William Rion

ENC1101
09/30/14

There is a certain very close relationship between all different types of visual
media, text, and the ideas that they attempt to put forth. Image and text placement, color,
font, font size, facial expressions, proximity of objects and words play a huge role in the
effects that the image has on us. You see examples of it almost everywhere you go and it
sure is not a coincidence. Almost all of the different aspects of advertisements, album
covers, posters, websites, movies, etc. that we see are the result of much larger and
conscious thought process. They are geared towards certain audiences, to address certain
issues, to invoke thought and question, to bring about a certain (or any) emotional
reaction or simply to inform people of an event or product. Changing something as
seemingly minor as the text font, colors used, and the simple placement of images and
text in a piece of media can alter how something is perceived. Metaphors, similes,
analogies and comparisons are made to take the form of both images and written words. I
chose to analyze the artwork from Sublimes everything under the sun, its cover artwork,
the music and the relationship between them, however, I feel that while the artwork was
meant for this specific album, its a piece of art that describes Sublimes music and
personality as a whole.
I chose the album artwork from Everything Under the Sun by Sublime for this
assignment because I feel that the album artwork coincides very well with the content of
the record as well as Sublimes music as a whole for a number of reasons. They were a
reggae/ska/punk band from Long Beach, California. Theyre known for being the
quintessential feel-good reggae group. At a glace the artwork is a happy, brightly colored
painting of the ocean with a large sun over the horizon, well fitting with Sublimes
upbeat, fairly quick, feel-good reggae music. The colors choice and psychedelic style of
the painting bring about feelings of calmness and serenity. But if you actually pick up the
album Everything Under the Sun and inspect the cover artwork closely, you realize the
little details. The fish, and the face on the sun, cause your perception of the artwork and
how it makes you feel to start to change. Their facial expressions are ones of pure
depression, anger, indifference, etc. and all of a sudden the picture doesnt seem as happy
as it was before. This implies that beneath the southern California sun and away from the
surf, things arent always exactly paradise. The music is similar to the artwork in many
ways. While most songs sound very upbeat to the idle listener, if one pays attention, they
will notice that the lyrics have a lot to do with crime, family issues, drug addiction,
poverty, prostitution, etc. The lyrical content is very real and to-the-point. For this
reason I feel the artwork is perfect for the record. And I feel that the artists intention was
for the artwork for Everything Under the Sun was to commemorate Brad Nowell,
capture the spirit of Sublime as a whole and for people to make the same connection I
have between the artwork and the music.
Sublime were from Long Beach and were active from 1988 to 1996, a time when
the area was as well known for crime, gangs and drugs as it was for anything. But they
didnt complain about or detest it. They simply just embraced it. Even after achieving
success for their music, they didnt move out to nicer areas of Los Angeles, they stayed in
Long Beach and went about upholding theyre reckless rock n roll band lifestyle
Showing up late and drunk for gigs, trashing clubs and bars, touring in a van, recording
their own tapes and CDs. and everything in between. They made drugs, booze, constant
partying and violence as much a part of their music as Brads unique vocals and guitar
work. Sublimes songs captured life in the area in the early 90s in way that was realistic
and creative. When most people think of, or hear Sublimes music (whether they actually
enjoy it or not) they dont particularly label it as dark, depressing or honest
because of how easy and upbeat it is on the ear. Its when you actually analyze the lyrics
and what the songs are about that you see exactly why theres that darker layer to it. The
guys in Sublime were all from a not so great area of Long Beach, and its what ultimately
made their music. A majority of the lyrics from their songs are true stories or have
anecdotes from the lives of the band members and their friends, from drinking, doing
drugs, touring stories, looting stores, bar fights etc. Brad Nowell had no problem telling
it how it was in his lyrics and revealing the reality of life as drug addict in Long Beach.
Theres a song about a guy who puts his daughter up for prostitution. There are songs that
mention riots (LA riots of 1992), robberies and shoot outs. A large handful of songs were
also written about the front mans, Brads, struggle with heroin addiction, especially
towards the end when his problem was out of control and he was reduced to a junkie
scoring heroin on the streets of long beach. He even wrote songs in which he
acknowledges the reality of his situation, admitting that he will one day loose the war.
His lyrics became to gradually have more and more to do with his addiction as time went
on. One could say that the content of the lyrics is very real, blatant, raw or non-
sugarcoated. The writing is to-the-point and rarely metaphorical. Its easy to pick up on
what theyre talking about and to understand it.
The song Pool Shark is one that always stuck out to me. This is because of how
to-the-point, simple, yet depressing it is. The song is about Brads struggle with addiction
and the harsh reality of how threatening it is, yet how helpless he is to resist. The entire
song is six sentences. The chorus is Now I got that needle, and I can shake, but I cant
breath. Take it away, but I want more and more. One day Im gonna loose the war. But
while the song is bringing attention to something morbidly depressing, its an extremely
amped-up, high-energy punk song that lasts less that a minute. While not exactly fitting, I
feel the short-lived intensity of the song and its abruptness helps really drive home the
effects of the lyrics. Another songs of Sublimes that stands out to me is the song Wrong
Way. Its a very upbeat, easy-going ska tune, thats written about a girl who is pushed
into prostitution by her father to bring in money. You could say the lyrics are a bit
distasteful and just plain depressing but thats Sublimes point. The song opens with
Annies 12 years old, in two more shell be a whore. Nobody ever told her its the
wrong way. This line alone as well as the entire song do very well describing the reality
of most of the negative situations present in Long Beach and the fact that these lifestyles
and choices arent always voluntary, but simply all one knows, or just what they must do
in order to make it. The song April 29
th
1992 is one of my favorite, Brad Nowell wrote
it about the Los Angeles Riots of 1992, that occurred after a jury acquitted (legal talk for
let them get away with it.) four police men after they had been charged assault with use
of excessive force against Rodney King. This incident resulted in the worst and most
violent public riots since the civil rights movement in the 60s. There was widespread
chaos, looting, murder, arson and assault as a response. Army and Marine Corps units
had to be called in when the Los Angeles police couldnt contain the violence. And yes,
the dudes of Sublime took part in that chaos, using the bands touring van to go around
town looting and having a good old time. He says in the song April 29
th
, 1992. Theres a
riot in the streets. Tell me, where were you? Youre at home watching your TV, while I
was participating in some anarchy. The lyrics go on to tell the story of what Brad
Nowell and his band mates did during the riots. First spot we hit was the liquor store,
and finally got all the alcohol I cant afford. sings Brad, right before singing about
turning the store into a structure fire before hitting their next score. In the lyics, they
then went to the local music shop, including how it only took one hit to make that
window drop. He cleverly inserts the lyrics Finally we got our own P.A.! And where
you think I got this guitar youre hearing today?!. He then goes on to include anecdotes
about women looting along side their children and details about heavily armed police and
soldiers lining the streets and the flaming, decimated, almost surreal south central LA
landscape. Another song I love is What I got, one of their most well-known tracks.
The lines I think relate most to the artwork and its representation of Sublime are I dont
cry when my dog runs away. I dont get angry at the bills I have to pay. I dont angry
when my mom smokes pot, nits the bottle, and then goes back to the rock followed by
the chorus, Lovin its what I got. Another line from What I Got that sums at Brad
Nowell and Sublime in a single sentence is I got my Dalmatian, and I can still get high.
It drives home his tendency to use drugs to escape from the realities of life. This goes
back to the idea that while Sublime does everything they can to expose what goes on in
Long Beach, while at the same time holding true to the Southern California lifestyle and
rock n roll image. In a way, Sublime seems as if they are trying to add glamour to the
rough underbelly of Long Beach through their feel-good music and the beach-bum image
they are so well known for. These are just a handful of the songs that I feel encompass
the spirit of Sublime while also putting music and words to the visual on the cover of
Everything Under The Sun.
The artwork itself is significant because it was created specifically for that record.
But I feel it represents Sublime as a whole. The Record was released on the 20
th

