Representing America - American Literature AP - Blog

Same Love

I personally do not like rap songs at all, but my friend made me listen to this one song called "Same Love" written my Macklemore and although I didn't want to admit the fact that it was good song, I still did because it was really good. Not only did the rhythm and beat seduce me but the lyrics did too. I very rarely listen to the lyrics of songs because there usually random repetitive words but in this songs
they meant something.

Macklemore didn't only speak to his listeners but to the entire world. His song, "Same Love", is about how all people should be treated equally but not only by race but by their sexuality. He talks about how race and sexuality is the same thing and that there was war over race but would never have war over sexuality. He believes that it should be a bigger issue than how people view it. He says

Have you readthe YouTube comments lately
'man, that’s gay' gets dropped on the daily
We become so numb to what we’re saying

He also writes about how people believe that having the same sexuality can be cured by religion. The bible does state that having the same sax is wrong but Macklemore is right when he says, "But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago." This statement is true and obviously things have changed, so the law should also be changed. Slowly but surely every sexuality will have the right to get married. It’s important that everyone is treated fairly and is able to be free and do what they want. People should stop using negative words in the context of gays and I believe that Macklemore did a
phenomenal job on getting is point across in his spectacular song.

"Losing My Religion"

Song: Losing My Religion

Artist: R.E.M.

Album: Out of Time

Lyrics

I wouldn't go so far as to say that "Losing My Religion" is my favorite song, but it is my favorite R.E.M. song, and R.E.M. is my favorite band. When we first got this assignment I wasn't very thrilled, and I'm goingt to be honest; I'm still not. When I listen to a song I don't pay as much attention to the words they are saying as I do to to the notes and the melody of the song.

If someone just sees the title and listens to the song without paying too much attention to the lyrics, they might thing that the person in this song is losing their faith in god, and becoming less religious than they used to be. The title, however, is actually a southern idium that means losing one'd temper or civility, so the lines "That's me in the spotlight/ Losing my religion" means that this person has had an outburst in a public place and has atracted a lot of attention.

The song as a whole, however is about obsession. The subject of the song is obsessed (presumably romanticly) with someone else, and this song is about how they feel towards them. "The lengths that I will go to/ The distance on your eyes," "Trying to keep and eye on yu/ Like a hult, lost and blinded fool."

I think that the double meaning of the title and the universality of the song makes it poetry.

I Am Only "I Am" That I've Opened Up My Eye

Sometimes when I'm in my darkest places, a particularly uncomfortable state of mind, or simply walking through the halls of school feeling lifeless and mundane, music is the only thing that gets me through. Whether it's a song that's lyrics are so eerily relatable and helpful that I feel as though I've sorted out some of the jumbled mess of questions and uncertainties in my mind, or a song that's so refreshing and such a stark contrast from my current state of being that I'm able to temporarily live in a false reality, one more exciting than my own, music has always simultaneously acted as an answer and an escape.

 No matter how many new songs and bands I discover, There will always be a few that I come back to, that have permanently become a part of me. One of those groups is Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, an alternative / indie / psychadelic rock band led by vocalist Alex Ebert. Listening to their music is like skipping through a field of flowers and hopping on a hippie bus with your lover and you best of friends - or, how I often like to romanticize the 60s. The band's lyrics are so poetic and honest that I often feel like I'm reading their diaries, or hearing secrets that I shouldn't be hearing - but it's so beautiful that I can't help myself but continue to indulge my ears and listen. In their most well known single, "Home", there is an entire section of the song where Ebert tells his girlfriend and fellow band member Jade Castrinos about when he rushed her to the hospital after she fell out of a window, and he realized that he was in love with her - it's raw and unique and hilariou8sly beautiful.

One song of theirs that features especially poetic lyrics is" Come in Please". The song starts off in a deep, dark place, describing different, negative ways in which people view death, such as in this phrase:

Daddy's on the mountain yellin' at the bloody sky
Mama's in the mirror actin' out another life
Children in the schoolyard singin' "everybody dies".

The chorus of the song,

 Sometimes said it's sun time
Let it sunshine on my mind
All the same  its conscience waiting
Cross the line

hints at a struggle to come to terms with death and find internal peace. The idea of the sun sometimes coming out and the symbol of crossing a line both forshadow the possibility of achieving these goals. The song is also dispersed with references to moving forward and traveling somewhere new, which symbolize leaving behind a pessimistic, dark past and into a new, more optimistic future. Eventually, the main "character" of the song and other "characters" are able to develop more optimistic outlooks. This is made especially clear in the lyric

I am only "I am" that I've opened up my eye.

I feel that the main character has had a mental breakthrough, and is now able to view life in a more positive light.

Runners-Up: (I couldn't help myself!)

-"Blood" - The Middle East and the cover by Mree

-"Love Interruption" - Jack White

-"Horses" - Patti Smith

-"Come Together" - The Beatles

-"Going to California" - Led Zeppelin

 

Shine Until Tomorrow

The song "Let It Be" by The Beatles on the album Let It Be, is easily one of my favorite songs. I have been listening to The Beatles since I was very young. My parents always used to play their songs in the car and whenever we went on road trips and I still continue to listen to them. Not only are they the most amazing band ever, but the lyrics in their songs are really powerful. Even though they are simple words, they have a strong meaning. I would have to say my favorite line in the song is: 

And when the night is cloudy,

There is still a light, that shines on me,

Shine until tomorrow,

Let it be.

It sounds so simple, but the meaning is so strong. My interpretation of it is that there will always be hope if you just "let it be."  The whole song seems to be talking about always having hope that everything will turn out fine. If you just let it be and leave it alone, it will work out fine. It's as simple as that. Another striking line that seems to explain how there is still hope to create peace is when they say:

And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree

There will be an answer, let it be.

For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see,

There will be an answer, let it be.

This really emphasizes the fact that if we all just get along with each other and not complain about others, "there will be an answer," and everything will be all right. If everyone can be on the same page and see that peace is the only answer, then we will have it.   

