Song blog
Music has influenced every part of my life for as long as I can remember. Although I have absolutely zero musical ability myself aside from car karaoke and a semester of clarinet lessons in the sixth grade, I can’t imagine living without it.
My playlist goes from Kpop to country to emo screamo to anything that you can imagine hearing at prom in 2004 so you can imagine what a mess my Spotify Wrapped is every year.
Anyways, here are a few of my favorite songs and short blurbs of me trying to make sense of the lyrics.
*DISCLAIMER*
This is all coming from my own mind and life experiences.
The beauty of a lyrical analysis is that you could think what I wrote is complete BS and have a completely different interpretation.
BUT, until you write your own Song Blog, you’ve gotta deal with my takes ;)
RITUAL
What if I want to have sex before I get married?
Welll, I guess you just have to be prepared to die.
Artist: Waterparks
Album: Intellectual Property
Written By: Andrew Maxwell Goldstein, Awsten Knight, & Zachary Joseph Cervini
Summary:
Starting off strong with this one.
This song is all about trauma and stress suffocating a person with negative thoughts to the point of it feeling like a nightly ritual. The song makes nods to things like religious trauma, social media, and just the overall anxiety that life can cause. The main narrative here is the not being able to fully relax because of the fear instilled by these inner demons. It’s like sticking up a middle finger and crying for help at the same time. The song ends with the line “shut the fuck up” which I feel like sums all of this up pretty well.
Without me
‘Cause we need a little controversy
‘cause it feels so empty without me.
Artist: Eminem
Album: The Eminem Show
Written By: Eminem, Jeff Bass, Shawn Baumgardner, Urban Kris, DJ Head, Trevor Horn, Anne Dudley, & Malcom McLauren
Summary:
Lots of lyrics to discuss but they all stress the same message: Eminem is in the industry to change the industry.
At first listen, Eminem sounds like an egotistical prick, BUT, the longer you think on the lyrics, the clearer his big picture gets. The song is a great example of how Eminem’s lyricism tells a story in a sometimes vulgar but poetic way. It’s clear that while the track comes across as playful and unserious, there are definitely some important points that are made. He wants to cause controversy within the rap industry because controversy leads to change. The lyrics make it clear that whether you love him or hate him, you know him and that’s what matters. As long as his voice is being heard, he’s accomplishing his goal. This song is the definition of “any press is good press” and I respect him for it immensely.
Benny
I just want you to know
i set myself On Fire to keep you warm
Artist: Luke Hemmings
Album: boy
Written By: Elie Rizk, Luke Hemmings, Sammy White
Summary:
Of all the songs in this blog, this one hits home with me the most.
Every line in this song hurts. It’s all about moving away from home to follow your dreams and having to leave your siblings behind. As someone who left home when my sisters were in middle school, watching them grow up through a screen still knocks the wind out of me. Luke does a great job of putting the guilt and questioning of leaving home for your own aspirations into words. The lyrics feel almost like an inner monologue in the parts where he is asking himself these questions. It’s a bittersweet thing to be living your own life but realize it came at the cost of the life you used to live.
In the face of a stranger,
The guilt is all I can see.
onoffonoff
careful, slowly
Darling, what’s the hurry?
Artist: keshi
Album: Single
Written By: Casey Luong
Summary:
This song was my introduction to keshi’s music and is still one of my all time favorites in his whole discography.
It’s the classic hot and cold relationship dynamic where you can’t decide if your person loves you or hates you. A lot of this song talks about glazing over arguments and healing those wounds with intimacy. Every up and down within the lyrics leaves listeners with the mix of residual spite and absolute desperation to be loved that’s almost palpable. Even if the story has been told before, something about the softness and vulnerability of his voice in this song will always scratch my brain in the right spot.
All of that to dramatically say its a sad love song about an on and off relationship.