Saturday, October 1, 2011

The Poetry of Song: Reflections of Popular Culture in Music



"As the music is, so are the people of the country."


        Turkish Proverb


Type your response to the following prompt as a Word document and be sure to proofread and edit before you paste and post. You will be assessed using the Short Essay Response Rubric.

Check either Billboard or Rolling Stone for the current list of America's top 50 songs. Choose at least 3 songs; avoid any songs you are very familiar with. Listen/study the lyrics to the selected songs.


Consider the subject matter, content and point of view of today's top songs and identify lines which contain poetic merit. What do these songs, as a whole, say about our modern American culture? In particular, what do these songs say about your generation as the greatest consumers of music media? How are gender roles represented in popular music? How is success measured?

18 comments:

Jared Marvel said...

The Turkish proverb, “As the music is, so are the people of the country," states that the music a country listens to directly represents the majority of the civilians of said country. In our country, a few common songs listened to most by our country, the United States, are “Moves Like Jagger,” by Maroon 5, “Cheers,” by Rihanna, and “Stereo Hearts,” by Gym Class Heroes. In these songs, common tendencies happen to be their upbeat pace, having a good time, and some underlying note of love.
In “Moves Like Jagger,” Maroon 5 creates obvious pieces of the song are the notes of love, the party feel, the have a good time persona, and the constant feel of love. This shows that as a country, the majority likes songs that exemplify the “get in the car” so you can go “wherever you want” feel, to help them escape their not so exciting lives. The underlying promiscuity of the song clarify the want for someone “just for the night,” also hinting at the escape from normality. This song clearly shows that not only are Americans tired of their normal lives, but dream of the fun that lies in the unexperienced.
“Cheers,” by Rihanna shares similarities with the former in the party, upbeat feel of the song, the have a good time persona, and the underlying promiscuity. Throughout the song, repetition of the term “I drink to that” along with the allusions of “Jameson” brings out the obvious party feel of the song. Her underlying promiscuity shines through with the line “gonna find me a honey.” This song is another sort of escape song which shows when she tells us to fix our crappy day and “turn it around with another round.” This song, like the former, shows that Americans are ready to end their crappy days by getting drunk in the hope to escape reality.
In “Stereo Hearts,” Gym Class Heroes directly speak of love and relationships. They constantly use the metaphor “my hearts a stereo” and the lines “it beats for you, so listen close/hear my thoughts in every note” to say that music is more than just music, it is a way to express your love and emotions. This song also makes use of the up beat tone to exemplify the happy feel of the words. This song is also meant to lift peoples’ spirits by saying the “melody was meant for you.” Although it does not directly touch upon the feel of escape, this too has a sense of it in that it is there to lift our spirits from our down mood.
Since the Turkish proverb, which this subject is based on, says that the people of the country are like the music that they listen to, it is obvious that although our country may be depressed or bored with their lives, they truly want to escape and find happiness. To us, the thought of experiencing something new is exciting and intriguing. As each of these songs are upbeat with a hidden sorrow which is itching to be cured, we too are happy and outgoing on the inside, with something deep down bothering us which we are trying to cure. Although I do not agree that many of the songs I saw on the top fifty charts deserve to be there, I would definitely say that the majority of the meaning behind these songs is accurate to what most Americans are like.

LPK said...