They were really big on peace and against the war, and this song really indicates how faith and hope can bring you peace. This song was written during the time of the Vietnam War, so they were just trying to promote peace. Many of their other songs were about promoting peace, such as "Revolution" and "Across the Universe."  

"Across the Universe" is another one of my favorite songs. The imagery in it is incredible and every line has imagery and similes and metaphors. My interpretation of this song is that even though there are many temptations in the world, good and bad, none of that is going to change your world if you have faith in something or someone. I know that during this time, Lennon was big on meditation and letting everything go and being peaceful and relaxed. The meditation he practice was tied to a guru who he praised. The line "Jai Guru Deva. om" means I give thanks to guru Dev. Having faith will help you from all the temptations in your world, so nothing can change it. That is pretty much my interpretation of it. The first stanza uses imagery that really ties in the whole temptation aspect of the song. 

Words are flowing out like

Endless rain into a paper cup

They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe.

Pools of sorrow waves of joy

Are drifting through my opened mind

Possessing and caressing me.

And then it goes onto the chorus of "Nothing's gonna change my world." When he says "pools of sorrow...possessing and caressing me," it just shows that there is no type of temptation, good or bad, that can change his world or influence him because of his strong, confident faith in his guru. Nothing can bring him down. It also presents the fact that peace will come with it. When something changes in someones life, it creates disruption which causes you to alter your life a little bit. If your world doesn't change, then you will have peace. Also I really like the line "Words are pouring out like endless rain into a paper cup." It really paints a picture in my head and creates a sound of drops of water hitting a paper cup. Like his words "slip away across the universe." He is influencing everyone across the whole universe to have hope and faith. Even though I am attepting to figure out what this song is about, there is really no one who knows exactly what it is supposed to be about other than the person who wrote it. Sometimes that is a good thing though. Sometimes they leave it up to the audience of the poem or the song, to determine what they want the poem or song to mean. 

 

Fake Friends

    One song I would defend as poetry is the song, "Super Rich Kids" by Frank Ocean from his album Channel Orange. This song is from the first person point of view of a rich kid whose parents are not around and has fallen into bad habits. He has found fake love in his fake friends, money, and material things and is now "searching for a real love." The occasion is one day when he wakes up normally and starts his day on the roof, and by the end he is dead. 

    In the song Frank is trying to portray that the life of a "super rich kid" is not all it is cut out to be. The refrain of the song says,

Too many bottles of this wine we can’t pronounce
Too many bowls of that green, no Lucky Charms
The maids come around too much
Parents ain’t around enough
Too many joy rides in daddy’s Jaguar
Too many white lies and white lines
Super rich kids with nothing but loose ends
Super rich kids with nothing but fake friends

His diction helps get his point across that this life is overboard and too much. He repeats the word "too" severaly times which shows how its just superflous amounts of everything, and it is not good. Also in the song it seems as if Frank is not exactly happy with his life, but he is not complaining about all the riches and materials. In my favorite verse of the song it states, 

Sleeve rips off, I slip, I fall
The market's down like 60 stories
And some don’t end the way they should
My silver spoon has fed me good
A million one, a million cash
Close my eyes and feel the crash

This is the part when the super rich kid is dying and Frank states "my silver spoon has fed me good" and even though the whole song is complaing about how alot of money leads to kids doing bad things and parents not being around enough, the kid is still happy with their life and satisfied. And the very last lines of the song of him closing his eyes and feeling the crash it is as if he is just accepting his death. Also like he has accepted his lifeystle, there's nothing he can do about it so he just goes with the flow. 

    Finally, the third way he uses poetic language is when he is talking about searching for love. Frank writes,

Real love, ain't that something rare
I’m searching for a real love, talking bout real love

The rich kid has tried to find love in his absent parents, expensive items, in the drugs he does, and in his fake friends but he is aware that all these "loves" are false. The word searching also enhances the song because it makes you feel as if this rich kid is a good person trying to do the right thing, but he just doesn't know how or where to do it at so he is currently searching for it. 

This song is just overall amazing and a perfect example of poetry. This super rich kid is just in search of what is real in the world, but he was not able to complete the search. Although he was not completley unhappy with his life, he was just searching for someting better and something real.

When the Curious Girl Realizes She is Under Glass

The song, When the Curious Girl Realizes She is Under Glass by Bright Eyes from the album, "Fevers and Mirrors", which can be listened to here, is a very suggestive song that can be difficult to interpret. In some ways, I think that it can express a different meaning to each person that listens to it.

When I listen to the song, I immidiately think of the want/ need for change. The character, being a detatched girl, trying to find a way to reconnect with the world and finding the meaning all over again. Her point of view is being expressed in each stanza, while she goes through the stages of memory, fighting though sorrow, self reflection, loneliness, and thoughts on the future.

 Tomorrow when I wake up I’m finding my brother
 And making him take me back down to the water
 That lake where we sailed and laughed with our father
 I will not desert him. I will not desert him

This first stanza is simply a memory, which foreshaddows the girl's need for change. The signifigance of this memory is its simplicity, and the last line expresses loneliness/ importance of humanity/ empathy values.

No matter how I may wish for a coffin so clean
Or these trees to undress all their leaves onto me
I put my face in the dirt and then finally I see
The sky that has been avoiding me

The Second stanza, again emphasizes her loneliness and want for change. The "coffin so clean" is a metaphor for death. The "undressing of leaves" is also another metaphor of death and change (leaves change seasonally).

The fourth stanza represents her wish for the future. "Time take us forward" is again the want for change. The line "I don't care" is her surrender to change and willingness, no matter what it takes, although she doesn't know exactly what those actions will be. "In the freezing darkness of my room" is again, her loneliness.

I interpret the last stanza as ending on a melancholy note. She finally ends on her realization of everything that is happening and everything she has ever felt. She symbolizes her frausteration with failure to change through her reference to pills trying to balance her brain. The last line shows that she will probably still remain a "girl under glass," being cut off from her emotions forever.

