Analysis (Big Shot/Sleep Through The Static/Back to Black)

Hands in the Sky (Big Shot) - Straylight Run

Ambiguious songwriting is not normally connected with the topic of war. In the song "Hands in the Sky (Big Shot)" by Straylight Run, the lyrics are surrounded with ambiguity. Despite this, it can be assumed the song is concerned with the country's current war. The song was released on their EP, which contained cover songs by Bob Dylan and personally written lyrics concerning the war.

Immediately in the first verse, the band establishes an eerie form of imagery: "Millions of men with blank faces/Italicized lies, headlines bold type". The "millions of men" represent the people of Iraq and the "italicized lies" are the news stories. The imagery continues, in a quiet, ominious sound as John Nolan sings "living lives just like deer in headlights/terrified, blind, and wait to die": a representation of how the country we are invading simply accepts and "wait[s]" for the war to turn catostrophic.

Suddenly the song becomes a heavy and loud, like the sound of violence. Nolan begins yelling the lines "Big shot screaming: put your hands in the sky/He says 'give it up boy, give it up or you're gunna die/ you'll get a bullet in the back of the neck/right between the eyes". The use of the word "boy" is to show how us as a country treat the nation we're invading. Our hostile and condescending we are to their people who don't accept our invasion of their country.

The song is surrounded by the hypocrasy of America. The army is never at fault and they are simply trying to help Iraq, or so they claim. What if the country doesn't want help, the band is asking. Through the song, the band personifies the United States, its army, and the "War on Terror" in a negative, satirical perspective.

"Sleep Through the Static" - Jack Johnson

Similar to the satirical perspective of Big Shot, Jack Johnson takes on the US citizens and their oximoronic beliefs in "Sleep Through the Static". Surrounded by sarcasm all throughout the chorus, Johnson criticizes the war in Iraq saying, "who needs 'please' when we've got guns?" Continuing after and before the line are other paradoxes that make for a satirical aim at the United States. Johnson concludes with "We went beyond where we should have gone", possibly targeting the Iraq war.

Throughout the song, Johnson uses personification, making "war", "the sun", and "thoughts" human-like. His biggest target becomes apparent in the lines "You're too good looking and mistooken/ You could watch it instead from the comfort of your burning beds". Here, Johnson is addressing the American people, who sit back and watch the war from their beds and voice their opinions but are "too good looking" to do anything.

He then continues to characterize the US government and their war policies: "We say anytime, anywhere, just show your teeth and strike a fear/ God wears camouflage, cries at night, and drives a Dodge". Here Johnson first talks about how the US "strikes" a fear just because they can by abusing their power. He then personifies God as a typical American soldier, wearing camouflage and driving a dodge. These lyrics provide for the satirical aspect to Johnson's writing, saying that a majority of Americans believe that if you aren't patriotic, you aren't a good person.

Throughout the song, Jack Johnson seems to want us to take a step back realize that we either have to "push for peace" or "support the troops".

"Back to Black" - Amy Winehouse (not in theme genre)

The Grammy award winning artist Amy Winehouse has more poetic lyrics than most of her generation of artists. In the song "Back to Black", possibly the most melancholic song on her album, her use of imagery is prominent throughout the song. She creates a funeral-esque mood with a saddened narrative that provides for a beautiful soul song.

The song is a mirror image; as Amy's boyfriend returns to his ex-girlfriend (or possibly a drug he's becoming readdicted to) she goes "back to black". With the metaphor "I tread a troubled track/my odds are stacked/I go back to black", Winehouse creates a vivid picture of her troubled path now that she is alone.

The song proceeds to her chorus, where she uses the hyperbole "I died a hundred times" to express her emotions exaggeratedly everytime her signifcant other left her. The chorus ends with a "I go back to.../I go back to..." as if its too hard for Winehouse to say "black" and imagine it.

She then continues with the imagery in the following verses. She alludes to an abusive drug usage in their relationship by saying "you love blow and i love puff/and life is like a pipe/and i'm a tiny penny rolling up the walls inside". Which also may infer that her lover is not going to a woman but returning to his habit of cocaine ("blow"), which is commonly referred to as a "she" or "her" ("You go back to her and I go back to...")

The song in all is a soulful ballad of struggle. With its imagery and evocative emotion, Amy Winehouse is successful in writing one of the better poetically written songs of her generation. Her voice is incredibly distinct and her CD and music should be remembered for generations to come.

"Hands in the Sky (Big Shot)" - Straylight Run : 110

"Sleep Through The Static" - Jack Johnson : 145

"Back to Black" - Amy Winehouse : 86

Dear Mr. President

Dear Mr. President, come take a walk with me.

Let's pretend we're just two people, and you're not better than me.

I'd like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly.

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street?

Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep?

What do you feel when you look in the mirror?

Are you proud?



How do sleep while the rest of us cry?

How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye?

How do you walk with your head held high?

Can you even look me in the eye and tell me why?



