GET A TASTE OF THE
BEST LYRICAL SONGS IN HISTORY
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June 2012
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LETTER! EDITOR! ! !!from!! ! !!!!!!!the! ! ! ! !
T!
his! unit! was! not! about! convincing! students! that! music!is!poetry—they!need!no! convincing.! This! unit! also! had! little! to!do!with!music!itself.! ! Our! focus,! instead,! was! on! the! richness!of!language.!! ! While! planning! the! unit,! I! asked! myself:! would& it& be& possible& to& help& students& become& more& critical& and& appreciative& of& the& language& they’re& exposed& to& every& day?! ! Rather! than! passively! consuming!! language,! I! wanted! to!know!if!students! in! 9th! grade! could! objectively! scrutinize! song! lyrics! and! comment! on! the! effectiveness! of! what! the! writer!had!accomplished.! ! By! the! time! they! reach! this! level,! most! of! them! have! the! ability! to! catch!a!simile!like!a!fish!and!say,!“Mr.! Topf,! I! got! one!”! They! can! stare! personification! in! the! eye! and! devour! metaphors.! But! this! is! not! nearly! as! valuable! as! being! able! to! understand! why! certain! imagery! is! used,!and!whether!or!not!the!diction! is!effective.! ! That,! ultimately,! is! why! we! used! music! as! our! medium! for! exploration.! Since! students! are! incessantly! exposed! to! the! language! in!songs,!and!lyrics!range!a!great!! !
! ! ! ! ! deal! from! the! most! simple! and! superficial,!to!the!most!complex!and! profound,! it! was! easy! to! see! which! students! could! recognize! quality! language!immediately.! ! And! now,! simply! through! the! music! students! have! chosen! as! the! Best% Lyrical%Songs%of%All%Time,!it!is!clear! that! they! can! all! recognize! language! that! is! rich! in! imagery,! contains! purposeful! diction! and! structure,! and! conveys! a! compelling!tone.% ! They! have! also! dusted! off! the! lyrics!of!great!song! writers! from! the! past—Bob! Dylan,! Joni!Mitchell,!Leonard!Cohen—while! at! the! same! time! they! have! sorted! through! the! current! wordsmiths! of! our! time—Coldplay,! Florence! and! the!Machine,!Adele.! ! From!the!first!lesson!to!the!last,!this! has! been! one! of! the! most! fulfilling! units! to! teach! this! year,! and! I! am! extremely! proud! of! the! work! my! students! have! produced.! ! We! hope! you! enjoy! reading! our! magazine! as! much!as!we!enjoyed!producing!it.! ! Safaos!! ! Corey Topf ! ! ! !
Determining the true quality of language requires objective, critical analysis.
“Satisfaction”
The Rolling Stones
By: Alfonso Garcia Song that shocked audiences
Some of it you really want to unlearn -Keith Richards A
song thought by many to be one of the greatest in the history of modern music. “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones is a classic rock song that interprets the kind of American commercialism that we are exposed to everyday and also the way of life that celebrities have, relating to women.
Stones, 1) as well as the provoking lyrics that are used in this song and others too. When you look at it this way it’s not hard to believe that satisfaction has gotten excellent ratings, such as 2nd place in The Rolling Stones magazine, considering the fact of the band’s popularity and great success, especially during middle and late 60s as well as the entire 70s decade.
