As a theme for the Halloween art challenge this past October, I had decided to revisit one of the most popular poems in English literature: The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. Unfortunately, this was just after 3speak went belly up, so I didn't get a chance to post it. Fortunately, 3Speak is now back up, so it's time to get the New Year party started.
Published in 1845, the epic poem called The Raven tells the tormented tale of a man who has lost the love of his life. Grief, loss, and despair are explored in the rather incessant and bothersome figure of a Raven who taunts the man with a single word: Nevermore. This quintessential piece of literature spooked the heck out of everyone and references to it are often found in North American popular culture.
I decided to generate an AI rock song using the two initial stanzas from the poem as lyrics. So, I copied 12 lines from the poem and pasted them into the AI music software (Udio) and then added some flair of my own. I knew that the software was going to take any words and inflections I added, so I wrote "woe, oh oh" and "forever more, woe oh oh" to see how the software interpreted. I was pleasantly surprised (mindblown actually) and amused at how well it worked. In the following section, I copied the text of the stanzas as I entered them in the software, not necessarily as they appear in the original poem (though I kept the original punctuation).
The Raven (Adapted from Edgar Allan Poe, 1845)
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
Woe, oh oh
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
Woe, oh oh
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Nameless here for evermore.
for evermore, woe oh oh
for evermore, woe oh oh oh
In previous experiments, I was able to create 30 second clips, but this time I decided to attempt at 2-minute song, 2:10 to be precise. I wasn't too hopeful that the software could keep it together for two whole minutes, but when it comes to AI, it's just better to wait and see.
I prompted the software to generate rock music with heavy metal guitars and a dash of electronic music. It generated two songs, and I chose the one heard in the video. The other song, Eternal Shadows, I deleted because it was terrible. Heavy Metal is not everyone's cup of tea, but I think that Eternal Echoes is kinda catchy. The song titles were created by the software.
I created the images using key phrases from the The Raven poem to generate comic style illustrations with gothic flair. The book seen in the images, for example, is a reference to "a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore." I also added references to Lenore, Mr. Poe, and the Raven.
I put the video together in MS Clipchamp. I try to use special effect sparingly, but with that high-octane metal music, I just couldn't help myself with the transitions and special effects.
I hope you enjoyed it and have a ROCKING ALIEN NEW YEAR! 👽🤘
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