The pop songs of today reflect very specific aspects of modern American society. Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger" indicates a desire for a sense of power derived from coolness and suavity. This is reinforced by the title-inspiring simile found in the chorus: "I've got the moves like Jagger". By alluding to Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, widely accepted as of of the most iconic, charismatic personas of both rock and pop music, Maroon 5 attempt to associate themselves with a particular brand of cultural relevance, a sort of classical archetype. However, Jagger's iconography largely pertains to an era unknown to the majority of modern music consumers, and the period generally considered to be the apex of the Rolling Stones (the early 1970s, when Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St. were released) occurred before most of the current members of Maroon 5 were even born. This shows the willingness of modern Americans to associate themselves with a classical standard that they did not experience, but still revere through word-of-mouth experiences and general musical folklore. The remaining lyrics portray the narrator as a wild, charmingly arrogant figure ("You say I'm a kid/My ego is big/I don't give a s***", "I swear I'll behave", etc.), but never a truly debauched one. In short, what is popular is to be able to be perceived as unrestrained, candid, and free, but not to a degree that seems truly wild and thus intimidating.
Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks", meanwhile, simultaneously represents how lyrics are often disregarded by many music consumers, and how people often support things they secretly (and possibly guiltily). The lyrics are occasionally poetic (the personifcation of "I reason with my cigarette", the hyperbole of "And say your hair's on fire, you must have lost your wits, yeah", and so on), but they largely detail the committing of acts of violence (and quite possibly murder) against people the narrator (or someone close to the narrator) apparently disagress with. This is not a sentiment that the majority of society openly sympathizes with, but the single has still managed to become quite popular despite the nature of its lyrics. However, there remains the possibility that many people do relate to the lyrics and their themes of revenge, perhaps not to the degree that they would be willing to shoot people, but at least to the degree that they can appreciate the feelings of the narrator.
Coldplay's "Paradise", in comparison to the other two, represents something far more straightforward. The lyrics, which attempt to paint a portrait of a girl who "expected the world", and "dreamed of paradise". There is little that cannot be understood literally, and what can be understood is how dreams and ideals, while they are often difficult, if not possible to attain, can be experienced within one's own mind, and how they can provide solace in times of trouble. This is the reassurance mainstream music consumers (and music consumers in general, really) want to hear; they want to be told that they can experience that which they wish for in some shape or form. The subject being a girl seems to enforce the long-held notion of young women generally being idealists and dreamers; it seems as though the message and theme would not seem as potent to the average listener if they were experienced by a young man.

john's blog said...

Of the top 100 songs currently, I knew no more than 15 of them, and could tolerate far less. The vast majority of the top 100 songs use sexual references, catchy rhythms, and keeps up with new musical fads such as techno beats and electric tones. In the songs "Sexy and I Know it" by LMFAO, "You and I" by Lady Gaga, and Cheers (drink to that) by Rihanna, all three songs use sexual references to persuade listeners from this sex driven generation to tune in, listen, and buy their songs. The use of catchy rhythms ingrain the musical beat into your head and hooks you onto its beat. One listen and your infected. Lastly new songs in general as well as these songs use techno tones that ruin your day by constantly beating inside your head for hours. Almost like another listen will cure you of your newly acquired “sickness.”

melissarosepotvin said...

The song “California King” Rihanna used in the first line “chest to chest nose to nose palm to palm” is a way of showing symbolic imagery of being close with someone “lips that felt just like the inside of a rose” shows the love that she shared with someone and that when their not around each other its like their 10 thousand miles apart.

Corina J. said...

Many lines in today’s top songs include devices which give them poetic merit. In the song “We Found Love” by Rihanna, assonance is portrayed in the lines “Yellow diamonds in the light/And we're standing side by side/As your shadow crosses mine/What it takes to come alive”. Another device, repetition, is found in the lines “We found love in a hopeless place (4x)". This repetition emphasizes the great feeling you have when you finally are happy after a huge depression. “We Found Love” is about both love and struggle. Especially in this economy, it is good to hear about a good outcome of the speaker’s hopelessness.
The band LMFAO also applies repetition in the following lines: “Get up, get down, put your hands up to the sound (3x)” from “Party Rock Anthem”. “Party rock is in the house tonight/Everybody just have a good time/And we gonna make you lose your mind/Everybody just have a good time” is an example of the assonance used in this song. Finally metaphor is used in the line “On our rise to the top, no lead in our zeppelin” because they show their success will never go up in flames like a blimp covered in lead paint. This song is a party song more than anything else. It shows that today’s listeners enjoy dancing to their favorite songs and having fun together with friends.
In “Without You by David Guetta, assonance is utilized in the lines “I can't win, I can't reign/I will never win this game”. The most used device in this song is hyperbole, which is represented in the lines “I can't look, I'm so blind/Lost my heart, I lost my mind without you, without you” and in “If you're not here I'm paralyzed without you” because he is just depressed without his lover, but he has not actually gone insane. This song deals with heartbreak, which most people experience. Today’s songs are relevant to what goes on in the average American’s life.
The subject matter of most of today’s songs consists of love and partying. The subjects of these songs portray American culture as youthful and somewhat naïve. These songs show that my generation is fun-loving and carefree. We love life and want to remain youthful. Gender plays a major role in today’s music because females buy more music than males. Females are more emotional so the topic of love is not surprising to have as a major topic of popular songs. Success today is measured by how much fun one has in life and by possessions. You are successful if you wouldn’t trade your life for anyone else’s.