But no matter what I would do in an attempt to replace
All the pills that I take trying to balance my brain
I have seen the curious girl with that look on her face
So surprised she stares out from her display case

Chasing the Cool

There is a multitude of rappers in the game right now, and the number rises every day. Each has their own different style and technique. In my opinion, Lupe Fiasco is the most lyrical of them all at the moment, and he demonstrates his cunning ability in the song "The Coolest" on his sophomore album "The Cool."

The song is included in a partial concept album that follows the life of a man named Michael Young History who Lupe introduced on his debut album "Food & Liquor." Michael Young History is a kid who is growing up parent-less, so two other characters step in to raise him, the Streets and the Game. Throughout his story Michael is chasing "the cool," a metaphysical concept most closely associated with success, similar to "juice" for those who have seen the 90s film of the same name.

In this song, Lupe speaks from Michael Young History's point of view. Michael has fallen in love with the Streets, and he tells of how with her power she will pick him up from the gutter and enable him to finally become "cool." However, the streets are a corrupt place. Likewise, the Streets is a corrupt woman, so Michael has to give up on morals if he wants to achieve the status of the coolest.

Lupe introduces Michael's cognitive dissonance in the opening lines using paradoxes, saying

I love the Lord,
But sometimes it's like that I love me more
I love the peace and I love the war

Here Michael Young History is expressing his affection for ideas that strongly conflict with one another. God is supposed to be above all, including yourself, but he confesses that he does not always hold that reverence for Him. The next line could have a couple meanings. He could dislike fighting and might rather relax sometimes, and he may only be fond of conflict only for the spoils of war, which he makes a reference to in a later line. "Peace" could also be interpreted as "piece" which is another term for a gun, in which case there would be no contrast in the line. Later in the verse Lupe compares his love to a flower.

But she doesn't see(seed), therefore I spoil(spore)
I trip, I fall run up and raw.
I love her, with all my heart
Every vein, every vessel, every bullet lodged
With every flower that I ever took apart

The Streets not seeding means she doesn't want his baby, and sporing is a form of asexual reproduction. She wants Michael to recruit other people to take part in his lifestyle by himself. Veins are not only found in humans but also in flowers, and vessels can be used to hold flowers. He could be referring to all the flowers he has given her. The last line is a reference to the pulling of petals off flowers while saying "she loves me, she loves me not."

Lupe also makes numerous references to water and weather throughout the song. Water gives energy and creates new life wherever it goes, but it can also destroy when it takes the shape of a storm or comes in heavy amounts. Water correlates to the time he spends with the Streets. A steady flow will keep him strong while a flood will wash him back to the gutter. Here he is using the song to shed light on the lives of many kids who grow up in inner cities and struggle to survive. Running with a gang will at least postpone the troubles they have to face, but eventually their lifestyle will catch up with them and ultimately be their downfall. The purpose of telling Michael Young History's story is to bring attention to that very misfortune. Although Michael is a fictional character, there are children just like him living lives not too different from his. Lupe could also be telling his own story, as "Michael Young History" sounds very close to "my cool young history."

No Matter what Happens The Show Must Go On!

When i first listen to a song I only really notice the beat and the chorus of the song. Once I start to listen to it after a while then I start to get know the lyrics and resiting the lyrics. Then if I listen to the song a few more times then I start to really understand what the lyrics are trying to say. The song by Lupe Fiasco, The Show Goes On, is a song that I really had to listen to understanding the meaning of the song. This song is about how people or life tries to send  many obstacles your way but do not let your obstacles get in your way because life or "show" must go on. So people must get over all the obstacles of life and just keep their life going. In the the song Lupe says,

       Have you ever had the feelin' that you was  bein' had?

         Don't that shit there  make you mad?

                    They treat you like a slave

     Put  chains all on your soul and put whips up on your back

They be lyin' through they teeth, hope you slip up off your path
                            
 I don't switch up, I just  laugh, put my kicks up on they desk

       Unaffected by they threats, then get busy on they ass

See, that's how that Chi-Town made  me, that's how my daddy raised me

    That  glitterin' may not be gold, don't let nobody play  me

      If you are my homeboy,  you'll never have to pay me

     Go on and put your hands up when times is hard, you stand up

        L-U-P the man, 'cause the  brand that the fans trust

    So even  if they ban us, they'll never slow my plans up.

These few lines from the song talk about the challenges that people faced before and how they did not let this challenges deter them from reaching there dream. Then he talks about how he challenges faced him and he was not worried about them. He did not like obstacles or challenges stop his show from going on. Lupe Fiasco uses a lot of imagery to help the audience understands where he came from and how he did not let the challenges that face him deter him from reaching his dream. He also makes a generalization that anyone can face their obstacles or challenges as along as the person is wiling to fight. So Lupe has a plan that he has and nobody or nothing is going to stop his plans.

Killing Me Softly

 The song I chose is "Killing Me Softly" by The Fugees on the album "The Score". To listen click here  Have you ever heard one of those songs with lyrics that match exactly how you feel? Well that's what this song is about.

Strumming my pain with his fingers

Singing my life with his words

Killing me softly with his song

In the song she's saying she feels exactly what this guy is saying and he is singing her life story which is only hurting her more.

I felt all flushed with fever

Embarrassed by the crowd

I thought this was a good use of imagery and I actually felt as though I was there. When I read the lyrics I think its about her going to see a stranger perform and as he plays, the song explains what she is going through. "I felt he found my letters then read each one out loud--. Then she didn't want to hear it anymore because it was only killing her. Only making the pain worse. He controlled her pain at that moment. Music can control how you feel. Poetry is capturing someone with emotion. Imagine being in a crowd of people and feeling embarrassed because you feel as though everyone knew your life story. I felt so much emotion in this song. It was a song about a song. Poetry is language rendered musically. This song doesn't have a lot of lyrics and its not too complex. The song just flows. It's one of those songs that will have you thinking and nodding your head.

