His Concerto for Pedal Steel Guitar and Orchestra is believed to be the first concerto ever written for the pedal steel guitar. It was premiered on April 16th, 2005, in a performance by the Nashville Chamber Orchestra with Gary Morse (of Dierks Bentley and Dwight Yoakam's bands) as soloist, and Paul Gambill as conductor. Levine also composed Divination By Mirrors for musical saw and strings. It was premiered in New York City's Merkin Hall in 1998 by the New York Virtuosi with Dale Stuckenbruck as the saw soloist. The piece makes extensive use of quarter tones and golden mean sections.
Levine has written several opera and musical theater pieces including Orpheus Electronica (2000), widely believed to be the first "rave opera".
Trained as a violinist, Levine began his career as a studio musician in New York in the 1980s, but then switched his emphasis to composition. He is, perhaps, best known as the composer for the television dramas Cold Case and Close to Home, both produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. In 2007, he scored the features Adrift in Manhattan and Columbus Day. He also produces, with Michael Wolff, the songs for the Nickelodeon TV preteen comedy series and combo, The Naked Brothers Band. Early in his career Levine wrote music for advertising including "Gimme a Break", the Kit Kat jingle (1986). In a 2003 study of earworms (tunes that get stuck in people's heads) Univ. of Cincinnati researcher James Kellaris named "Gimme a Break" as one of the top ten worst offenders.
In the mid-1980s, Levine led the New York City-based quartet, No Guitars, in which he sang and played electric violin. Patrick Moraz of Yes described him as "The Jimi Hendrix of the violin."
Michael has done extensive work for other film composers including Hans Zimmer, Harry Gregson-Williams, Rupert Gregson-Williams, and Cliff Martinez as an arranger and composer of additional music. He was the arranger of the choral version of Spider-Pig from The Simpsons Movie and composed the music for the murder scene in Veronica Guerin.
Levine continues to play violin on his and others' recordings. He also plays tenor violin and the ciola (pronounced chee OH la) an instrument the size of a viola but which sounds in the same range as a cello. He is the recipient of five ASCAP awards, two Clio awards, an NEA grant, a Meet The Composer grant, and a Massachusetts Arts Foundation grant.
The Window
Michael A. Levine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Under the parc55 monolith
A senior driver got distracted and
As a result got in an accident
In a misguided streak of self-defense
Lost his memory at any expense
Later witnesses went on to describe
That in a window was a bearded guy
They are looking for the bearded man
Because a man with a beard has a criminal mind
They're looking for the bearded man in the window
They got the force of the cia
The big computer and satellite relay
You find his sketch on the back of your drink
And in the pocket of your local fink
But the stranger has disappeared
It's like there never really was any beard
Suddenly everyone is dangerous and mad
Cause you could grow a beard just like that
Now in every newsfeed and the press release
They are looking for the bearded man
He might be a terrorist or even a pirate
They're looking for the bearded man in the window
Now on the radio, tv and the press release
They are looking for the bearded man
Because a man with a beard has a criminal mind
They're looking for the bearded man in the window
The lyrics of Michael A. Levine's song 'The Window' draw attention to the damage caused by stereotyping and racial profiling in society. The song narrates a story of an accident caused by a senior driver, who lost his memory in self-defense. The bystanders claimed that a bearded man was present in the window when the incident took place, and the media quickly labeled him as a criminal. The song highlights the negative impact of labeling an entire community based on the actions of a single individual.
The song also exposes the extent of the surveillance system that operates in our society. The lyrics mention the involvement of the CIA and satellite relays in search of the bearded man. The media portrayed him as a terrorist or even a pirate, raising suspicions about anyone sporting a beard. The lyrics serve as a wake-up call to society and discourage stereotyping and profiling based on appearances.
Overall, Levine's song underscores the dangers of preconceptions and warns us about the need to avoid racial profiling. It urges the audience to look beyond appearances, refrain from jumping to conclusions, and promote a culture of diverse acceptance and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
On the corner of market and fifth
The location where the incident took place
Under the parc55 monolith
Further describing the location of the accident
A senior driver got distracted and
Describing the root cause of the accident
As a result got in an accident
The outcome of the driver getting distracted
In a misguided streak of self-defense
Reasoning behind the driver losing his memory
Lost his memory at any expense
The consequence of the driver's misguided self-defense
Later witnesses went on to describe
The aftermath of the accident and its investigation
That in a window was a bearded guy
A detail provided by witnesses that is being heavily focused on
Now on the radio, tv and the press release
The media's coverage of the search for the bearded man
They are looking for the bearded man
The main objective of the search
Because a man with a beard has a criminal mind
The misguided assumption that is driving the search
They're looking for the bearded man in the window
The specific location being searched
They got the force of the cia
The level of organized effort being put into the search
The big computer and satellite relay
The technological resources being utilized in the search
You find his sketch on the back of your drink
The extent to which the search has spread and affected everyday life
And in the pocket of your local fink
The potential impact on personal relationships and mistrust
But the stranger has disappeared
After all the search efforts, the bearded man still cannot be found
It's like there never really was any beard
The search may have been misguided all along
Suddenly everyone is dangerous and mad
The paranoia and hysteria caused by the search
Cause you could grow a beard just like that
The potential for anyone to be mistakenly identified as the bearded man
He might be a terrorist or even a pirate
The assumptions being made about the bearded man with no actual evidence
They're looking for the bearded man in the window
The continuous focus on a single detail despite it potentially being irrelevant
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Ulrik Kowalk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lukáš Spilka
From which episode is it please? :(
MegaWizardx
In which episode is it?