Dear Mr. President, were you a lonely boy?

How can you say "No child is left behind"?

We're not dumb and we're not blind

They're all sitting in your cells

While you pave the road to hell.

What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away?

And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay?

I can only imagine what the first lady has to say.

You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine.



[Chorus]



Let me tell you about hard work

Minimum wage with a baby on the way

Let me tell you about hard work

Rebuilding your house after the bombs took it away

Let me tell you about hard work

Building your bed out of a cardboard box

Let me tell you about hard work

You don't know anything about hard work.



How do you sleep at night?

How do you walk with your head held high?

Dear Mr. President, you'd never take a walk with me, would you?





Pink is not often considered an artist with extreme intellectual lyrics. Her songs are often simply written and catchy. She takes on a new leaf with her moving song "Dear Mr. President". Although the words are hard-hitting, the song is a quiet acoustic one with vivid imagery, directing its questions to George Bush. The song is more than a catchy pop rock hit; it is a powerful piece of work.



The song's controversial imagery comes with its questions directed to President Bush. Pink asks in the chorus, "How do you sleep while the rest of us cry? How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye?". The questions are obviously unanswerable but depict sorrow and pain, while the President is calm and at peace. Not only by placing these two images together create a juxtaposition, but it also effectively creates emotions through its words. Listeners quickly learn the song is directed toward Bush with the line "How can you say "No child is left behind"/We're not dumb and we're not blind", referring to Bush's No Child Left Behind Act.

With an excellent example of a protest song, Pink has definitely established herself as a more talented artist. She has taken her music higher and more controversial with "Dear Mr. President". With her imagery and juxtaposition, the song is emotionally powerful and a relate able image for Americans who suffer from this war.

"It's A Hit" Analysis

Any chimp can play human for a day
Use his opposable thumbs to iron his uniform
And run for office on election day
Fancy himself a real decision make
And deploying more troops than a salt shaker

But it's a jungle when war is made
And you'll panic and throw your own crap at the enemy
The camera pulls back to reveal your true identity
Look, it's a sheep in wolf's clothing
A smoking gun holding ape.

Any a**hole can open up a museum
Put all of the things he loves on display
So everyone could see them.
The house, a car, a thoughtful wife:
Ordinary moments in his ordinary life.

But if she breaks a smile
She'll give you away
Cause no one wants to pay to see your happiness.
No one wants to pay to see your day to day
And I'm not buying it either
But I'll try selling it anyway.

Any idiot can play Greek for a day
And join a sorority or write a tragedy
And articulating all that pain
And maybe you'll get paid.

But it's a sin when success complains
And your writers block-it don't mean s***.
Just throw it against the wall and see what sticks.
Gotta write a hit
I think this is it.
It's a hit.

And if it's not
Then it's a holiday for a hanging

Any fool can play executioner for a day
And say with fingers pointed in both directions
"He went thataway"
It's only a switch or syringe
Exempt from eternal sins.
But you still wear a cross
And you think you're gonna get in

But the pardons never come from up-stairs.
They're always a moment too late
But it's entertainment
Keep the crowd on their toes
It's justice, we're safe.
It's not a hit, it's a holiday

It's a holiday for a hanging


Rilo Kiley, a modern indie rock band, took a new step with their album properly titled More Adventurous. The CD opens up with the song "It's A Hit". It allows listeners to come to the realization that Rilo Kiley has advanced in their music. Immediately, the critical song hits at the current war the United States is in. The main target of the song appears to be political system, depicting their thought process when declaring war. By using imagery, allusions, and symbolism, the band's message becomes apparent and effectively depicted.

In the first verse, she says "Any chimp can play human for a day/Use his opposable thumbs to iron his uniform/And run for office on election day/ Fancy himself a real decision maker". Immediately, the song criticizes the decision making of the government, saying that even a "chimp" can "run for office". The word choice for the lines are also interesting. By saying "fancy himself" it shows the self-absorbment of the government's view of itself. "Fancy" is an elegant word, but because the song uses it in sarcasm, it makes the point of criticizing more effective. Following this, the song criticizes the war, calling it a "jungle" and its soldiers "smoking gun holding apes", another use of word choice and imagery.

The song is full of harsh and barbaric diction. To describe the government, she uses nouns like "idiot", "chimp", "ape", "a**hole", and "executioner". These words all allude to the government, making it appear primitive. The song also suggests the government is all about appearances, hence the "wolf in sheep's clothing" line: a vicious animal in an innocent disguise. Once again, this is an example of imagery and metaphor.

Although a harsh song, the instruments of "It's A Hit" blend well with intelligent and thought-provoking metaphors, critical imagery and allusions. The song ends with the words "It's a holiday for hanging", possibly another attack on the government for its policy for killing. The song is creative and well-thought out, and clearly, it's a hit.