“The World’s Greatest Rock The type of tone this and Roll band” as it was particular song transmits is nicknamed by the singer’s irritation at many, became I don’t wave a worldly famous flag for anything. today’s commercialism which he believes just gives when in 1966 I’m a musician. us useless information. He (after The Beatles stopped - Keith Richards states this directly, where he talks about the man on performing) the radio that “He is tellin’ started their own me (him) more and world tour and unofficially more/about some useless became the world’s biggest information” (7,8). He touring band. Many of the describes a man talking and songs performed by them talking on the radio non-stop such as the very own about something that is of no “Satisfaction” demonstrated real importance, which the band’s ability to “start eventually becomes you up and shake your hips” bothersome because of all the (Biography for The Rolling
time that the man keeps talking about the same petty thing. What does this reaction represent? It’s representative of the artist’s annoyance and little care of the information given to us by commercials because of their lack of importance and meaning to him. Throughout the song the singer also stresses the tensions a celebrity like him goes through when in the company of women “who tells me (him) baby better come back later next week/’Cause you see I’m on a losing streak” (30,31). In these lines the artists depicts a new kind of issue for him…girls. The “losing streak” mentioned in the 31st line has been expressed by other listeners as referring “to a girl having her period” (Wikipedia) which was a pretty stunning concept to be talked about in public The way this song is written and the sheer straightforwardness
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of real problems and intimacy caused a great impact on the general public of the decade of the 60s and was also reason of its great success. People of the time were not used to watching or listening to music or movies showing sexual issues or any of that kind of intimacy. For this fact the lyrics of this song were considered to be a real eyeopener, or in this case, earopener. Even though it might seem like nonsense now, part of the lyrics of this song were censored at the time of its release because of its inappropriate connotations and display of both sexuality a negative view of modern commercialism. Not only that, but critics like Paul Gambaccini said “the lyrics to this were truly threatening to an older audience. This song was perceived as an attack on the status quo” (Wikipedia) and point out that clearly not everyone approved of the song because of the fact that the topic wasn’t something that was even considered to be a proper conversational topic one would talk about so openly.
A good thing never ends. - Mick Jagger
My secrets must be poetic to be believable. - Mick Jagger Rock and roll has probably given more than it’s taken. - Charlie Watts 2
Brief Band History
By: Alfonso Garcia
The Rolling Stones
“So far, so good” - Keith Richards
The band speaks for itself…
The famous band, The Rolling Stones, formed for the first time in January 1963 in London, England. Originally composed by Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Ian Stewart, Dick Taylor (bass) and Tony Chapman (drums). Their most important leaders were the band’s leading guitarists: Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, who together created their famous hit “Satisfaction”, Richards having gotten the idea of the song in his sleep and Jagger building up on it and adding provocative lyrics and language to the song. Together they made outstanding performances and were the authors of great songs that got them renowned across the globe and got them great ratings in various magazines like #1 hit in Billboard’s Pop Albums chart in 1965, #2 on the Forbes magazine in 2006, #2 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll (Biography for The Rolling Stones, 1), etc. The band released 55 albums and sold over 200 million records, but the most notorious award of all was when the band’s integrants (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Mick Taylor, and Ron Wood) were all elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 (Biography for The Rolling Stones, 1).
“LEGENDARY BAND.” Chris Martin who’s full name is Christopher Anthony John Martin, member of Coldplay, was born on March 2, 1977 in England. In fact he is the main singer in this well known band and a distinctive piano and guitar player. Not only does he form part of a distinguished group of musicians, Jonny Auckland, Will Champion and Guy Berryman, which formed a band in 1998, but all the integrants were nominated for twenty gramy awards from which they won only seven. Apart from composing great music, about a 10-15 % of their profits goes to charity based on the bands decision.
Coldplay, had a series of different names for the band, which changed as time passed by. Before changing it to Coldpay, their name was Starfish but later on, they changed it to what it is known for now. It’s said that they chose that name due to the fact that Chris Martin had shaky hands and a poor luck with women. Others say that none of the members of Coldplay are allowed to use drugs for any purpose and if they do, they will be kicked out the band. Coldplay is a historical band. Everything is inspired by a failure of copied ideas
of others which result in something unique, different but similar. For the first time ever, they named their last album “Mylo Xyloto” a name that has no meaning at all, just for a change. All their songs have background information, in many aspects. This band not only has a lot of significance and a variety of personalities, but it sure knows how to persuade an audience with their charming compositions. (“Fun Facts About Coldplay (oh, and a bit of an album review).”)
