Monday, January 14, 2013

Looking at Lyrics

As we continue to learn about powerful writing I want you to consider what makes a piece of writing so interesting. How will you truly capture your audience's attention? I think it may be helpful if we think about music first. What makes a song so catchy or engaging? 

This week I want you to think about one of your favorite (appropriate) songs. Look up the lyrics. (AZ Lyrics is usually a good site to do so). Examine the lyrics. 
Are they powerful? Are they catchy? Why do you think so? Is there figurative language in it? (Metaphors, Similes, Personification etc...)  What does the song mean?

Write at least 8 sentences that answer some of these questions and ultimately express why this is one of your favorite songs. Your post is due no later than Friday at 5pm. PROOFREAD YOUR WORK!

17 comments:

  1. The song I chose was "Triumph" by Wu-Tang Clan. I picked this song because I think the lyrics are really catchy and rhyme really well. The lyrics go like this "I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies
    and hypotheses can't define how I be droppin’ these
    mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery
    Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me"
    I like this song because it has no chorus and has nine parts by each person in the rap group. I also like the song because you can memorize it easily. it's mainly stream of conciousness style rap.

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  2. Whenever I hear my favorite song on the radio I listen closely to what the lyrics mean. Are the lyrics soulful, funny, sad, or goofy? In the song "A Team" by Ed Sheeran the lyrics are meaningful and deep. The song is about drugs and how they affect you and your appearance. Ed Sheeran came up with the idea for this song while in a homeless shelter. One line in the song was "But lately her face seems / Slowly sinking, wasting / Crumbling like pastries" this means that because of bad decisions her appearance is changing. This makes you think about the consequences of some decisions. "Its too cold outside / For angels to fly / An angel will die / Covered in white / Closed eyes / And hoping for a better life." This means that through your bad decisions in life something really bad is going to end up happening and that is when you realize that that wasn't a good decision. I think many people can relate to this song because of its powerful lyrics and what they mean. It can remind people to think before their actions and that is what it means to me.

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  3. One of my favorite songs of all time is Count on Me by Bruno Mars. To me this song is very heartfelt and I think it has great influence on many people that like it. If you listen to the lyrics in this thought out song, you will notice how powerful it is and how much you can relate to it. To me when I listen to this song, I think of all the great, loving friends I have and how lucky I am to have them in my life. “You can count on me like 1, 2, 3 I’ll be there and I know when I need it I can count on you like 4, 3, 2 you’ll be there.” This is one of the most meaningful lines in the song because I can relate to what he is saying tremendously. That if any one of my friends is feeling down in the dumps they can count on me to raise their spirits and I know that I can do the same when I hit rough patches in my life. This song is very catchy. Infact, the first time I listened to that song I had the lyrics/chorus stuck in my head. Even the beat to it is very catchy and makes the song more fun and more happy. I think it is amazingly catchy because the chorus rhymes and the beat goes with the flow of the song. Clearly, Count on Me by Bruno Mars is a great song and has a lot of meaning.

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  4. One of my favorite sons is levels by Avicii. I like this song beacuse of the rythm. Some of the lyrics go " oh sometimes I get a good feeling yeah." I also like this song because its easy to memorize and sing. Also, anthoer reason I really like this song is because it's a remix with another song I like. The other song is called good feeling by flo rida. I really liked the liked the lyrics to the song good feeling and I really liked the rythym to levels and it had the lyrics I liked. Cleary, thats why I like the song levels by Avicii.

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  5. One of my favorite songs is war. The song is written by Edwin starr. It is about all the soldiers that lost there lives in war. I think it means a lot to people that lost friends or family in any war. One of the lyrics is "war is an abomination to man kind." I totally agree with that part of the song. This song reminds me of my grandfather. It reminds me of him because he was in world war 2.

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  6. I chose the song When September Ends by Green Day.To me this song is about the end of summer and losing someone you love.One line in the song is “as my memory rests but never forgets what Iost.”To me that means that he lost something that was very important to him like a true love.It makes you think about what’s going to happen to you in life as you grow up and start to become an adult.I think a huge amount of people can relate to this song,mainly because almost all of us have lost something that is extremely important to us.It can remind people to expect what will maybe happen later on in life.I mostly like the song because the lyrics have a deeper meaning than just what you can see at first and the lyrics are also catchy.

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  7. My favorite song is Hip hop fury by the Wu Tang Clan. More specifically the first verse by GZA one line that I like is
    "here's something advertise promote and keep the fans satisfied
    noted data for the dis-drive ghetto city wide leave em paralyzed
    they've stolen every word I provide". He is talking about the fact
    that people try to copy the Wu Tang Clan but can't do it. The reason I like this is that in the time we live in that horrid rappers have all the fame like Eminem and Mac Miller they'll never
    have the talent of any one in The Wu Tang Clan.

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  8. I chose the song "Savior" By Black Veil Brides (B.V.B). Now, I know many people listen to pop, hip-hop, etc... but I listen to rock, and metal songs. It doesn't mean that I'm "Goth" this song is not as rock or metal as some of their other songs but this one is my favorite. The first line of the song is "I never meant to be the one who kept you from the dark." This lyric is a metaphor. I think it's powerful because to me it says I never wanted to keep you away from what you want. This song makes me feel better when I get upset. That is why I chose "Savior" By Black Veil Brides.