The Blurred Vision of Lost Cats

"Cataracts" is the ninth song on Andrew Bird's album, Armchair Apocrypha. Out of all the songs on this album, I would argue that this one is the most beautiful, the most complex, and the most poetic. The actually meaning of this song is highly debatable, but to actually understand what he's saying requires some background knowledge and vocabulary definitions. To start, cataracts are a problem with the lens in the eye that blur vision. Unrequited means unreturned, and a scepter is a kind of ceremonial staff that rulers carry to  symbolize sovereignty. Coppice, chaparral, bracken, and catchweed all refer to things in nature. A coppice is a kind of woodland area where trees are periodically cut down for firewood. Chaparral is vegetation that consists mostly of kind of tangled shrubs and thorny bushes. Bracken and catchweed are both kinds of plants. I don't actually know what scribs are, but when I googled it it said that they were a protein found in human genes. Also, cats have the most incredible eyes. Their have really good vision, particularly at night, as well as really good depth perception and a wide field of vision. They also have a reflective layer of tissue behind the retina, which is why their eyes shine so brightly at night. They also have a third eyelid and don't really need to blink the way humans do, but those are just fun facts.

While there are many references to cats, especially in the first verse, the song itself is not actually about cats. Rather, Bird uses stray cats as a metaphor for the experience of a culture that is conquered or invaded by another. What is truly remarkable about these lyrics is the impression he leaves, which creates many uncomfortable feelings which ultimately leave the listener with the idea that cultural domination is devastating and violating. After hearing the first line, "When our mouthes are filled with uninvited tongues of others", most people immediately think of rape, which, needless to say, is violating, violent, and unexpected. I believe that this impression was created on purpose to create negative feelings around the subject, Bird also uses the word 'tongue', which is a double entendre. The second usage of the word tongue refers to language, and there were many instances in which a conquering culture would force their language on those who they conquered. 

The first line of the second verse, "They shall enter from the back" also conjures up ideas of rape, but it also implies that the invasions were unexpected, and thus the people being attacked weren't prepared. The second and third verses describe the attack. By repeating the first verse, Bird reinforces the terrible effects of these kinds of wars. The second line, "And the strays are pining for their unrequited mothers", refers to all the children left motherless by the violence. However, it can also be interpreted as a reference to stray cats without mothers possibly because they were taken away by humans to be domesticated, or killed by humans. The last lines, "Milk that sours is promptly spat/Light will fill our eyes like cats/Cataracts" further the strengthens the metaphor to cats. Particularly the last two lines, since cat's have incredible vision and cataracts impair vision, which would leave the cat lost and confused, since it lost something it had always taken for granted, but didn't know how to live without, much like a culture taken over by another.

"You can keep my things they've come to take me home"

 

This post was hard for me to do because I really don’t like to analyze
songs and didn’t know which one to use, until this song came on the radio.
Reading the lyrics, the line breaks almost make the song look like it is a poem
put to music. “Climbing up on Solsbury Hill, I could see the city light, Wind
was blowing, time stood still” deepens the experience and puts the listener on
top of that hill. A motif through the song is “home.” I believe this is part of
what makes this song so universally appreciated is that everybody has, or at
one point has had, a sense of place or place they felt at home. "Son,"
he said, "Grab your things, I've come to take you home." Is a comforting
thing to hear when your life is, “in a rut” and you’re lost. This line is repeated
in the song and then changes at the end to “‘hey,’ I said, ‘you can keep my
things, they've come to take me home.’ where the speaker is willing to leave
behind whatever he has with him because he is going to where he feels at home and
accepted. This is a great song that carries a lot of meaning.

She Was So Clever

The song that I chose is called "You're too young" by Lucy Spraggan.  The song is from the album called At The Zoo.  The album was recalled due to a contract that she is under.  For the youtube video with lyrics click here.  I think that the best way to hear it is also to see her perform it.  Here is the link to the video of Lucy Spraggan performing it.  It seems like the right way to hear it.  There is no difference in the audio, only in what you are seeing.    

I think this song can be used as a cautionary tale to show what can happen when a person allows their bad decisions to take control of their life.  I think it can help people realize that there is no reason to turn around and stop the downward spiral that they seem to be stuck in.  The best example of this is when Spraggan says

When she walked down the stairs, it was seven o'clock, 
He was coming at eight, she had to iron her top. 
Seven forty five came and she looked gorgeous. 
Rapunzel let out too early from the fortress.

I think that comparing a juvenile delinquent to a princess that is generally described as beautiful and innocent.  It shows that even though Chelsea has led a story where she is the villain, she still could change her mind and go back to being the innocent young girl that would never try to hurt anyone.  I think that the continued mention of time in this stanza also has the effect of forshadowing and making the audience wish that she would turnback before it was too late.  Maybe if she did she would have been able to turn back to being the "angel" she was referred to at the beginning of the song.   

I think that the reason this song is poetry is not because it uses any literary devices correctly or has stiking lines.  Even though it has both of those things.  The real reason this is poetry is because it tells a story in a way that is unique and interesting.  It has a truth behind it that makes me wonder if these people mentioned are real and if this is what happened to them.  I think they are but maybe Lucy Spraggan is just an accomplished storyteller, or poet, or singer, or bard.  Whatever you want to call her, she is good at it.  If I am doing work and listening to music while working and this song starts to play,  I have to stop what I am doing and listen to the words.  I think that is what makes it a poem, the fact that it draws my attention to the words.  Even if I don't want to hear them.

A Cat is Just a Cat

"Yellow Cat (Slash) Red Cat" by Say Anything

Lyrics

So when I hear this song what I immediately think of is A)apathy and B) how judgemental people can be about different people who have different personalities.

The yellow and red colors of the cat indicate personality traits, and he doesn't want to "drive his foot between them" to prove that "a cat is just a cat" because no matter what he tries to do, he'll never change the way that either of the cats percieve each other.

The people that he descibes in the song are just descriptions of personality traits. You first have the lazy couch potato, then the intellectual/hipster who's all hopped up on caffeiene, the depressed and delusional drug addict. These people are his friends, who, just like the cats, will never change. 

You then have Max(lyricist) sitting on the couch smoking pot and watching the world around him, describing his pontifications as being "Buddah when he sits" and then asking himself "if I'm truly so enlightened, why'd I waste your time on it"? Which to me means that if he knows people will never change, and never stop judging, then why did he even waste the time trying to tell us that people are just people or "a cat is just a cat".

