Original Song

The End of the Beginning
Brace yourself
For what lies ahead
Get ready, get set
For what your life will be instead

It was easy till now
Someone else always there
Someone to help you out
When life just wasn’t fair
It was easy till now
When there were no choices
When life was filled with freedom
And Mom and Dad’s loving voices

I remember the nights
When there was nothing but ease
Our laughter floating effortlessly
Through the summer breeze
I remember the nights
We laid under the black sky
Staring at the stars
As time slowly passed us by

Now it’s time to grow up
It’s time to move on
Act like an adult
Be brave, be strong
Take care of yourself
Cause no one else will
Your life’s up to you now
Your destiny to fulfill

So brace yourself
For what lies ahead
Get ready, get set
For what your life will be instead.

Popular Music Essay

In music, it is clear that what is popular is not always the deepest or most meaningful piece of work. Most songs on the Billboard Hot 100 are, when looked at closely, extremely similar to one another. As the listeners and buyers of these songs, it is quite obvious that, right now, most of America appreciates the same kinds of music. The three songs I chose to analyze were: “Like a G6” by Far East Movement featuring Cataracs and Dev, “Bottoms Up” by Trey Songz featuring Nicki Minaj, and “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” by Usher featuring Pitbull. Although these are apparently the most popular songs in the country right now, I am not very familiar with any of them. When analyzed, I was able to see the extreme similarities between the three songs: each contains simple poetic devices and in some way involves alcohol. These qualities can say a lot about our culture and what is valued most in it.
I found that I easily recognized an abundance of poetic devices within the songs, which I did not expect. However, it was the same poetic device, repeated in different ways throughout each song, which I was seeing. The songs use simple similes, and not much else, to convey their messages. In “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love,” Usher says to “Dance, dance, like it’s the last, last night of your life, life.” This does show an example of a poetic device, but with nothing more to it than what appears on the surface: Usher instructing whomever he is singing to dance enthusiastically. Trey Songz also utilizes simile in “Bottoms Up.” He brags about his wealth by saying, “Money stay in my pocket/Girl I’m like a walking bank.” By comparing himself to a bank, listeners are able to understand quickly that he has a lot of money, but it is too simple and obvious a comparison; it certainly does not take a genius to grasp the message. In “Like a G6,” the simile that is in the title is repeated in the song a grand total of 28 times, and the song also includes one other simile, “Poppin’ bottles in the ice, like a blizzard,” which is repeated several times as well. It can be argued that these songs are full of poetic devices; however, they are simple, easily understood, and, in some cases, extremely redundant. Since these songs are extremely popular, it seems that, as a culture, we don’t really want to have to think very much or work very hard to search for deeper meanings within songs.
A major theme I found in these songs is that each somehow incorporates consuming alcohol. In “Bottoms Up,” the entire song is focused on that subject alone. With lines like, “Got a couple bottles/But a couple ain’t enough” and “If I go get these bottles we go alcohol insane,” it is obvious that the narrator’s main objective is to enjoy himself by getting drunk. In Usher’s song, he sings “Keep downing drinks like there’s no tomorrow.” And, perhaps the worst of the three, “Like A G6” talks of “sippin’ sizzurp,” “poppin’ bottles,” and “gettin’ slizzard.” For the celebrities singing these songs, this life of clubs and expensive alcohol is probably a reality, but for their listeners, it is far from it. To the young listeners, this lifestyle probably sounds cool and impressive, and could potentially lead them to try to emulate what they hear. If kids’ music is constantly filled with innuendos such as this, it would make sense that it would impact them in some way. These popular songs show us that partying and being intoxicated is something we, at the very least, enjoy listening to and singing about.
These songs explain a lot about our culture. Clearly, we do not value the underlying messages within music or songs that can be interpreted in various ways. We do not want to decode songs or understand deeper meanings; we want clear, straightforward, and typically centered on partying. Although most of us do not go to expensive clubs every night and get “slizzard,” we love songs that tell us how awesome it is to do so. Our music ultimately shows what is important to us: alcohol and simplicity.