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  9. The song I chose is "Til I Collapse" by Eminem. I chose this song because I think it's really powerful. The song is powerful because it's talking about all of the real things going on. "My thoughts are sparatic, I act like I'm an addict, I rap like I'm addicted to smack like I'm Kim Mathers, but I don't want to go fourth and back in constant battles, the fact is I'd rather sit back and bomb some rappers" The reason I chose these lyrics is because he was trying to "get clean" and stay off of drugs. When he is saying I'm addicted to smack, it means that he talks smack a great amount of times in his songs. He also says "I act like I'm and addict" because at the time he was abusing drugs. Clearly, "Til I Collapse" by Eminem has a powerful meaning to it because it was his some what ugly story and he was telling the whole world and that is why it is my favorite song.

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  10. One of my favorite songs is Stronger by Kelly Clarkson. I love this song because it's up beat and catchy. But that's not the only reason why I like this song, it also shows that you always have to believe in yourself. Whenever I am feeling upset I listen to it and the lyrics help me feel better and I think it will do the same too many other people. If you listen even closer one of the lines are "doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone." Most people don't get what this means at first but when you really think about she's saying something really powerful. I think what she's trying to say is even if you’re in a fight with your best friend or your feeling left out you always have yourself and your family. This is why Stronger by Kelly Clarkson is a powerful song.

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  11. The song i chose is Time Of Dying by Three Days Grace.This song is about some guy who wont die because of his love for someone. Some of the lyrics are "I will not die, I'll wait here for you,
    I feel alive, when your beside me, I will not die I'll wait here for you in my time of dying. I can guarantee you a lot of people would give up anything just to be with the person they love the most.I chose this song because the lyrics are catchy and have a deeper meaning than first thought.

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  12. A song that goes along with stand up to bullying is Where is the Love by the Black Eyed Peas. It teaches us not to trust everything we hear. It's catchy and it motivates you to stop hurting others the way you do. In the lyrics it says:
    "It just ain't the same, always unchanged,New days are strange, is the world insane,If love and peace are so strong,Why are there pieces of love that don't belong?Nations droppin' bombs,Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones,With the ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young. So, ask yourself is the lovin' really gone?So, I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong.In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin'.Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends. Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother. A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover. The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug. If you never know truth then you never know love..."
    This shows that no matter how hard we try we can't stop lying, but we can tell the truth more. We can't stop wars, but we can fight each other less. Clearly, we can't make the world perfect, but we can make the world a better place.

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  13. The song I chose was Some nights by FUN. I chose this song because the lyrics make me think what about the lyrics. “But I still wake up, I still see your ghost .... This is it, boys, this is war - what are we waiting for?” That confuses me. Is the song about war or, someone the singer knew that died. I don’t know. Another thing, some of the song is really catchy. “Oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, oh, Oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, oh” But, this section of the song seems totally out of place to me. In the rest of the song the singer sings about depressing things. War, ghosts and, having no friends. However, in that section he seems thrilled or, pumped up. So clearly, Some Nights by Fun is a cool but, confusing song.


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  14. I chose Catch My Breath By:Kelly Clarkson. This song is one of my favorite songs. Not only does this song have a catchy tune, but it also has a powerful meaning. I think that the powerful meaning in the song is that, she is turning her cheek and now no one can tell her what to do, and she can finally spread her wing and be free. One part of the song says “Now that you know, this is my life I won't be told what's supposed to be right.” She is saying that now that she has turned away she can live her own life without anyone telling her what to do. I think the meaning of this song is very powerful.

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  15. My favorite song is Pay Phone. One of the Reasons I like it is that it is very catchy. It is also my favorite because it is easy to sing along to. I also like that the lyrics are easy to recite but they don't always repeat. Some other songs only have 3 words in them that are sung over and over again. Pay Phone defiantly has more than 3 words. The song is basically about a guy who loved a girl. Then the girl didn't love him after a few years. Maroon 5 is singing about how it got all wrong. He spent almost all his time and money on her. And then she went away. Pay Phone is defiantly one of my favorite songs.

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  16. My favorite song is the goofy goober song by spongebob squarepants. This song is meaningful and catchy on many levels. One of the most meaningful lines is ”I’m a Goofy Goober yah you’re a Goofy Goober yah we’re all Goofy Goober yah Goofy Goofy Goober Goober yah”. He is saying he is a person. Also, that you’re a person. Furthermore, we are all people united together as 1. Finally, we are all just kids inside. Now remember we are all Goofy Goobers.

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  17. A song that I like is "The Motto".It represents living one and doing whatever you like.My favorte lyric is "Yolo" which stands for living once.I like the songs because of the lyrics which are very strong and have a good beat.I also like the song because it makes sence.If you only live once then live life to the fullest and do everything you ever wanted to."The Motto is just a good song that caught my attention and is now one of my favorite songs.

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