anniversary of the front mans (Brad Nowell) death. He died, you guessed it, of a heroin
overdose, and I feel that somber details in the painting are meant to coincide with the sad
circumstances of his death. The album was released to commemorate, and encompass his
music. For this reason I feel as though the artwork was meant to be all-encompassing and
that the artist meant for this connection to be made by the listeners after getting a decent
look and listen. The artwork captures the spirit of sublime by so accurately putting a
picture to the music. I feel that the sun and the ocean, painted in such bright, soothing
colors is meant to represent Long Beach, and how most people think of it to be like most
of southern California. Also, the psychedelic style of the artwork goes back that drug-
induced sense of peace, and serenity in fairly rough world. But, youll notice that the
closer to the bottom of the picture you get, the darker everything gets (in both color and
expression). I think that the details and facial expressions in the fish, and on the sun are
meant to show how things were in their part of town. The expressions and the darkness at
the bottom of the artwork are meant represent the constant presence of the vast amount of
latent social issues (listed earlier) that made life not as glamorous as it is often made to
seem by the mask of the sun and surf, which is present at the top of the artwork.
Any poster, album cover, advertisement, art, music video etc. or any form of
typography that combines verbal/textual and visual components, was designed a specific
way to trigger a certain reaction in the people that see it. In the case of Everything Under
the Sun, the album artwork, to most people, is simply a psychedelic painting the sun and
ocean. The picture alone is hard to get much meaning from, other than that the facial
expressions and color darken towards the bottom. It is when coupled with the music and
lyrics of Sublime, the memory of Brad Nowell, the glamorous image of Southern
California, the latent social problems of the time, and Sublimes care-free, surfer image
that one starts to really derive meaning from the painting. Its not just a creative cover for
one record, its piece of art released on the anniversary of their disbandment and dedicated
to their career and music as a whole.















Process Memo

Before starting to write this paper, I had already reached the conclusion that I
would probably end up writing about a piece of album artwork and how and why it was
chosen to be coupled with that music. I had to pick apart the verbal, visual and audio
clues of the art and music. After searching through my library I found one image that
stuck out to me, the artwork for Everything under the sun. I knew, this piece of artwork
would be good for this assignment because it not only encompassed the music on that one
record, but all of Sublimes music. The next thing I did was start listening to all of
Sublimes music through out their career. I took note of common themes and aspect of the
lyrics. I noticed that while the music is happy and up-beat at the first listen, the picture
also appears colorful and calm. But as you listen to the lyrics behind the music, and look
at the picture more, both reveal darker details hidden by a feel-good mask. Sublimes tried
to reveal the daily life of Long Beach through a mood and feel completely different from
what the lyrics make you feel when read alone. I then did my best to try to elaborate on
this idea by drawing examples from the words to specific songs that I felt really could
show what I though the picture was meant to mean as well as back up my claim that the
artwork was indeed meant to have this meaning and is meant to be commemorative.