Short Story

-Inspired by "How Do I Live" by Leann Rimes

I awoke suddenly in the middle of a cold, January night. The pain in my chest was so sharp and severe it was like a dozen kitchen knives repeatedly stabbing through me. I was used to wheezing and occasional chest pains, but I had never felt anything quite like this. My breaths were short, quick; my chest was frozen tight and would not allow me to breathe deeply. In that moment, I would have given anything, anything to fill my lungs with a gulp of pure, fresh, glorious air. Help me! I screamed inside my head, unable to utter a word. Seconds felt like hours dragging by as I lay, slowly losing consciousness. I finally stopped struggling as I relaxed my tensed muscles and accepted my fate. I'm going to die right now, I thought feebly as everything faded to black.

Somehow, I awoke again. The soft beeping of a heart monitor told me that I was still alive. But this time, I was not in my own comfy bed, but a stiff hospital bed, hooked up to tons of machines, wires covering my whole body. The doctor came in a while later and explained what had happened: I had had a respiratory attack due to a lack of oxygen; thirty years of smoking had given me emphysema. I was only forty-three years old, and I would need an oxygen tank to breathe for the rest of my life.

"Typically in these situations, the patient's medical insurance will completely cover the expenses of the tank," the doctor told me officially. "But the problem here is...you don't seem to have any insurance."

My stomach dropped, and the monitor I was connected to began beeping loudly as my heartbeat quickened. Since I had lost my job less than a year previously, I hadn't been able to pay my insurance premium; the insurance company had stopped giving me coverage about two months ago. Paying out of pocket for the tank wasn't even an option; I had barely had enough money to buy my cigarettes the day before.

"What will happen to me if I don't use it? What if I just don't get one?" I asked nervously.

The doctor folded his hands together, suddenly appearing very interested in the hospital's white linoleum floor. He sighed. "You wouldn't last very long. Your body has lost its ability to breathe properly on its own; without the extra oxygen to help, your attacks will get worse and worse until one of them kills you."

I slumped my head back onto my pillow, tears bursting through my closed eyes and streaking quickly down my face. There was no way out of this. I had no one. I had no choices. I would die soon, with nothing. Nothing but a pain in my chest.

Backmasking Assignment

1. "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin is said to have a hidden message of Satanic worship when played backwards. When listening to the song forwards and backwards, I do not believe that there are any true messages, intentional or unintentional, hidden within the lyrics. Any word with an "s" in it seems to always be interpreted to mean the word "Satan" when played backwards, which I think is completely ridiculous.
2. In Britney Spears's "Baby One More Time," the song played backwards supposedly says, "Sleep with me, I'm not too young." I do not believe this is intentional because this particular song was not written by Britney Spears, or even a woman for that matter. However, I do believe that the message is there. Even without the help of the lyrics telling me what it is supposed to say, I was able to hear the exact message very clearly.
3. In Weird Al's satire, "Nature Trail to Hell," there is a definite, intentional example of backmasking that can be clearly heard: "Satan eats Cheez Whiz." Weird Al is known for making fun of songs and celebrities, so I believe that this is on purpose to satirize the use of backmasking in songs.
4. In The Doors's "Break On Through," there is supposedly backmasking, however, I do not believe it is intentional or even there. The only way one would assume that it says anything is if they are told what it is supposed to say first.
5. In "I'm So Tired," I do not believe the Beatles used backmasking at all. Forwards and backwards, this particular part of the song sounds like nothing but gibberish.
6. "Another One Bites the Dust" does sound like it has backmasked lyrics, but only if the supposed lyrics are shown. Without reading the alleged lyrics, I had no idea what it said, but once I read them, I could make out the phrase.
7. In the Eagles's "Hotel California," there is another prime example of how a word with an "s" in it suddenly turns into "Satan." The word "say" in the original lyrics is said to be "Satan" in the backmasked lyrics. I think this is completely false and that the phrase that is supposedly there does not even exist.
8. In Pink Floyd's "Empty Spaces," I believe that there is definitely an example of backmasking. Playing the song forwards, there only appears to be indistinguishable sounds, which contributes to the idea that Pink Floyd did this intentionally. Clearly, when played backwards, it says, "Congratulations, you have found the hidden message."
9. The idea that the phrase "Turn me on, dead man" is hidden purposely in the Beatles's song "Revolution 9" is ridiculous to me. I do not hear it at all, and I don't see how "Number nine" suddenly becomes this longer phrase that doesn't actually make any sense anyway.
10. Michael Jackson's "Beat It" does not, in my opinion, have any backmasking hidden within it. I believe that the Satanic-worshipping phrase that is allegedly hidden in the line played backwards is merely made up from someone's imagination.