Corina J. said...

Many lines in today’s top songs include devices which give them poetic merit. In the song “We Found Love” by Rihanna, assonance is portrayed in the lines “Yellow diamonds in the light/And we're standing side by side/As your shadow crosses mine/What it takes to come alive”. Another device, repetition, is found in the lines “We found love in a hopeless place (4x)” from “We Found Love”. This repetition emphasizes the great feeling you have when you finally are happy after a huge depression. “We Found Love” is about love and struggle. Especially in this economy, it is good to hear about a good outcome of the speaker’s hopelessness.
The band LMFAO also applies repetition in the following lines: “Get up, get down, put your hands up to the sound (3x)” from “Party Rock Anthem”. “Party rock is in the house tonight/Everybody just have a good time/And we gonna make you lose your mind/Everybody just have a good time” is an example of the assonance used in this song. Finally metaphor is used in the line “On our rise to the top, no lead in our zeppelin” because they show their success will never go up in flames like a blimp covered in lead paint. This song is a party song more than anything else. It shows that today’s listeners enjoy dancing to their favorite songs and having fun together with friends.
In “Without You by David Guetta, assonance is utilized in the lines “I can't win, I can't reign/I will never win this game”. The most used device in this song is hyperbole, which is represented in the lines “I can't look, I'm so blind/Lost my heart, I lost my mind without you, without you” and in “If you're not here I'm paralyzed without you” because he is just depressed without his lover, but he has not actually gone insane. This song deals with heartbreak, which most people experience. Today’s songs are relevant to what goes on in the average American’s life.
The subject matter of most of today’s songs consists of love and partying. The subjects of these songs portray American culture as youthful and somewhat naïve. These songs show that my generation is fun-loving and carefree. We love life and want to remain youthful. Gender plays a major role in today’s music because females buy more music than males. Females are more emotional so the topic of love is not surprising to have as a major topic of popular songs. Success today is measured by how much fun one has in life and by possessions. You are successful if you wouldn’t trade your life for anyone else’s.

Merry said...

The United States is incredibly varied. The people and their tastes are very different, but there is one thing that is evident in most popular songs. One is sex; sex is seen in many songs either in the literal sense like in the song “Motivation”. Another element that is evident is a relationship, and/or dance. “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO uses rhymes and repetition to make the song flow, and to make it easy to dance to. Many songs that are popular also feature in many songs is a relationship; like in “I Found Love” by Rihanna.

Many of the songs really show the party aspect of America because they talk about drinking and dancing all night, but that just shows that when people come together they want to have a good time. The songs make America look like a party nation, but that is not true. The generation and gender of the people buying the music are focused on having a good time. The song selections just scream teenage girl because the songs show something they want, or something that relates to them. Teenage girls are the ones who rule the music charts; so their likes would be the main focus, but that is not the case for all the songs on the billboard charts.

The song “Someone Like You” by Adele showcases a relationship.
“I heard that you settled down
That you found a girl and you're married now.
I heard that your dreams came true.
Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you.”
The passage shows that the song is about and old relationship. Throughout her songs she talks about losing love, but is hopeful to find her own love someday.
“Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too”
Many of Adele’s songs are relatable to all people because like in “Someone Like You” everyone is searching for someone or something. Many of her songs provide hope and help those in hard times by letting them know that they are not the only one, and that no one wants to be forgotten.
“Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,"
Yeah.”

Mikhala Andrade said...

