Jared Leto Composer, 30 Seconds To Mars By Morgan Hallows Music 1010 Professor Craig Ferrin

Biography Born on December 26, 1971 in Bossier City, Louisiana Raised by his mother, Constance

Growing up he lived all over the country… Colorado, Virginia, Wyoming, and even Haiti!

Education Initially desiring to be a painter, Jared enrolled in Philadelphia’s University of the Arts After discovering acting he transferred to the School of Visual Arts in New York City

Pursuing the dream! In his early 20’s he moved to LA and scored a role in the TV show “My So Called Life”

Named one of People Magazines “50 Most Beautiful People”….. TWICE!

Bigger Roles As Jared gained popularity he started getting bigger roles in films such as… “How to Make an American Quilt” “Fight Club” “American Psycho” “The Thin Red Line” “Requiem for a Dream”

A Band is Born In 1998 with Jared on guitar and his brother Shannon on drums, they formed 30 Seconds to Mars

Influences

Composition History 30 Seconds to Mars A Beautiful Lie This is War

“Was it a Dream” Album – “A Beautiful Lie” Released – 2005 Written about a past relationship that is only remembered with a photograph.

“Closer to the Edge” Album – “This is War” Released – 2009 Jared Leto leaves the interpretation up to the listener. It’s a very powerful emotional song.

“Search and Destroy” Album – “This is War” Released – 2009 Amazing song with the voices of thousands of their fans mixed throughout.

Listening Guide 30 Seconds to Mars Was it a Dream 0:01 Introduction begins with the sound of rain and thunder giving the listener a feeling of a lonely rainy day. 0:08 Synthesizer slowly brings in a mysterious humming that almost feels dreamlike. 0:16 Bass and snare drums start with a moderate beat still with the rain and thunder. 0:25 Lead guitar begins a melody slightly echoed with special effects. 0:57 Vocals come in with the first verse being a soft spoken story telling the past of a broken hearted soul. 1:31 Chorus, the voice of the singer becoming more intense almost crying the feelings from his heart. 1:48 An almost ghostly echo in the background adds more mystery to the story. 2:00 Second verse back to the soft spoken story. Maintaining the moderate beat throughout the verse. 2:18 Echoes repeat the last words of the verse “forever is for good” intensifying the emotional feeling of the song. 2:20 Chorus, gradually getting more loud. All of the elements of the song, guitars(bass and lead), drums, synthesizer, and keyboard intensifying the emotion. 2:30 All instruments fade starting with a cymbal to note the change, vocals fade with an echo and after a few more beats of the drum the guitar kicks in a few harmonic notes to lead into a melodic guitar solo. 2:48 Gradually the sound of a heart beating with the soft harmony of mystical chants fades into a repeating chorus. 3:47 After the chorus repeats a few times there is a climax of all the instruments as the singer gives his final thoughts on the relationship with the words “in love.” The song fades with a couple guitar riffs and rain and thunder finalizing with a few heart beats.

Closer to the Edge 0:01 Intro brings in an organ slowly getting louder the timber of the organ raising the anticipation of the listener. 0:19 Drums begin a fast beat with guitar repeating a simple riff in a few different octaves. 0:32 The first verse begins at almost a whisper giving the feeling of someone living a secret. 0:59 The chorus is intense with the guitars and drums both getting louder while the vocals become almost like yelling. 1:29 As the chorus ends the bridge begins with echoing “no’s” by fans of the band. Then the melody is carried through the bridge with soft drums and repetitive guitar riffs and a calming keyboard tune. 1:39 The second verse is brought in by quiet repeated whisper then as the drums start back in the vocals are back to the soft spoken secretive voice as in the first verse. 1:55 In the middle of the second verse the vocals are modified to sound like a playback of a previous recording echoed as if it were a flash back to a better time. 2:07 Back to the chorus, this time yelled even louder so the message is clear. Drums get even louder and faster along with the bass and lead guitars. 2:36 The drums cut in and out with guitar riffs alternating with echoes and yells intermittently. 2:52 The sounds of a crowd singing along with the lead singer. The feeling of everyone singing in unison is chilling. 3:48 With the chorus being repeated and the crowd in the background, the song slowly fades out as the drums quit and the synthesizer finalizes the song.

Search and Destroy 0:01 Introduction begins with a synthesized almost piano like echo in a catchy techno beat. 0:12 As the vocals begin with an almost moaning whisper, the drums and bass guitar start with an aggressive sinister beat. 0:29 A teaser to the chorus, this yelling echo stops the music and emphasizes the name of the song. 0:34 Back to the verse, the lead guitar and drums start back in louder and more upbeat. 1:03 The chorus stars as the guitar cuts out and in the background there is a mild piano riff that helps mellow the chorus. 1:19 The guitar starts back in with the angst of the drums beefing up the second half of the chorus 1:30 Back up vocals chant and add texture while the chorus gets stronger and more dynamic. 1:47 Back up vocals bring in the second verse with vigor. 2:15 The piano comes back in with the mild tune to lighten the mood then build it back up for the strong chorus. 2:29 Chorus is loud and upbeat climaxing the song at about halfway. 2:55 The bass drum stops and allows for a calm euphoric feel as you hear the synthesizer start back up. 3:37 The bass drum starts back up and creates a strong beat for a confident touch. 3:47 Background vocals with chants and whispers with the piano give a feeling of comfort. 4:20 Chants from fans of the band add a unique timber to the final minute of the song, unifying one with the song. 5:00 All instruments cease except the piano which finishes the song with a mild couple notes.

Works Cited "Echelon." 30 Seconds To Mars. Web. 6 Feb Harris, Chris. "30 Seconds To Mars Sing About Survival on “This Is War”." Rolling Stone Dec Web. 05 Feb "Jared Leto." Biggest Stars Web. 6 Feb "Jared Leto: Living In A Commune Was Strange - Musicrooms.net." Music Rooms. 20 July Web. 05 Feb Malkin, Marc. "Jared Leto Remembers Life in Haiti: "It Was Magical" - E! Online." E! Online. 19 Jan Web. 05 Feb "Most Beautiful, Jared Leto." People.com. 12 May Web. 6 Feb Redmon, Jess. "30 Seconds To Mars: Welcome To Their Universe." Shoutweb.com. Web. 10 Feb Wadowski, Heather. "The Making of "Requiem for a Dream"" Suite101.com. 15 Dec Web. 6 Feb Weiner, Jonah. "The Redemption of Jared Leto." Details. Dec Web. 6 Feb