sound of the original more, so I used that. The lyrics fit SO WELL. It felt like Shockwave’s thoughts as he was still undercover, and then when he’d just been found out. “How could you know, how could you know'/ That those were my eyes/ Peepin through the floor, it's like they know/ It's like they know I'm looking from the outside/ And creeping to the door, it's like they know” “And I've gotta get out of here/ Sink down, into the dark” More eyes motif!

Escape From Midwich Valley has staticky samples that sound like bad comm connections or tapped comm lines. This glitch track adds to the apprehensive mood of the mix.

The Friendly Faithplate is from Portal 2, which stars another one-eyed, manipulative, facetious robot antagonist. Very glitch-heavy track.

@glitterhobo introduced me to Change the Formality a while ago, and I like it very much. It has an odd mix of sounds, and generally makes me feel very serious. It’s an intense song, in an odd way. “I try to change the formality and everything about it/ People killing people for a reason/ You make mistakes/ You don't regret/ So make a conclusion”

In Your Eyes is repetitive and kind of vaguely spooky, like something that’s subtly wrong. Also another example of the “eye/eyes” imagery/motif that persists in both mixes, especially Shockwave’s.

The Devil Within is like Shockwave’s message to the Autobots he’s infiltrated: You’ll never see me coming, I put up with hell to stay here, but I’ll destroy you from the inside out and disappear without a trace. “You'll never know what hit you/ Won't see me closing in/ I'm gonna make you suffer/ This hell you put me in/ I'm underneath your skin/ The devil within/ You'll never know what hit you”

THIS TRACK, WHOOO BOY, I LOVE IT Private Eyes, cover by Lenachka of course ties in with the same song, the original Private Eyes, in Longarm’s mix. It’s the same lyrics, but far more ominous and dark. The lyrics fit so well!!!! Also keeps up the eyes motif! “ You can't escape my/ Private Eyes/ They're watching you/ They see your every move“ Also the “you can’t escape” bit reminds me of that scene with Blurr.

Every Breath You Take, cover by Chase Holfelder, another cover, the original of which is in Longarm’s mix. More menacing inflection to the lyrics, which fit so nicely~! “Every move you make/ Every vow you break/ Every smile you fake/ Every claim you stake/ I'll be watching you”

Hal 9000 has that dubstep feel, with samples of Hal 9000′s dialogue from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Hal, another frightening one-red-eyed character with some VERY calm yet threatening lines, and a creepy death scene. ”I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me. And I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen.”

C.L.U., another song from TRON Legacy (and therefore another tie-in to Blurr’s mix) comes at the scene where the main antagonist chases the protagonists and fights them to the (supposed) death, while another character does in fact lose his life. It’s intense, it’s very apprehensive, building up a feeling of action, and the imagery it brings, especially if you’ve seen the movie, is very dark and technologic.

"The Outer Limits" Theme Song is ominous, loud, and creepy. The voice tells you that they are in complete control. Just as Shockwave held control over Cybertron Intelligence.

Messing with the Program is a tie-in to Blurr’s mix, which has Sugar Rush Showdown, the track in which the antagonist’s true identity is revealed during a race. In this track, the antagonist illegally screws with the coding that dictates how their world works, altering it to his own advantage. Sounds like how Shockwave was pulling all the strings while undercover in the CIA.

The Truth is another Blurr mix tie-in! Blurr’s mix has Escape, the motorcycle chase scene from the beginning of the LEGO Movie, and The Truth is a track from the same soundtrack, in which the antagonist reveals his true plan to control the world, and sends the protag plummeting to certain death.

Another Way Out is honestly just good for anyone who’s ever tried to escape Shockwave, including Blurr. Upbeat and menacing. The lyrics are all soooo good. “I don't think no one's home/ And we're just here alone/ I better find you first/ before you find the phone/ You better run, better run, better run, yeah I’m coming after you/ When you’re sleeping at night, yeah there’s nothing you can do/ There’s no place you can hide 'cause I’m coming after you/ I wish there was another way ou-ou-ou-ou-out for you”

Ambiance 03 is just straight-up soundtrack from a horror game, so... yeah. Creepy distorted screaming. Extremely ominous ambiance. Repetitive. The last track I added to the mix.

The Part Where He Kills You: from Portal 2, of course. One-eyed antagonist betrays protag and tries very hard to kill them. Loud, exciting, alarms blaring, impending doom implied.

No.6 Suicide Room (６号室の自殺 ) AHAAHA OKAY SO I first encountered this song in a horror game and IT’S CREEPY AS HECK, creaky floors, ticking clock, phone ringing, and thEN AT THE END IT GETS QUIET AND YOU HEAR A DRAWN-OUT, PAINFUL-SOUNDING SCREAM and listen I’m not going to beat around the bush here; in this mix, THAT IS MEANT TO BE BLURR SCREAMING. You can interpret it as really anyone Shockwave’s killed, but I’m not gonna lie to you; I heard this song and thought YIKES DUDE,,, THAT’S BLURR. Also the perfect track to end the playlist on.

#oatmealspeaks #blueoatmeal's work #/#//#///#analysis #Longarm Prime #Shockwave #transformers #tfa #transformers animated #if I typed Soundwave accidentally... know that I meant Shockwave

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