In America we all have different genres that we like and listen to, whether it is Pop, hip-hop, country or even rock. However in America’s music culture focuses on mostly love, partying, and drinking. According to the Billboard top songs “Freespirt,” “Cheers to the freakin weekend,” and “Party Rock Anthem,” are in the top 50 songs that America love. A lot of country songs are about being in love and rap songs are mostly about sex and money. However In this rap song “Free spirit,” Drake uses abundantly assonance, excessive internal rhymes, and simple alliteration to show us more of a twisted kind of love. Drake says “Tatt my name on you so I know it’s real.. I know it hurts, but I aint trying to hear it, cause when I’m not around, I’ll still be there in spirit.” Drake is trying to show his love and let her know when he’s gone he will forever still be there for her. Some Americans that don’t like rap could take this song in a wrong perspective. Some people can think that getting Drakes name on them is a crazy idea, and also think that he is not showing love at all. However in today’s society people are desperate, and can be obsessed with someone especially with Drake or other artists, and make that common mistake of tattooing someone else’s name on themselves.
Most of America’s favorite genres focus on the subject of partying, especially pop. This can describe one of the things Americans are known for. In the song “Party Rock Anthem” LMFAO uses potent imagery, Electric mood, and simple repetition to show the listeners that “everybody should just have a good time.” This song gives a vivid image about how America really is. LMFAO is promoting the party life. Some people are for it, and some are not. Some Americans do not believe that life is just a party, and a life about having fun by drinking. “Party rock is in the house tonight, everybody just have a good time, and we gonna make you lose your mind. We just wanna see ya shake that.”
In the song “Cheers to the freakin weekend,” Rihanna uses great imagery, positive tone, and simple consonance to show the listeners that we should live life to the fullest, put your troubles in life aside and have fun because it’s the weekend. Americans can take this song in a positive way or they can also take it in a negative way. Due to the fact Rihanna says “Got a drink on my mind and my mind on my money.” Americans can take this the wrong way and think that she is trying to tell the listeners that drinking and getting money can make you forget about your problems and make you a happier person. However some can argue with this statement and say that Rihanna is just trying to tell the listeners that it’s the weekend and not to let anybody put you down, and have a positive attitude. “Don’t let the bastards get ya down, turn it around with another round, there’s a party at the bar everybody putcha glasses up and I’ll drink to that.” Today in our society, some people think that this song just means that “Hey! it’s the weekend, and lets go get drunk.” This is sad, because I do believe that this song has a greater message.
I do believe that these top songs do portray our culture in my generation. America is a great country, and I find it amazing that our music in our generation influences us on a different level. Whether it be smoking weed, having sex, getting money; music has a great impact on us.
-Mikhala

Jackie Toomey said...

Mr. Kefor, mine was so long that I couldn't leave it as a comment, so I tried revising it for like 20 minutes but it was still too long, so I just posted it to my own blog. Just letting you know that I still did it and all!

-Jackie

Chris L said...

The country that we live in, The United States; there are a lot of different songs that popular and reflect the lives and culture of the modern United States. Some of the most popular songs that are listened to here are; “Last Friday Night” by Katy Perry, “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO, and “Someone Like You” by Adele.The song “Someone Like You” by Adele reflects an aspect of American music that is very widespread throughout music, books, movies and television, The love that was lost. It represents this by reminiscing about the love of her life that had gotten married. “I heard that you settled down/That you found a girl and you're married now.” And also “Never mind, I'll find someone like you/I wish nothing but the best for you too”. The next song “Party Rock Anthem” By LMFAO reflects how Americans just want to break the daily grind and let loose some times. It first shows this by coming right out and saying “Everybody just have a good time” and also “One more shot for us, another round” In “Last Friday Night” by Katy Perry the lyrics reflect American culture by telling you people sometimes want to just get drunk and have a good time no matter what the cost. “I’m screwed/ oh well/ It’s a blacked out blur/ But I’m pretty sure it ruled” and also “Last Friday night/ Yeah we danced on table tops/ And we took too many shots”.

Chris L said...

The country that we live in, The United States; there are a lot of different songs that popular and reflect the lives and culture of the modern United States. Some of the most popular songs that are listened to here are; “Last Friday Night” by Katy Perry, “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO, and “Someone Like You” by Adele.The song “Someone Like You” by Adele reflects an aspect of American music that is very widespread throughout music, books, movies and television, The love that was lost. It represents this by reminiscing about the love of her life that had gotten married. “I heard that you settled down/That you found a girl and you're married now.” And also “Never mind, I'll find someone like you/I wish nothing but the best for you too”. The next song “Party Rock Anthem” By LMFAO reflects how Americans just want to break the daily grind and let loose some times. It first shows this by coming right out and saying “Everybody just have a good time” and also “One more shot for us, another round” In “Last Friday Night” by Katy Perry the lyrics reflect American culture by telling you people sometimes want to just get drunk and have a good time no matter what the cost. “I’m screwed/ oh well/ It’s a blacked out blur/ But I’m pretty sure it ruled” and also “Last Friday night/ Yeah we danced on table tops/ And we took too many shots”.