By:Claudia Davila
“O n M ylo X yloto , the chor uses ar e bigger , the textur es grander , the optim ism m or e optimistic. I t's a bear -hug r ecord for a bear -m ar k et world.� ( E elis)
COLDPLAY “FIX YOU”
“Coldplay fans are the best in the world. If you like Coldplay then you're obviously very intelligent and good looking and allaround brilliant.” (“Chris Martin Quotes.”) A saturday morning, as I woke up, my mom told me that
“Fix you” by Coldplay is one of the most meaningful songs I
my grandmother had died the night before. It was
have ever heard. Not only does it connect to real-life
devastating to hear it come from her mouth. I could feel
situations but it conveys a clear perspective of how life
her pain, smell her fear and taste her tears as I hugged her really is and not how you want it to be. Sometimes, you tight. Nothing is worse than losing your own mother. When have to face problems, yet many people attempt to elude you say goodbye and you are conscious that you will never them. Chris Martin uses the song as a reminder that say hello again, you come to realize what you've had, what
people will be by your side, always. Even though this song
you've lost, and what you've taken for granted.
does not include much imagery, we can visualize when
Chris Martin, a member of Coldplay had an earnest
“Tears stream down [someones] face” (19). It symbolizes
purpose when he composed the song “Fix you” due to the
deep and earnest sorrow. Two simple words, “fix you” are
situation he found himself in. It has an inmense value to
very repetitive throughout the song and mean a lot to it.
Chris, who wrote this song for his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow,
They have a very powerful impact to the message since the
because she was suffering the loss of her father. Whatever
purpose is to convince people there is always hope.
he tried, she seemed to be apathetic about her life. Without Feeling weary and devastated is something that everyone knowing what to do, he wrote the song one day after the
pases through at least once in their life time. They are
tragedy since he discovered an old plug-in keyboard, which countless the various times I have heard this song with the belonged to Gwyneth’s father, which inspired him the
purpose of inspiration due to the fact that it delivers a
most, due to the incredible melody people could percieve
strong message and explains how much dedication you
from the instrument. It helped the whole family’s pain fade can give to someone when you truly care about them. away little by little; it made them realize that things like
Axelle Daelemans, a 9th grader at FDR mentioned that
that can happen when you least expect it, but no matter
“This is a really sad song which makes me think a lot. It is
what, you have to keep walking with your head up high.
really powerful and has an interesting message that
(“Fix You by Coldplay.” / “What is the meaning behind Fix
reflects a lot the pain someone can feel but no matter
You by Coldplay?”)
what, there will be someone that will be by your side to support you.”
The song “Fix you” by Coldplay can also describe clearly the way in which there will be times in life when we will feel discouraged, “when [we] try [our] best, but [we] don't succeed” (1) and we are “stuck in reverse” (4) It may seem like life is stopping us from moving forward and succeeding in what we want to achieve but whenever we are struggling “lights will guide [us] home” (9). There will always be someone that we can look up to who will be there for us. In this case, the lights symbolize Chris and he is guiding his wife on her worst times and is letting her know that he will be there for her no matter what; that everything will be okay in the end and if its not ok, then its not the end yet. Nevertheless “if you never try you’ll never know /just what you’re worth.”(14-15). Chris Martin made us all realize that if you wait for
something to happen, the possibility of discovering great oportunities will wither away. Never stop just because you feel like giving up; even though “you lose something you can’t replace, when you love someone but it goes to waste” (6-7) there will be someone that will “try to fix you” (11). This song teaches us that we may pass through hard times but at one point we all have to move on because things that happened in the past have to be overcomed and we will never be alone in the journey. Even though we lose people that are very special to us, we need to admit the fact that they are gone and there is nothing we can do about it. “Sometimes, no matter how much faith we have, we lose people. But we never forget them. And sometimes, it's those memories that give us the strength to keep walking.” ("Red Neck Girl- Missing You Quotes.")
By:Claudia Davila
d
EAGLES
Hotel Califoria -EAGLES -
“It took 8 months of dedication, grueling labor and sacrifices to complete what I call the most amazing lyrics in history�
Pink
Floyd
“All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be.” – Breathe, Pink Floyd (“Pink Floyd Quotes”)
What began as a group of four guitarists from England with ambition and determination to pursue a musical career, developed into the creation of Pink Floyd, one of the most famous and well-known bands of all time. The band consisted of four members, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Richard Wright, and Syd Barret. Beginning the mid 1960’s, the band first “gained popularity performing in London's underground music scene” (“Pink Floyd”). Their first successful album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, surprised the world with two hits, and with that, Pink Floyd was exposed to the world.
