A Bunch of Philistines Critiquing These Piano Tracks

Published November 23, 2016 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hi Guys,

Just to critique your critique of the use of popular songs on the player piano,

All I have to say is that I feel you are overlooking the allegory of these obviously intentionally picked out tracks,

Back in black, for example, is more than befitting for the translation of Maeve’s inner feelings and truths she cannot articulate to the audience, such as the line goes; I’ve died a thousand times before’

I’ll go on to further my critique by saying & asking, how comes you all look fastidiously at every other little detail apart from the songs chosen on this piano?

This player piano is the only physical relation we as an audience have to the music (soundtrack or actual), by this I mean that when we hear Swan Lake-Waltz’ in episode 8 during the shootout scene with Maeve conducting the other hosts (& this again is more than befitting) it is a soundtrack, there is NO string quartet physically there playing the song.

I’ll follow this up by saying that because this piano is physically there, the tracks must have been selected by someone & placed intentionally into the scene. I believe that the piano serves as a cinematic signifier to provide a blend between the real and the actual, in a way it represents the semi-permeable nature that film & TV has on an audience.

Can we not ask who chose these tracks?

But beyond this No Surprises’ in EP 2 was totally befitting to Westworld, all be it in a dark and ironic sense, which ironically is what was intended.

A heart that’s full up like a landfill
A job that slowly kills you
Bruises that won’t heal
You look so tired, unhappy
Bring down the government
They don’t, they don’t speak for us
I’ll take a quiet life
A handshake of carbon monoxide

But come on guys, you sound like a bunch of Philistines critiquing these piano tracks, is it just because they aren’t classical orchestral numbers?

Because you have to bear in mind those tracks weren’t always classics, if this is set in 2100, then haven’t the tracks being chosen on the player piano got enough legitimisation to warrant being a classic ? anyway , I’m clearly annoyed at your dismissal of a major piece of allegory dudes!!!

– Dan C.

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