Tom Hanlon said...

American popular culture is often represented in the songs of today. “As music is, so are the people of the country” as is the Turkish Proverb states. These songs show the framework of what the U.S. is all about and how the people live. Some examples of today’s top songs are “Someone Like You” by Adele, “Pumped Up Kick” by Foster the People, and “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. Very little of these songs have some really respectable poetic devices and the lyrics do not have deep meaning. All three of these songs have literal meanings and contribute to make America look considerably bad. Of all the countries on Earth, America is the most hated. Music plays a role in shaping American culture through the lyrics, beat, and overall message of the songs.
In “Someone Like You”, Adele uses rhyme and alliteration and that is about it. She conjured up a song about a past lover who has married. She envies his love but figures she will “find someone like you”. This song has no deeper meaning; that’s it. Also, Adele does not utilize her voice in the kind of manner that the lyrics suggest. Her attitude influences every line, which ruins the ambiance of the song and mismatches the overall message.
Foster the People uses very little devices in “Pumped Up Kicks”. The lyrics compose a story of a young boy that finds “gun” and shoots other kids. Obviously, nothing in this song suggests anything positive. It shows how messed up our kids are these days. What is the point in writing about such a disturbing song and how is it liked so much? Besides terrible lyrics, Foster the People also poorly executed the song. The weird megaphone-type effect shows no purpose other than to disappoint and the instrumental parts were low-grade.
LMFAO uses rhyme, repetition, and allusion in “Party Rock Anthem”. The message that LMFAO conveys is to party and “have a good time”. The lyrics don’t say much other than to go to the club and drink all night. There is no value in the song to show how American’s are any good. LMFAO uses poor references to Drano® and Led Zeppelin which almost seem forced. The line “Get up, get down, put your hands up to the sound” can only repeat so many times before sounding monotonously repetitive and the high-pitched synthesizer refrain is extremely annoying and worsens the song’s already pathetic value.
As a whole, the songs that Americans find the most attractive are the songs that destroy their image and cause the stereotypical hatred of America. As the generation of the greatest consumption of music media, we should know better than to fall into the trap that lay ahead for us. We are the most hated generation so far. Letting the music that controls the media influence our lives will only ruin the future for us and for America.

Tom Hanlon said...

Thomas Hanlon 10/7/11
Pop culture paper Period: G

American popular culture is often represented in the songs of today. “As music is, so are the people of the country” as is the Turkish Proverb states. These songs show the framework of what the U.S. is all about and how the people live. Some examples of today’s top songs are “Someone Like You” by Adele, “Pumped Up Kick” by Foster the People, and “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. Very little of these songs have some really respectable poetic devices and the lyrics do not have deep meaning. All three of these songs have literal meanings and contribute to make America look considerably bad. Of all the countries on Earth, America is the most hated. Music plays a role in shaping American culture through the lyrics, beat, and overall message of the songs.
In “Someone Like You”, Adele uses rhyme and alliteration and that is about it. She conjured up a song about a past lover who has married. She envies his love but figures she will “find someone like you”. This song has no deeper meaning; that’s it. Also, Adele does not utilize her voice in the kind of manner that the lyrics suggest. Her attitude influences every line, which ruins the ambiance of the song and mismatches the overall message.
Foster the People uses very little devices in “Pumped Up Kicks”. The lyrics compose a story of a young boy that finds “gun” and shoots other kids. Obviously, nothing in this song suggests anything positive. It shows how messed up our kids are these days. What is the point in writing about such a disturbing song and how is it liked so much? Besides terrible lyrics, Foster the People also poorly executed the song. The weird megaphone-type effect shows no purpose other than to disappoint and the instrumental parts were low-grade.
LMFAO uses rhyme, repetition, and allusion in “Party Rock Anthem”. The message that LMFAO conveys is to party and “have a good time”. The lyrics don’t say much other than to go to the club and drink all night. There is no value in the song to show how American’s are any good. LMFAO uses poor references to Drano® and Led Zeppelin which almost seem forced. The line “Get up, get down, put your hands up to the sound” can only repeat so many times before sounding monotonously repetitive and the high-pitched synthesizer refrain is extremely annoying and worsens the song’s already pathetic value.
As a whole, the songs that Americans find the most attractive are the songs that destroy their image and cause the stereotypical hatred of America. As the generation of the greatest consumption of music media, we should know better than to fall into the trap that lay ahead for us. We are the most hated generation so far. Letting the music that controls the media influence our lives will only ruin the future for us and for America.