Song Analysis 2: "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" by Elton John

"The Lion King" is a classic Disney movie that portrays themes of honor, loyalty, bravery, but most of all, love. One of the many ways love is displayed in the film is through the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," written by Tim Rice and performed by Elton John. The song fits easily into the storyline of the two main characters and their unconditional love for one another. Its lyrics and melody significantly help to enforce the movie's main theme of this universal emotion. In Elton John's rendition of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," Tim Rice's lyrics display striking metaphors that give rise to an overall message of love's unstoppable power and ubiquity despite the tribulations and hardships often presented in life.

The song's metaphorical lyrics work to emphasize the strength of love. In the beginning of the song, Rice describes "An enchanted moment" where there is "a calm surrender/To the rush of day." These lines explain the peaceful refuge that love represents to the speaker; his lover offers an escape from the battles that he, a "restless warrior," has to fight in his life. He says that love is "where we are"; it surrounds and encompasses the couple, also contributing to the idea that their relationship is able to shelter them, if only momentarily, from the problems they face in the outside world. Later in the song, the speaker says that "There's a time for everyone,/If they only learn/That the twisting kaleidoscope/Moves us all in turn." Here, the song shifts from a personal explanation of love to a universal explanation, claiming that all people will eventually get to experience this kind of unconditional and omnipresent love in their lives. Fate, "the twisting kaleidoscope," gives everyone in the world "a time" to truly feel love the way the narrator does. These metaphors praise love and its ability to affect people in such a positive way.

With the help of various metaphors, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" presents an optimistic outlook because of love's presence in life. The way love is expressed in the song, it has the power to mitigate pain and shelter from life's many obstacles. It has a profound effect on the narrator, who believes it will one day have a profound effect on all people. Through the song, listeners are shown that with love, anything is possible.

Song Analysis 1: "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Connor

Heartbreak has consistently been a major theme in music throughout history. Sinead O'Connor sings of an awful sadness resulting from a breakup in her 1990 hit, "Nothing Compares 2 U." The song was written by Prince, one of the most prominent singer-songwriters of our time. His melancholy lyrics with Sinead's soulful, solemn voice leave a lasting impact on listeners and helped contribute to the success the song experienced years ago. Through Prince's lyricism, the song presents many poetic techniques that allow the listener to feel the pain that the narrator is expressing. In Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U," the use of figurative language creates an overall message of despair over lost love.

The song presents several poetic devices to emphasize the sadness of the narrator. In the line, "Since you took your love away," objectification is being utilized, transforming "love" into a tangible object instead of a feeling that, in reality, cannot literally be taken anywhere. This quote reveals to the listener that the narrator and her lover have parted ways. O'Connor says that "It's been so lonely without you here/Like a bird without a song." Prince uses simile to describe how the narrator feels incomplete and alone without her love in her life, comparing it to that of a songless bird. Also, toward the end of the song, O'Connor sings, "All the flowers that you planted, mama/In the back yard/All died when you went away." This is an example of metaphor, in that the flowers are representative of the relationship and love that the couple shared. Once the speaker and her lover break up, the flowers die, just as their love did.

A major factor contributing to the song's message is its use of exaggerated examples, or hyperbole. In the first verse of the song, she says, "Since you been gone I can do whatever I want/I can see whomever I choose." These lines are examples of hyperbole because the speaker cannot technically do whatever she wants or see whomever she chooses; it would be impossible. She then goes on to say that "nothing.../I said nothing can take away these blues," proving that despite what she does and who she sees, it does not mitigate her pain or distract her from it in any way. In the song's second verse, O'Connor sings, "I could put my arms around every boy I see," which is another clear representation of a hyperbole. These exaggerated statements within the song help to show the incessant grief the narrator experiences because of her breakup.

"Nothing Compares 2 U" presents an obvious theme: heartbreak and lost love. The way that this theme is presented makes the song relatable and allows for listeners to put themselves in the place of the speaker as she tells her story. The devices and techniques apparent in the song's lyrics clearly display its theme and evoke emotion from its audience.