The band grew to release more than ten more albums, including timeless singles that reached the highest of rankings. Some of the band’s classics include Wish You Were Here, Time, and many others. With each of their CD’s, the band mixed with a variety of musical genres: psychedelic punk, soft rock, and art rock. (“Pink Floyd”) The band’s success has been immeasurable, winning more than twenty awards during their journey together as a band. Even after the band had come to an end, they have remained praised. Pink Floyd has been inducted in both UK and US Halls have fame, and they won “Sweden's Polar Music Prize in 2008 for their ‘monumental contribution
over the decades to the fusion of art and music in the development of popular culture'” (“Remember a Day”). So the band may be over, but their legend lives on, and their music does too. Radios all around the world still play Pink Floyd’s music constantly to help us keep a sense of real music with both instrumental and lyrical power. Pink Floyd created songs like no other, and introduced the world to a different and deeper kind of music, one worthy of your listening.
A Song Well Worth Your Time “Time”, Pink Floyd Lola Sanchez-Carrion
The ticking of the clocks begins. The faint sound of a drum is heard in the distance. The base kicks in. The lyrics pour into the rhythmic instrumentals. The song has begun. “Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day”(Line 1), Gilmour, the Pink Floyd’s lead singer, melancholically chants in his soulful voice, each word carefully mended to the other in harmony with the music playing in the background. The song proceeds, a crescendo in the instruments occurs, and the lyrics continue to flow beautifully. “So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking”(9), Richard Wright joins in, his voice stitching together impeccably with Gilmour’s. The song progresses along with the powerful percussions and glorious guitar solos, and the artist continues, “Its good to warm my bones beside the fire…” “Time”, by Pink Floyd, is a beautiful combination of words and instruments, a mixture of ingredients to create an exceptional recipe of a song. The song includes a long introduction where the sounds of alarms ringing and clocks ticking are heard. Little do people know that each of these clocks and alarms were recorded separately in antique shops, to make sure they mended together flawlessly.
The drum solos, the hollow and crisp sound of the rototom (shellless drums), and the subtle tapping sound Roger Waters created with his base combined with the melancholic connotation of each and every word of the song manage to forge this musical masterpiece, the greatest song the world has ever known. (“Time”) Time by Pink Floyd is a lyrical
masterpiece built around the concept of time and how it is easily wasted. What do we know about real time? We know that time flies. We know how to tell time, read time, ignore time, be on time. But what are we humans best at? WASTING time. It is true that time flies, and that we often don’t realize how easy it is to let it slip right by us, to not take advantage of each moment flashing before our very eyes.
One day we are sitting in our 9th grade math class, next thing we know, we feel as if only a page of our lives has been flipped, but it’s already our high school graduation. My point? Time slips through our fingers like running water, and it is often hard for us to keep hold of it. Pink Floyd’s “Time” also does an exquisite job of intimately portraying how the “hourglass” of our time here on Earth is often wasted without us even noticing it. Throughout the song, Gilmour tells us that “one day you find ten years have got behind you /No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun” (78), using hyperboles and metaphors beautifully to emphasize the idea that there will come a point in our lives when we will be struck by the idea that a lot of time has gone by, and we’ve barely taken notice. The quote portrays our blindness and obliviousness to the fact that time is passing by, and we haven’t been smart about managing it and using it to its fullest potential. So, it’s true. Time flies, but here’s the good part: you’re the pilot. So don’t waste your time, enjoy it. Embrace it. Do the things you love. Reach new limits and explore unfamiliar boundaries. But do me a favor? Listen to “Time” by Pink Floyd, and I can guarantee you it will be time well spent.
KRIS ALLEN
By: Carolina Hines
Auditioning for American Idol season 6, just as a
He was a HUGE hit all over America when he beat Adam Lambert in the season finale of favor to his brother, took interest in and actually getting to American Idol. The first music since he the final two was an hit song he had was “Live Like We’re was a young boy; amazing his father was a Dying”, which was accomplishment for musician so he this young man who written by The Script. was introduced had dropped out of to music at a college to follow his very young age. musical passion. (Kris songs have been sold up to date. (Music aol). Allen Official). Born the 21st of June 1985 in Jacksonville, Arkansas. He
2.0 million
THE SCRIPT
By: Carolina Hines
Danny O’Donoghue, Mark Sheehan and Glen Power are all members of this Irish Boy Band. They were exposed to the public when their first album released in Ireland on the 8th of August 2008. The album kept rising in in the charts; reached #64 in the US Billboard 200 as well as topping all the charts in the UK. (“The Script”).