Tom Hanlon said...

American popular culture is often represented in the songs of today. “As music is, so are the people of the country” as is the Turkish Proverb states. These songs show the framework of what the U.S. is all about and how the people live. Some examples of today’s top songs are “Someone Like You” by Adele, “Pumped Up Kick” by Foster the People, and “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. Very little of these songs have some really respectable poetic devices and the lyrics do not have deep meaning. All three of these songs have literal meanings and contribute to make America look considerably bad. Of all the countries on Earth, America is the most hated. Music plays a role in shaping American culture through the lyrics, beat, and overall message of the songs.
In “Someone Like You”, Adele uses rhyme and alliteration and that is about it. She conjured up a song about a past lover who has married. She envies his love but figures she will “find someone like you”. This song has no deeper meaning; that’s it. Also, Adele does not utilize her voice in the kind of manner that the lyrics suggest. Her attitude influences every line, which ruins the ambiance of the song and mismatches the overall message.
Foster the People uses very little devices in “Pumped Up Kicks”. The lyrics compose a story of a young boy that finds “gun” and shoots other kids. Obviously, nothing in this song suggests anything positive. It shows how messed up our kids are these days. What is the point in writing about such a disturbing song and how is it liked so much? Besides terrible lyrics, Foster the People also poorly executed the song. The weird megaphone-type effect shows no purpose other than to disappoint and the instrumental parts were low-grade.
LMFAO uses rhyme, repetition, and allusion in “Party Rock Anthem”. The message that LMFAO conveys is to party and “have a good time”. The lyrics don’t say much other than to go to the club and drink all night. There is no value in the song to show how American’s are any good. LMFAO uses poor references to Drano® and Led Zeppelin which almost seem forced. The line “Get up, get down, put your hands up to the sound” can only repeat so many times before sounding monotonously repetitive and the high-pitched synthesizer refrain is extremely annoying and worsens the song’s already pathetic value.
As a whole, the songs that Americans find the most attractive are the songs that destroy their image and cause the stereotypical hatred of America. As the generation of the greatest consumption of music media, we should know better than to fall into the trap that lay ahead for us. We are the most hated generation so far. Letting the music that controls the media influence our lives will only ruin the future for us and for America.

krista woodworth said...

Today’s modern music says a lot about the current American culture. In the song “If I Die Young”, The Band Perry tries to convey that when before someone dies you don’t appreciate them, and what they had to say. In other words, you don’t know what you got till it’s gone. The more modern songs today have a deeper meaning in them, compared to older songs that have been written. A song with this kind of meaning and story would usually be sung by a women rather than a male.
In the song “Cheers” by Rihanna, Rihanna uses upbeat lyrics to get the listener pumped up about it finally being the weekend. Throughout the song she uses repetition with the line “I drink to that”. I believe that she is trying to explain that it’s the weekend, and after a long week you need to have some fun. Everybody can definitely relate to this song in some way because everyone knows how good it feels for it to finally be the weekend.
In “Take a Back Rhode”, Rodney Adkins explains how he wants to leave the stress of the city, and just be relaxed for once. In the chorus he seems eager to escape the long rough day. I believe by saying “makes me wanna take the back rode”, conveys that everybody needs a break of reality at some point. He is also using the line “makes me wanna take the back rode” as a metaphor to taking your time in life and appreciating everything.

drew e. said...

Many of the top songs in America today have very similar generic sound, and always mention love one way or another. It seems today people only want to listen to songs about all aspects of love. In The song Moves Like Jagger, love is a very prevalent theme throughout the song. By saying he's "got the moves like Jagger" the singer is claiming to be smooth, and can easily impress women. Some how, songs in which the singer can brag about girls, sing about love, or hype himself up seems to come out ontop in the charts. Its a very American, arrogant attitude that radio listeners enjoy.
Lighters, By Bad Meets Evil (Eminem and Royce Da 5’9) is one of the better hip hop songs on the current charts. Eminem’s new motivational approach is very applicable to most listener’s lives. Quick delivery, and precise rhyming are easily observed during Eminem’s verses. Of course to make it to the top of the charts Bad Meets Evil needed not only a more generic beat, but also a chorus but Bruno Mars, which in my opinion is going against Marshal’s credibility.
Lil Wayne’s “How to Love” made it to number 17 on the charts. The song being a single from his new “Carter IV” album was focused on quite obviously “How to Love.” By using real-life imagery, listeners can easily invest their feelings in the lyrics. As always, Wayne has a lot of witty metaphors to further describe his hardship in a relatable way.

