spoken-word

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Spoken word is a form of literary art or artistic performance in which lyrics, poetry, or stories are spoken rather than sung. The category of spoken-word that is often done with a musical background is performance poetry. As a category, the term spoken word covers any type of spoken performance, even the reading of children's stories or the recording of a comic's routine.

One of the most popular sorts of spoken word performances is performance poetry, where a poet reads poems specifically written to be performed aloud. These use theatrical elements with or without music. Poetry readings, another form of spoken word poetry event, is the more traditional form that presents poets reading poems written for print publication or already published in books. Another kind that has gained popularity in recent years is political and social commentary, done in such a way that it is, while still prose, somewhat more artistic than a typical speech. Spoken word artists most often include story tellers who narrate first-person prose. One of the most significant monologue artists that arose from the performance art genre is Spalding Gray, but comedians like Whoopi Goldberg and others also have had monologue stage performances. When comedians record their routines on CD, their recordings are placed in the spoken word category of audio recordings. Only some of these can be considered significant enough to be labeled as literary art. Some would argue that Lenny Bruce comedy was early monologue theater, which could be viewed as part of a history of spoken word.

Spoken word is not a label generally applied to songs that are not sung all the way through and spoken in parts. For example, Cedars of Lebanon, a song by the Irish band U2, is spoken and sung only on the chorus, but they are not considered a spoken word band, nor is that song considered spoken word, just as spoken recordings are not necessarily audio books. Audio books are recordings of fiction, non-fiction, how-to, or any text that first appeared in book form, and does not have to be literary art or literature in content. The designation can be placed under the spoken word category in the recording industry as a subsuming category. You would not find U2 recordings under audio books, nor would a successful rock band trade the high-sales rock category for the low-sales spoken word or audio book category.

History

Spoken word did not evolve until the late 1980s and early 1990s with the emergence of "poetry slams," where spoken word artists would square off in cabaret-style duels. This type of competitive slam poetry event has been popular in India for centuries. In the United States, the competition of slam poetry probably arose from rap music and rapper competitions. The common element is protest and a critical or corrective tone. Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City is one of the earliest venues where poets could protest the ills of society. Def Poets on HBO became the most visible venue for slam-type protest poets, but the poets did not necessarily compete against each other for audience approval. Hip-hop is now commonly considered under the general genre of spoken word as shown in a recent article by Clare Morgan in the Sydney Morning Herald.^[1]

References

Notable performers

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Performance poetry

Actors and comedians