He then goes on to be more general with "the fakest fucks get laid, by the faux-finest finds" meaning that the two people having sex are just as stubborn as one another, and will continue to produce offspring who are just as stubborn as the people who concieved them, and it's always "been that way". He then wraps up the song by saying "this is who they remain forever this is how we stay". Meaning that people will never change, and we will never be able to make people change no matter what we try to do. It's just human nature. 

The song is really just a piece of art that screams self loathing. Through the slow beat and flow of the song Max is able to express his inner personality and I love it.

Sunshine, Sunshine

If you were to ask me who was the best white rapper, i would say one of two things: 1) The Beastie Boys (RIP MCA) and 2) Atmosphere. Although, i love me some Beastie Boys describing some of their music as poetry would be somewhat difficult. Atmosphere, which consists of rapper Slug and DJ Ant, have been recording since the 90's. Atmosphere is known for their honest lyrics and the raw relate-ability that's somewhat rare to rap. The song "Sunshine" came off the album Sad Clown Bad Summer Number 9, which is part of a four part EP release. The song tells a simple story, one pretty much everybody has gone through. It starts with the realization of a hangover,
"Ain't no way to explain or say
How painful the hangover was today
In front of the toilet, hands and knees
Trying to breathe in between the dry heaves" The way he starts out the song with a common hangover, draws you in and lets the audience know the "down to earth" vibe. By no means are hangovers a good thing, but he has an interesting way to turn it into a positive story. The song picks up to a relaxed beat, as the scene changes into a bike ride,
"The brakes are broken, it's alright
The tires got air and the chain seems tight
Hopped on and felt the summertime,
It reminds me of one of them Musab lines like..." The song continues to take a positive spin, he uses simple language to express how simplicity is really perfection and how often we take advantage of it. "Every women looks better in a sundress." He uses these perfect depictions of summer that everybody relates to. He doesnt need complicated metaphors to get his point across. I think that's why this song is so powerful, it doesn't take too much analyzing to feel it and understand why it makes you feel a certain way. His rhyming is perfect and slick, and the beat is a perfect compliment but also understated which adds to the message of simplicity. When you describe to your friends a story, you don't use complicated language to tell it. If fact the best stories are the ones that you can follow but still are worded to be interesting. So its like that, these lyrics make your feel like Atmosphere is your best friends and you just came back from a BBQ.From start to finish this song is chill and it just flows so naturally. For me, the biggest reason why i think "Sunshine" is poetry is because you can feel the song. Its something deeper than just tapping your foot, its a whole body feeling. Do yourself a favor and listen to the song, yo. 

 

Two Styrofoam Cups

An artist named Macklemore was well known and very supported for his success in becoming sober. This triumph turned him into an inspiration and role model for many teens who are trying to get clean themselves, because his song "Otherside", which he wrote with Ryan Lewis on their VS. Redux EP, showed them the light at the end of the very long tunnel they had dug themselves into by getting involved with the wrong crowd doing the wrong things.

This song begings by describing the drug Oxycontin by setting a scene similar to one set in most rap songs. They glorify the drug by explaining the intial experience people are faced with before the awful setbacks consume their lives. Macklemore writes this song from his own experience which just increases the depth of the meaning because he knows what gets people into this crowd and makes them continue, but he also knows how far it can go and how much harder it gets to draw the line.

As the song continues Macklemore's exciting and mischevious tone falls apart and is replaced by lines explaining the scary moment when you realize how dependent you are on the drug and shows that it can happen to anyone by saying "We live on the cusp of death thinkin' that it won't be us". The song's intensity only grows as it continues which gives the exact ora of how strongly these choices can influence your life by saying

"I've seen my people's dreams die
I've seen what they can be denied
And  "weeds not a drug" - that's denial...I've seen Oxycontin take three lives"

Macklemore uses these intense descritpions of his own personal experiences concerning the drug to give the entire essence of how capitivating something that seems like a fun one time thing can be on your life. The sincerity of these words stuck with his fans and helped them through their own rehablitiation processes. In the song "Starting Over" also by Macklemore in the album The Heist he confides in his fans that he had a single relapse after, 

"Those  three plus years that I was so proud of

and I threw it all away for two styrofoam cups"

In this song he continues to explain the guilt he felt for this one mistake but all of the consequencs he faced to make it right with all of the people he had hurt through this relapse. He explains his apology to his girlfriend, his parents but especially his fans. The song itsself is his way of trying to be honest with his fans and expressing the guilt that he felt for all of the fans that had told him how much Otherside had helped them when they first finished rehab and how they couldn't have done it without him.

The sincerity that he speaks with in Starting Over and the multiple mentions of his loved ones, including his fans, and his mentions to Otherside and how those are the words he wanted to stay true to show the guilt he felt. He uses complete honesty and tries to be straight forward with his fans which I think is the best and only way he could manage to get their trust and support back as their role models because his remorse is undeniable in this powerful song.

 

 

Forever Can Be Severed

"If I Die Young" by the Band Perry was released in 2010 as their second single.  I recently heard this song on the radio and didn't realize it was from a couple years ago.  As I listened to it over and over again I realized how the lyrics painted a picture in my mind and left me deep in thought even after the three minutes were over. 

I think about a couple of things when I listen to this song.  First and maybe most obviously, is that life is short.  We have no idea when or how it will end, only that one day we all eventually die.  We must learn then to let the little things go and enjoy everyday as much as we can by appreciating the little things in life.  In some way this song is somber since it's about a young girl dying.  However, the lyrics and melody are not spiteful, but peaceful.  In a way, this might be the artists way of saying that in continuation of "live every day like it's your last", you must be happy with the time you are given.  If you spend every moment cherishing the life you have, when it's taken from you either early on or many years down the road, you know it was well spent.