Merri West said...

A culture’s music represents that culture. In many people’s opinion popular American music has lost its poetic merit and integrity; saying that American culture has also lost its integrity. Many say popular American music has become shallow and depraved; by analyzing three top billboard songs, “She Will” by Lil Wayne, “Give Me Everything” by Pitbull, and “Headlines” by Drake, American society is explored through its music. In “She Will” Lil Wayne emphasizes his success, fame and desire. Because of his fame and power Lil Wayne conveys that he has become invincible, as he has “Looked in the face of death and took its mask off”. This allusion is used to convey the message that because of Lil Wayne’s fame and power the idea of dying is a joke to him, like a kid wearing a mask at Halloween. Also, Lil Wayne implies that because of his fame and power he can get anything he wants from people, particularly from women, “for the money and the power and the fame right now/She will, she will”. “She Will” by Lil Wayne includes pun and allusion to help emphasize the opinion that through money, power and fame one can get anything they want.
Incorporated into the American dream is working hard to achieve your goals and making a better life for yourself. In “Give Me Everything” Pitbull discusses how he took his “life from a negative to a positive” and now “This is insane: the way the name growin’/ Money keep flowin’”. Now that Pitbull has surpassed the American dream he communicates his want to “drink a little more than I should tonight” and to “take you home with me if I could tonight”. Symbolism and hyperbole was used to further emphasize his theme of extravagance in “Give Me Everything” by Pitbull.
It sometimes seems after one reaches a great accomplishment with great rewards they lose their drive and stop working as hard, or become changed by their accomplishments; in “Headline” Drake discusses just that. After becoming “too strung out on complements” Drake lost who he was, becoming overly confident and obsessed with his fame and accomplishments. Money became more important “money over everything, money on my mind” until he realized “I fell off” when his money “got so empty”. After realizing his mistakes Drake says “the real me is on the rise”, indicating he will not let fame permanently affect him. In “headlines” Drake elucidates the negative affects fame and money can have on a person as he tries to escape them.
By analyzing some of the most popular songs in America one can get good insight into American culture, particularly the culture of the generation this music comes from. Throughout all three songs great accomplishment is a large theme, showing people’s want for uncommon accomplishments. “Headlines” divulges the adverse effects of achievement, something that people can also struggle with. Also, fulfillment is a significant theme in these songs. Both “She Will” and “Give Me Everything” focus on fulfilling everything they want, something which everybody wishes for. Money is another theme, in all three songs the artist express their surplus of money. Especially in these difficult economic times most people wish they had a surplus of money. Along with the relatable themes of these songs they all have euphony, making them pleasing to listen to without looking into the meaning. In these songs success is often accompanied by women. In our generation’s music women often serve as a symbol for accomplishment and achievement for men, as well as money. Through evaluating some popular American songs you can see a representation of American culture. Popular American music now seems to be based on material wealth and happiness, as well as the desire for women to serve as a symbol of achievement for men. These things transfer over to also represent our generation’s culture. The Three songs “She Will”, “Give Me Everything”, and “Headlights” divulge American culture’s greed for uncommon accomplishment, fulfillment, and money.

22569 said...

Bruno Mars's "Lighters" is about people going through a tough time chasing their dreams and tough obstacles.
"This one is for you and me, living out our dreams, we are all right where we should be. All I wanna see is a sky full of lighters."

Maroon 5's "Never Gonna Leave This Bed" Main gist of this song is actions speak louder than words. Don't talk about staying prove it.
"Wake you up in the middle of the night to say, I will never walk away again. I am never gonna leave this bed".

Lady Gaga's "You and I" rekindling old flames works for her not recommended though.
"Been two years since I let you go, could listen to a joke or a rock and roll. Muscle car drove right though my heart. On my birthday you sung me a heart of gold. This time I'm not leaving without you."