Sydney Sanders
English 305
Professor Michael Harrold
1 February 2011
Song Argument Essay “What it’s Like” by Everlast is a song that tells not one but three different stories. It touches on homelessness, abortion and drug violence. Three very relevant topics, despite its 1998 release date. The song cautions those who are quick to judge and reminds us all, to take second look. The song also argues that the listener may one day find themselves in a similar situation and they may one day be the homeless person, the girl walking into the clinic or the family member of a drug dealer. Everlast does something very effective when making any argument; he puts a face to the issue he is discussing.
The argument in this song is maybe not as
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I believe this makes the songs argument much stronger, and much more human which is extraordinarily important when one is arguing about human issues. Everlast is not a band with several members; it’s actually the solo project of Erik Schrody who was a former member of an Irish Hip-Hop group called House of Pain. The group ended in 1996. What It’s Like was Schrody’s first single after his exit from the group and became his most well-known. The song was released as a single first and then later on an album titled “Whitey Ford Sings the Blues”. The song was released after Schrody quit drinking and found religion. A listener knowing this might realize why he was so reflective and cautioning those who felt they could never be “one of those people”. He knew exactly how the characters he created felt.
The style of the song is very crucial in how it comes across to the listener. It is a simple song with a mellow sound and a focus on the lyrics. The song consists of Everlast’s deep, dark voice and use of often graphic words. This song is consistent with the artist’s usual style and combines elements of hip-hop and blues. The sound of the acoustic guitar and the steady beat of the drum highlight the story being told instead of drowning it out, like many songs do. The edgy style of the song lends itself to the message being sent.
Great songs are ones that are never outdated, they are songs that generations later, remain relevant and worth
After watching “The Language You Cry In” in class, I found myself reflecting on how music has impacted my life and with whom I have shared it with. It’s truly incredible how a simple, 5 line chorus ultimately allowed this woman to discover her history as it traveled from Sierra Leone all the way to the Gullah society in Georgia. The really displays the power that music can have over not only individual societies, but over the globe. No matter what political movements were occurring and throughout the immense inequality and slavery that was being faced, music has always remained reliable. This song brought people together and allowed them to embrace their heritage even in the worst of times, and I believe that this is still true today.
Both the song lyrics and the video have a core ethos that they share. The trend of ethos in the video is somewhat more noticeable than the ethos in the song because of the visuals provided, but still just as complex. Whereas in the song the writer is simply stating that he wishes he could turn back time, in the video, he brings the audience back in time with him to see the things that he experienced as a child.
In this song the band uses verses to show violent norms and states about how society still has hatred groups. The verses wrap around hatred groups with terrorism living in the United States. The song was written in the 2003 and states about then 9/11 attacks. “Nations droppin' bombs, Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones, With ongoing' sufferin' as the youth die young, So ask yourself is the lovin'
In recent months, a new song has surfaced, “Everybody”; the composer, Logic, is a well know biracial rapper whose song are typically based on politics or social issues happening presently; this new song is not any different. The basic concept of the song is about how neither “whites” nor “blacks” consider him part of their culture, and he counters this with the chorus that generally says people are people and when broken down cry, bleed, and want the same things (Logic). Many allusions and references are made throughout the piece; for example, “Now picture little Bobby just a youngin’ runnin’ round with his mans, hammer in his hands, feelin’ like a man…before the popo get the gun, put it to your brain,” (Logic). These lines speak about recent police brutality against young black men and especially the Trayvon Martin case. The first line of verse two uses imagery as well as simile to convey that he is like a Jehovah witness trying to spread his truth and beliefs (Logic). He thinks that society does not want to “face facts” and admit the injustices that going on all around, so he is here to educate and enlighten (Logic). Logic also references his
The song could help them feel like they are closer to freedom, even if that mean going to heaven or Canada.
This song is concentrated on the social construction of reality, which talks about about how “Ideas about reality also change over time” (Newman, 53). We can see this expressed in lines 32-33 in the song : “It just ain't the same, old ways have changed/New days are strange, is the world insane…” (lines 32-33) The band states how the world’s views and attitudes have changed and how there is uncertainly for the future. The band is questioning the values that they once lived up to. “Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity/Whatever happened to the fairness in equality/ Instead of spreading love we're spreading animosity/ Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity…” (lines 71-74). They imply that individuals are swaying away from their values, as a result changing their reality.