To convey this message that the girl was happy with how she spent her allotted time and therefore accepted her death, the song opens with how she wishes to reassure her mother everything is and will work out to be ok.  She asks, "Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother/She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors".  Rainbow is associated with happy endings, luckiness, and Paradise.  The chorus comes and reiterates peace and happiness as the girl wishes, "bury me in satin/Lay me down on a bed of roses/Sink me in the river at dawn/Send me away with the words of a love song".  Satin, roses, and dawn all work to symbolize the beauty of life and youth.  I love how she explicity asks to be sent away with a love song, because when I think funerals I think of a very depressing funeral march, but here the girl wants her memory to be joyful and cherished by her loved ones.  Overall I think the song works to comfort those she left behind.  She doesn't want pity because she was content with what she was able to do in her short life, not resentful with what she wasn't able to do.  These next lyrics embody this perfectly as she explains, "I've never known the lovin' of a man/But it sure felt nice while he was holdin' my hand".  It also plays up how young and innocent she was, which can be depressing that she wasn't able to experience all life has to offer, but once again, she is thankful for what she was able to enjoy.  Another line that empowers this is, "The sharp knife of a short life, well/I've had just enough time".  Finally, to end the song in a more uplifting note, the girl dying asks, "So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls".  I like this because it's as though she asking for a celebration of her life, not the run of a mill funeral.  Pearls is not only a great image, but can symbolize wisdom and, ironically, long life.  I take this to meaning the song is about her life continuing on in the memory of those she has left behind.  Also, I find the girl to be very wise, and maybe even optimistic about her morbid situation. 

"Ghost Town" By: First Aid Kit

Ghost Town Lyrics

The writer of this song is trying to portray the experience of leaving someone you care about to move away and keep on the road as a successful musician. She feels that it's her job to continue along traveling without a permanent home, and it's unfair to anyone she falls in love with. They'll move on once she's gone, and so it's best for her lover to forget the past, and just know that she'll come back to visit again. She attempts to reassure him that it's not really the end, even though she knows he'll just move on once she's gone.

A line that I really love is right in the beginning of the song, where she says, "blindsiding me to you"... To me, this is just a really creative way to say that basically all she can see is him, so she's like stuck to him, making it even more difficult to leave him behind, even though she feels like she has to. She explains this in the line "I found myself attached to this railroad track" When I first heard this line, I simply took it as she had to constantly be on the move as part of her career and lifestyle as a nomad. But after reading the lyrics as a poem, I thought of how in old western movies, the damsel in distress is always tied up on the railroad tracks, and the cowboy defeats the villian, and unties his bride just before the train hits her. So, maybe in a way, she's saying she knows that this time, he can't save her from the train (as in she'll get on it and leave him).

However, I must say my favorite line overall is "I'm lost somewhere in your mind"... This is just a very beautiful way of saying, "you'll forget me". I love how the writer uses such eloquent diction to paint a very sad picture in our minds when we read the words. What's even more interesting is tha the song itself is almost happy and dreamy sounding, not at all sad or depressing, as the lyrics are.

 

Your Assignment: Music Poetry

For this week's blogging assignment, introduce and analyze a song you are willing to defend as poetry.

Wondering what makes a song poetry?  Well, consider Perrine's definition, but also see below for what you should be discussing about the song.  Because we are talking about poetic language, we are focusing on songs with lyrics.

Your post should have the following:

• an introduction to the song: the "title" of the song, the artist, and the album
• provide any additional context, only if necessary (for example, is the song part of an album-length narrative -- a "concept album"?)
• link the title of the song to the lyrics (for example, "Used Cars").  Do not just dump the entire web address into your post
• state the "what" -- the central idea or theme of the song-poem.  If the song expresses a complete theme, then write it out as a complete statement.  If the song is not constructing such a deliberate message, discuss its purpose, keeping in mind the speaker, audience and occasion – and what experience it might be broadening and/or deepening.
• discuss the "how" -- describe in detail three uses of poetic language that the songwriter employs to get across that idea or theme. Remember, you are not just pointing out where a literary technique appears in the song -- you need to talk about how the songwriter uses it to enhance the meaning of the song. And you must say more than – “The imagery makes me really picture the scene” or “The simile makes me understand things better.” Consider the idea or theme and discuss how the lines fit into it. Uses of rhythm and rhyme do not count for this exercise – but feel free to discuss them. Also, very general techniques such as repetition or use of details also do not count.
• Quote liberally from the song when showing examples of poetic language, but do not dump a huge chunk of lyrics into your post.  Remember, when quoting poetry, you have two options: make it a blockquote, no matter how few lines, or integrate the quote into a paragraph but uses dashes/to indicate line breaks.

Learning from a Pause

When I first read Great Rock and Roll Pauses, I have to admit that similar to Drew, I thought that Lincoln adored these pauses maybe a little too much. After all, silence is nothing. What is there to focus on, right? However, after reflecting on it a little, I found that some of my favorite songs have pauses in them. A couple examples are A Day in the Life by the Beatles and Helter Skelter by the Beatles. In A Day in the Life, there are a few pauses, but in my opinion the most impactful one occurs right at the end.

An entire orchestra starts by playing its lowest note and then takes several bars to ascend to the very highest one. There is a brief pause when they reach the climax, and then one final piano chord concludes the song. It completely changes the tone of the ending. The pause shifts the song from an exhilirating finale to one that's calm and soothing. Similarly in life, pauses in action can completely change the dynamic of a situation.

In Helter Skelter, the song slowly fades out as the band continues to play. There is silence for a brief moment, and then the band fades back in, rocking out just like before. While there is a pause in the audio, the musicians never actually stop playing. In the non-musical world, at some times it may appear as if the world is at a standstill when in reality there is still a lot going on under the surface. I guess pauses do deserve more attention than they are often granted. The artists may not even intend it, but often times they carry a significance that goes beyond music.

Time To Pretend- MGMT

The song "Time To Pretend" by MGMT seems to really portray postmodernism well, and as I was listening to it, and reading the lyrics, I was shocked by how much it relates to both "Goon Squad" and the conversations we have in class. Look it up on YouTube if you can, I'll post the lyrics. It really captures the "What if all there is to do is pretend?" question posed by Mr. Heidkamp. 