Some great hits, which The Script wrote were the following: in 2008, The Script released the song The Man Who Can’t Be Moved, a very popular song. In the year 2009 they released a new song, which was a hit; the song was called Breakeven. Science & Faith was released into the public in 2010.
“RrEeVvEeAaLlSs Aa BbAaNnDd TtHhAaTt IiSs FfRrEeSsHh, VvIiTtAaLl AaNnDd FfEeRrOoCcIiOoUuSsLlYy GgOoOoDd.” (bbc).
LIVE LIKE WE’RE DYING
Have you ever felt like you don’t live life to its fullest, that you’re regretting your past and worried about your future?
By: Carolina Hines
Have you ever stopped to think that “we only [have] 86 400 seconds in a day” (line 14)? Each day passes by and we never come to realize that every second we have counts. You only live once, so why not live life to its fullest potential? “Live Like We’re Dying” tells us all to stop regretting, stop being sad and find meaning in life so that you can fulfill your future and make life the way you planed. “So if your life flashed before you, what would you wish you would've done?”(Lines 8/9).
Imagine a life where you weren’t able to do anything. You weren’t free to do what you pleased. That life would be quite terrifying. The freedom we have is something we must appreciate. Songwriters like The Script and singers like Kris Allen, appreciate life just as we should. The Script wrote the song “Live Like We’re Dying” in 2009. And since the song didn’t meet their expectations it was sent to Germany as a B-side. A&R, who were working for Kris Allen, had found the song, and thought it would have been a really good song and a great hit in America (BBC). And so it was, 1600 songs were sold in the first week. (Wikipedia). It was soon after that the song became a smash hit worldwide.
Kris Allen &The Script
All great songs have a meaning. They all have a reason behind why it was written. And looking closely at the lyrics of a song will help you open your perspectives to it, and make you realize things you never have before. “Live Like Everyone has We’re Dying” will take you beyond your point of satisfaction, it will show you a new way to think about life, different thoughts about through its intriguing lyrics and message. Have you ever realized that “every second counts on a clock that’s tickin’”(Line 12) because you will not live forever. Appreciate
every second you have in life and make each moment the best it can possibly be. Once you realize that you have time on your own hands and you are the one who controls how you use it in your life, then, we should “start lookin’ at the hands of the time we’ve been given” (Line 10). Never give up on what you truly care about, make the life you live meaningful. If you care about it, then never let go of the possibility or dream of it because “you never know a good thing ‘til it’s gone” (Line 45). Everyone should “live like [they’re] dying” (Line 13) because that will make you live your life to it’s full potential. As you go through the song, you can tell that no matter what, you will find some type of deep meaning, which is what makes it a great song, unlike any other.
“Live Like We’re Dying” will make you feel the inspiration of ones soul to live. How we all should have the power to live the life we want. The lyrics make you think about the times in life when great things have happened; it makes you feel thankful of who you are, where you are and who your with. “If this is all we got, then we gotta start thinkin’”(Line 11) that there is surely more that we could do to make life meaningful. If what we have in life isn’t taking you to your full satisfaction, then go out and make it worth the time that is passing by. What happens in life if “[your] hiding behind skin that’s too tough” (Line 2)? You’re most likely being very tense in your life, meaning that your being too rough, you aren’t letting loose and enjoying the small things around you. Limiting yourself from the amazing opportunities that could be in your future. You are afraid of doing what you want, so you hide behind yourself, limiting the meaning to your life. If you limit yourself then you’re probably not going to experience half the things that you would when you are trying new things and outgoing.
