In the summer of 1889, Vincent Van Gogh, a post-impressionist artist, painted a heartfelt painting known as Starry Night. The viewer can understand the somber mood of the painting which Van Gogh painted from the view of his asylum window. The song “City of Stars” sung by Ryan Gosling and written by Justin Hurwitz beautifully matches the mood of Van Gogh’s famous painting because of the well constructed musical elements.
The quiet sound and dynamics used in the song have a big impact on the mood of the song. It creates a hopeful yet gloomy mood. Likewise, the mood in Starry Night is full of grief but bits hope and matches the tone of the song. The soft dynamics adds an effect which allows the song to sound emotional like the calm but gloomy colors in the painting.
The lyrics creatively represent the symbolic and emotional mood that the artist is trying to convey through Starry Night. As Hurwitz composes the lyrics,
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As Hurwitz states, “the tone is hopeful, but melancholy at the same time,” he approaches the song by using a slow tempo which enforces the melancholy tune of it, just like the art piece. The slow pace of the song really allows the listener to deeply understand the message by thinking about the mood. On a related note to understand Starry Night by Van Gogh the observer must pay close attention to the mood.
The song “City of Stars” by Hurwitz is not itself with the background music similar to the Starry Night, without its background there is no starry night. The background music or the melody is produced by a repetitive piano song creating another dimension to the mood and enhancing it. It brings out the hopefulness and sadness in the song. Since the mood is hopeful yet melancholy in the painting it matches it. Starry night is the background of the painting which gives the painting its unique emotions just like the