I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life.
Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives.
I'll move to Paris, shoot some heroin, and f*** with the stars.
You man the island and the cocaine and the elegant cars.

This is our decision, to live fast and die young.
We've got the vision, now let's have some fun.
Yeah, it's overwhelming, but what else can we do.
Get jobs in offices, and wake up for the morning commute.

Forget about our mothers and our friends
We're fated to pretend
To pretend
We're fated to pretend
To pretend
I'll miss the playgrounds and the animals and digging up worms
I'll miss the comfort of my mother and the weight of the world
I'll miss my sister, miss my father, miss my dog and my home
Yeah, I'll miss the boredom and the freedom and the time spent alone.

There's really nothing, nothing we can do
Love must be forgotten, life can always start up anew.
The models will have children, we'll get a divorce
We'll find some more models, everything must run it's course.

We'll choke on our vomit and that will be the end
We were fated to pretend
To pretend
We're fated to pretend
To pretend

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone can be a rockstar

Do you know why I love punk music so much? Why anyone who loves punk music, loves punk music so much? It's because its pure, it's simple, it's fast. It's loud, anyone can do it, and it's so blurred by distortion that you can't tell there's any mistakes? 

You get these people asking you why anyone would like something so dirty, untalented, and extreme. And my answer to them is always that it makes you feel alive, and that you feel true to the music. Like nothing is disguised. It also makes you feel like you could hop up on the stage and do it right there with the Sex Pistols or the Clash. 

I wanna relate this to post modernism through this, you know how when you were a kid you had these awesome dreams of what you were gonna be, it was always something extravagant like a astronaut, or a pro baseball player, a fireman, a musician. Let's face it, no 5 year old wants to grow up and work for a marketing firm. They wanna be a star. But as you grow up, you realize that not everyone can be a star, and that some people just end up in a marketing firm, or an accounting office, and while theres nothing wrong with it, punk gives these people the release they need, the release that lets them go back to those post modern idea's that 5 year olds have from watching all those TV and movies, that they can do anything, that they will do anything, because it will make them feel good, and feeling good is what it's all about.

Bennie's Playlist/Postmodernism Posts

First, here's the link to Bennie's Punk Playlist on Spotify.

For the next blogging assignment, write an entry on an example of postmodernism in American culture. If you already did that entry last week, feel free to discuss part of Goon Squad we have not yet talked -- or talked enough -- about. But in terms of postmodernism, you have two choices:

1. Post on a postmodern moment -- an event that makes it clear we are living in a postmodern era.  You could discuss a public event, such as a moment in the presidential campaign, or you could discuss something more personal that happened to you -- or that made you think in a way -- that revealed the postmodern state of our lives.

or 

2. Post on a postmodern work of culture.  Consider films, books, etc that reveal a postmodern sensibility, either by their subject matter of the style in which they are written.

To help with this second option, check out this page from a media studies class (at a British university) that discusses and provides clips of several postmodern films and TV shows.

Support Women Artists Sunday: Whitney Houston (Response)

I have to begin by saying that Houston was an innovative artist, however she is not worthy of the amount of sadness and morning going on around the world. The fact is, she has been a train wreck for twenty years. she has struggled with addiction and has given nothing back to society.

What is truley sad is that good people who give back to society die  every day. These people are not celebrated by the world and wealthy people and world leaders almost never reach out when a not so well known activist dies.

The bottom line is that Houston was a talented singer but she has done little for the world we live in. Community activist and other good people die every day with no outreach. This is the only reason why I feel grief today.

Music Poetry Mix!

For your listening pleasure, here is our class mix of songs you would defend as poetry:

Music Poetry - American Literature

I'm planning on making it the soundtrack for the class for the rest of the year. You have no one to blame but yourself :)

If you have Spotify, you should be able to listen to most of the mix. Songs by the Beatles and the Eagles are not available through Spotify, but I do have them on the mix I'll play in class.

Enjoy!

 

Weird Al Yankovic - "Fat"

 

This is a video by "Weird Al" Yankovic called "Fat". It creates humor with parody and situational irony at the beginning of the video. The song and the video are a parody of Michael Jackson's "Bad". This video is a parody because it replaces all the words to Jackson's song but still keeps the beat and the rhythm. The reason why it is because the video focuses on the issue of obesity in America. It uses hyperbole and dramatic irony to highlight this. The hyperbole would be the fat suit suddenly inflating when there is a showdown between the two groups of fat people. The video also uses dramatic irony when the two fat guys ambush Al and ask him why he isn't eating with him and making fun of him for being on a diet.

The video is supposed to show frequent and prominent obesity is in America. It makes you think about your eating habits. For me, personally, it sends that message "if we continue to eat fast food, this is what gang showdowns are going to look like in a couple of years except without the dancing". The video force you to look at your lifestyle and think about how your eating habits are affecting your body. It criticizes the fact that, at the time, a large number of  Americans were and still are becoming more obese. This video sends the message that we should eat healthier to live longer

Satire in the Flight of The Conchords

 

This is a song by the Flight of the conchords which creates humor using situational irony. The listener if they are familiar with this type of song expects a simple love song, instead of this the lyrics are about a woman who is not the most beautiful girl in the world, and its the contrast from the expectation that creates humor. Where a normal song would say that the woman is the most beautiful woman or something along those lines they have qualifications of how beautiful the woman is like "the most beautiful girl I have ever seen with a kabab".

This song could also be seen as a parody of a typical love song. The situations which they present as romantic like doing the robot or eating kabobs are a contrast to the typical love song. It could also be said that they are using understatements to create a contrast between the descriptions of people in archetypal love songs and thier own song.

Overall the satirical point that the singers are trying to make is in my opinion mostly for humor, but they may be making a comment on the predictability of many songs in thier contrast from the usual formula.

Emerson, Thoreau, Dickinson... Steve Miller?

Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller Band

When the word transcendentalism comes to mind, so do names such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Emily Dickinson. While that would only be natural, many other Romanticists are thrust to the side or not even thought of at all. Apparently, after listening to "Fly Like An Eagle" by Steve Miller Band, Miller is one of those artists.

Themes of Transcendentalism are scattered throughout this song, as well as others by the group. In the chorus alone, there are many appeals to the movement:

I want to fly like an eagle 
To the sea 
Fly like an eagle 
Let my spirit carry me 
I want to fly like an eagle 
Till I'm free 
Fly through the revolution 

Eagles themselves are references to nature and flying like them essentially makes one a part of nature. When he says "Let my spirit carry me... Till I'm Free," he is talking about the spirit transcending the the physical world and escaping. Referring to a revolution is brought up again when he says:

Feed the babies 
Who don't have enough to eat 
Shoe the children 
With no shoes on their feet 
House the people 
Livin' in the street 
Oh, oh, there's a solution

"Feed[ing] the babies" and "Hous[ing] the people" is calling for a change in the way society is, very similar to the Romanticists call for a cultural revolution in the 19^th century. All in all, this song is a great representation of Transcendental ideals.

Its Okay To Be Like Me Because I'm Making The World A Better Place

The rap superstar Lil' Wayne put out a 30 minute long PSA a couple days ago ,addressing the death of Steve Jobs reminiscing on how he should be remembered and how Wayne himself, would like to be remembered if he, a global icon like Steve Jobs were to die at a young age.  He also outed the media because of their portrayal on his effect on kids  being negatively influenced because of his actions. We all know Wayne as a pop culture icon. He represents hip-hop and his patent is known worldwide. But it seems that he's become more popular for his substance abuse than his records. When you see Wayne he is almost always carrying 2 white foam cups that may contain promethazine-codine, Sprite and a Jolly Rancher. This particular Southern beverage originated in Houston TX where rappers would drink this as an alternative way of getting high. In the beginning of the announcement, he makes sure to prove that he doesn’t drink syrup by showing that he is prescribed particular medication when he's sick and he claims not to be sick anymore.  He  passionately goes on and on in this announcement about originality and how people are afraid to say,"I do it because he does it" He says,"Whatever is the reason you're doing what you're doing, and if so that reason is because Lil Wayne does it, don't be afraid to say that."I'm passionate about it, so know why you doing it." To prove he's serious, he grabs a board and jumps onto his ramps on his rooftop. He skates a little bit, but he really doesn’t to anything noteworthy, admitting, "I'm in the process of learning, but I'm trying." He said that he saw a kid at the age of 9 doing various tricks on T.V and he wanted to do some of the tricks this kid did, so he went out and bought a board because of him.  He also added by saying, "your kid is watching me skate and he wants to play outside, I'm making the world a better place because I'm helping with childhood obesity". After these remarks he goes on about other various topics but these claims above stuck to me. I noticed that his faulty logic supported circular reasoning and I found a opposite parallel in which Ralph Waldo Emerson argues in "Self Reliance". He believes that insisting on yourself , never imitate. Your own gift can present every moment with the cumulative force of a whole life's cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another you have only an extemporaneous half possession...." Emerson argues to be your own individual and try not to imitate others. I just found it interesting that someone that has such a global impact would want his fan base not to believe in Transcendentalism like Emerson does but to follow the actions of other successful people in the world.

Pocahontas Sings Romanticism

My childhood, like many other people, was filled with Disney movies.  One Disney movie that uses Romanticism is Pocahontas.  This movie demonstrates the importance of nature in Pocahontas's life.  

In the song "Colors of the Wind" Pocahontas expresses the influence of nature on her life and how John Smith should appreciate his surroundings.  Pocahontas living in nature and knowing more than John Smith about it demonstrates the Romantic thought from Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Nature" that leaving society will allow people to fully understand nature.  

Pocahontas teaches John Smith how to enjoy nature nd learn from it.  In one part of the song she sings "You'll learn things you never knew you never knew."  This illustrates how much nature has an influence over people's thoughts.  

This song also demonstrates another Romantic idea that Emerson expresses in "Nature" that nature influences us when we are open to its influence.  Pocahontas sings "Come roll in all the riches all around you. And for once never wonder what they're worth."  She is trying to tell John Smith that the way he and the other colonists think about nature prevents them from learning.  Pocahontas says that if he does not think and lets nature make an impression on him he will learn incredible new things.  

Pocahontas shows a hidden Romantic message that nature when experienced without analyzing it can teach everyone great lessons and provide wonderful experiences.    

Feminization At Its Best

Before any girls play the "just jealous" card, hear me out. I as well as many other guys have been wondering what the deal is with this Justin Bieber kid, among other large name pop stars out there today. Sure, his music is just typical pop that we see around today. With lots of breakups, parties, and pimples, teenagers can "relate" to a lot of this kind of music. But why has he seemed to skyrocket above everyone else? Yeah I'll give him that he's a good-looking dude, but there have been equally attractive stars before him. Is it just me or have male celebrities, particularly those aimed at the teenage girl crowd, seemed to become more and more effeminate within the last decade?

Bieber is certainly no exception. He has truly taken the cake for most feminized male celebrity to this day. With a nail polish line, women's perfume, and even his iconic hairstyle, JB has become one of the most desired stars of all time, and I can't help to think his effeminacy gave him a little extra boost. Tabloid magazine covers on his and Selena Gomez's celebrity relationship say "Jelena: Her Promise To Never Break His Heart," and "Justin and Selena: How She Won His Heart." If I'm not mistaken, isn't it typical that the guy wins and breaks the girl's heart? Isn't the girl always the one to be made out as a prize to be won? Justin is really breaking the mold on this one. 

 

Justin Bieber is simply a tool used by the music industry to make incredible amounts of money, and that is it. Granted, he is making millions of dollars and has become an icon, but the exploitations that he is undergoing is unbelievable. I am less calling out the Biebster than I am calling out the teenage girls with "Bieber Fever" to face the facts that not everything they see on TV and not every way a celebrity is portrayed is a reality. And at the very most I give props to Justin's producers for knowing exactly what these girls will eat up.