So why would the band choose to illustrate such a serious stage of personal development with the nursery rhyme-like style of the song's chorus? Before we get to that, the song's emotional and psychological message must first be examined.
The genre of the song repels negative attitudes and exercise the belief of freedom. The type of music would be categorised as Psychedelic folk which to many is considered exotic. This music is offbeat because it holds two different components of music, odd and pleasant. As we look at the psychedelic part it we may find that this is trying to convey a message of some sorts. Psychedelic is the component that the characters use this to convince the characters that “nothing's gonna change my world” , telling them that this will be better than ever. Trying to go into the minds of the character easing them into reality by taking the situation and slowing the speed to show the illusion of perfection. Focusing on the folk part we see a familiar part that was demonstrated in the previous world. Everything was jolly, nothing was wrong and when someone was down the town would bring back the spirits of the character. The folk part is trying to spark the image that even though things have changed in ways they are the same. These important characters are still
A steady rap drum beat undergirds a repeating melody line of no consequence. A bit catchy, but musically uncomplicated, the treble piano riff continually repeats. Surprisingly, the instrumentation lacks a characteristic rap bass line. The lighthearted melodious sense of dancing along the high notes in time supports a male rapper; his voice reveals a sense of passion and angst. Satirically, the agreeable music contrasts with the piercing, raw, and painful words. Angry, despairing, and hurting lyrics initiate the listener into a long-lived story of domination and oppression, while the lazy and airy back-melody creates a sense of cognitive dissonance. About 400 hundred years ago, a similar contrast emerged between Anne Hutchinson and John
generation has songs that are popular to them and that they will never forget the lyrics to.
The song Never Be Like You is the teen anthem for teens today. The reason that it is the teen anthem for teens today is because the song talks about how she’s pushed away someone that loved her but now she’s realized she’s made a mistake and wants him back. It’s our teen anthem because it goes to show how much teens push away things that love them not even in a romantic way. Teens push away their parents even though all their parent is trying to do is help them be the best that they can but most teens misunderstand their love for hate and push them away. Some teens will eventually realize that their parents never meant any harm and forgive them in such as in the song when the singer begs for someone’s forgiveness when she realized pushing away
The off-beat sequences of the electric guitar create a reggae feel for the song endorsing it to be mellow. Throughout the song, the electric guitar does not have any solos but variations of its sequence are repeated throughout the structure of the song. Doing so gives the lead singers’ message more priority. The domination of the classic drum kit creates a ‘head-bobbing’ motion for some when listening to this song, helping it become more popular and an easily enjoyable song.
Do you ever wonder what is the meaning behind what you so proudly sing whenever you hear it? Music is an art form of culture which organizes sound with times It first came around in prehistoric times, however, as times passes, music is drastically changing. As a result, in the last decades music has experienced drastic changes in the themes they are talking about. These changes are due to the generations and what they are living, political and social actions of the time. For example, the decade of the 80s was the rise of hip-hop and rap music from a local phenomenon to a worldwide known genre of music. Previously, a crack cocaine epidemic had stroke major cities in the USA and it coincided with the rise of hip-hop in black communities as these
All of the songs on this album relay different messages to listeners. Most songs contain a lot of pathos, call to action and more. Pathos is really prominent in certain songs such as Sorry, Formation, and Freedom. An excerpt from Sorry says: “Now you want to say you 're sorry/Now you want to call me crying/Now you gotta see me wildin '/Now I 'm the one that 's lying/And I don 't feel bad about it/It 's exactly what you get.” This displays the emotions after getting out of a relationship or during the struggles of it. Other lyrics from this song that display this
All music has changed tremendously throughout the years. Each generation has several specific songs that defines that generation. Every song has different lyrics that describe the emotions that the artists are feeling. The songs connect to each individual in many different ways. Lyrics to a song is what makes music wonderful. Each song touches someone through ways like teaching a life lesson or touching your heart. Every generation has music that impacts the world by motivating people to do certain things or defines a person’s personality. Each generation has music that defines the generation.