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Lennon's Peaceful Diction

"Give Peace A Chance" & "Imagine"

Musician and icon, John Lennon started his career as a member of the prolific and popular band, the Beatles. After countless years and some artistical disagreements, Lennon took his own path and began a solo career that attracted new and old fans alike. His music took on a universal word: Peace. He promoted the ideas of anti-violence. If all his songs were surrounded with this central theme, then how was it possible for listeners not to become bored with the repeated message? Lennon explored unique and different styles of expressing his dreams. He took on a piano, soft rock ballad, "Imagine", and protesting rock chant with his song "Give Peace A Chance". With these differing styles, Lennon reinvented his message, explored new paths, and attracted a large audience of listners.

When listeners hear "Give Peace A Chance", they are reminded of the up-beat Beatles' songs that topped countless charts. With a blend of multiple voices and instruments, the song creates an image of peaceful protesters. The rhythm makes it a fun, enjoyable, lighter song. Throughout the song, Lennon makes continuous allusions; everything from himself to "ministers" to "revolution" to "Bobby Dylan" is mentioned throughout the song. "Give Peace A Chance" is addressed to war-supportive groups, and most likely government officials. With the line "All we are saying is give peace a chance", the song is directing its message to these officials, and the speaker is not only John Lennon, but the citizens who are being negatively affected by the violence. The song is a simple set of verses, each ending with the line "give peace a chance", which gives it the sound of a chant.

"Imagine" is an incredibly different approach to peace. In contrast to "Give Peace A Chance", "Imagine" has only a piano and precussion and Lennon sings the song by himself. Although Lennon does not have a big belting voice, the song can be considered more of a ballad, and similar to the Beatles's "Let It Be". His voice is noticeably calmer and addresses a general auidence. The song contains no illusions but asks listeners to "imagine" a world without violence. He says, "you may say I'm a dreamer", which shows that he is the speaker of the lyrics, rather than a whole group of people. He is also not addressing a single person or group, but a general auidence. With the lyrics, the auidence are allowed to view Lennon's hopes for the world, in comparison to the first song, which does not really ellaborate on this.

The messgae John Lennon wants to send is present in both songs but his approach is different. Where "Imagine" sounds more serious, "Give Peace A Chance" comes off as more protesting and light-hearted. "Imagine" tries to create an image to relate to listeners and "Give Peace A Chance" tries to relate with allusions. Both approaches are effective and do not shove Lennon's dream of peace into listeners. The two songs demonstrate that John Lennon is not a one-sided artist and can successfully experiment with two contrasting sounds and diction.

Song Analysis #1: Tegan and Sara

I Was Married by Tegan and Sara

I married in the sun
(Tell me where, tell me where)
Against the stone of buildings built before
You and I were born
(Start again, start again)
Into my hear confusion grows against
The muscles fought so long
(Fought so long)
To control against the pull of one magnet to another
Magnet to another. Magnet.

Now we look up in
(Tell me who, tell me who)
Into the eyes of bullies breaking backs
They seem so very touch
(It's a lie, it's a lie)
They seem so very scared of us.
I look into the mirror
(Look into)
For evil that just does not exist
I don't see what they see
(Tell them that, tell them that)
Try to control the pull of one magnet to another
Magnet to another...

The song "I Was Married" by Tegan and Sara deals with homophobia and the struggles some gays may face. It is a modern song, released from the CD, The Con, that questions the opinions and views some people have on homosexuals. While the song is simple and short, the message is clear and conveyed through an analogy with some lines of alliteration.

Sara Quinn, one half of the band, wrote the song. Although the main focus of the song would be the analogy, there are hints of alliteration. The lines "buildings built before" and "bullies breaking backs" are both examples of this literary device. This device is used when words with similar beginning sounds are placed back to back in a sentence. In this example, Sara uses B's to maintain a the consonant sound.

Surrounded by analogies, the song conveys Sara's personal feelings toward homophobia. She explains her feelings by saying "The muscles fought so long...to control against the pull of one magnet to another". In a magnet, the opposite sides attract. In this metaphor/analogy, the opposite sides would be a male and a female. In Sara's "magnet", however, her pull was toward the same side. She struggled and "fought so long" to control the pull of her love toward the same sex but her feelings could not be swayed. She also comments on the fear that some people have of homosexuals. She says "I look into the mirror...for evil that just does not exist". Many people find gay emotions are "evil" or incorrect. This nonexistent "evil" is what people seem to fear. "They seem so very scared of us", Sara states, yet she does not understand this fear.

By questioning society's current view on gays and homosexuality, I consider the song a revolutionary song that criticizes constructively. Listeners are allowed to understand and view Tegan and Sara's side on the matter and may make people rethink how they view homosexuality. When a protest or revolutionary song can make people think, then it has done its purpose.

Video Log: Marvin Gaye

The following are videos of Marvin Gaye, who was a major musical artist, who had a huge impact on R&B and Soul.

The following is a video of Marvin Gaye, doing his rendition of the National Anthem, sung at the 1983 All Star Basketball game.

This next video is an interview with Marvin Gaye.