how life should be spent. The truth is YOU are the one who will choose what to make out of your life. No one knows what is in the future, so you have to live like there’s no tomorrow and appreciate every second you have. The song “Live Like We’re Dying” has conveyed it’s message very clearly through out the whole song. It is
INSPIREING and a song that many people will enjoy listening too. It’s new and it’s meaning is great. Making it
THE BEST LYRICAL SONG EVER. By: Carolina Hines
STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN LED ZEPPELIN
interpreted in so many “Stairway to Heaven”
ways. The song is
talks about hope and
linked to spiritual and
swept across the US in
reaching the goal that
religious aspects. This
the mid 1960s: a time of
you have always
was in fact, one of the
drugs, challenging
searched for. According
goals that Robert Plant,
authority, and
to Rolling Stone
the band’s lead singer,
psychedelic thinking.
magazine, “All epic
wanted to reach while
During the time, Led
anthems must measure
writing it. He wanted
Zeppelin wrote the
themselves against
the listeners to identify
song, a song never
"Stairway to
themselves with the
believed could even be
Heaven,"(Rolling
song, to look deep
considered the greatest
Stone).
inside themselves while
The hippie movement
listening to it.
rock and lyrical song of all time. But it is, I am
One measure of the
sure of it; so let me try
song’s greatness is the
to convince you.
fact that it can be
He begins the
why it is also the song
released as a single
song with a
title.
there. (“Led Zeppelin,
typical saying,
In this song, there is
Stairway to Heaven”)In
“not all that glitters is
also a wide variety of
the year 2000, it was
gold” (Line 1) which
figurative language,
voted #3 by VH1 on its
expresses the idea that
making the song richer.
list of the 100 Greatest
looks can be deceiving,
For instance the title of
Rock Songs, and was
and that not everything
the song “Stairway To
placed at # 31 on
is as valuable and
heaven” is a metaphor
Rolling Stone
precious on the inside as
describing the climb to
magazine's list of "The
it is on the outside. In
the perfection we are all
500 Greatest Songs of
contrast, he writes,
trying to reach.
All Time". Later, in
“There’s a lady who’s sure, all that glitters is gold” (Line 1), a more optimistic idea, where the artist mentions a lady that sees that even the smallest bit of light in each one of us has
November 2007,
“When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed With a word she can get what she came for.”
the potential to grow
“Stairway to heaven” hit #37 on the UK Singles Chart through download sales promoting Led Zeppelin's Mothership release. (“Stairway to Heaven”)
and develop into Stairway to Heaven has
One must remember
won many awards, and
that good song lyrics
This lady is “buying her
although it may be old,
should be open for a
stairway to heaven”, or
it is still mentioned
wide variety of
investing effort into
when talking about the
interpretations, and
being in heaven or
best rock song of all
Stairway to Heaven
reaching that spiritual
time. In the 1970s, It
indeed is. Plant once
liberation that we are all
was the most requested
said, when introducing
in search of. This is the
song on FM radio
most important aspect
stations in the United
of the song, which is
States, even though it
something great.
hadn’t been officially
Stairway to Heaven at a
soul.” Great Spirit
poetic storytelling
concert in Madison
(Fate of Nations).
nature of Robert Plant's
Square Garden “… this is a song of hope” (“Robert Plant Biography” ). This hope reflects some of the ideas of the Hippie movement (which he had been part of at the time he wrote this song), that human society will eventually turn away from desires for greed and wealth and realize that what’s really important is “universal love and kindness and the evolution of the
Published by: Blanca Badiola
As Page once said “Stairway to Heaven had everything there and showed us at our best. It was a milestone.
lyrics places "Stairway To Heaven" as the number one rock song
of all time.
Every musician wants to do something of lasting quality, something which will hold up for a long time. We did it with 'Stairway.'" (Rolling Stone) Jimmy Page’s brilliant musical composition combined with the
“There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west, and my spirit is crying for leaving.”
ROBERT PLANT “Does anybody remember laughter?”
Robert Anthony Plant , born on august 20, 1948 in Bromwich, is a British rock Singer best known as the vocalist and lyricist of Led
Zeppelin. At a young age, Plant was inspired by Elvis Presley and left school to begin his musical career. He performed with other groups before he was discovered by Jimmy page who was searching for a lead singer to the band he was beginning to form called the New Yardbirds. Later on, that band turned into the famous group that we all know called Led
Zeppelin. In the time he started writing stairway to heaven, he had been part of the Hippie movement in the mid 1960’s that had been
sweeping the world. Hippies of that time critizied many of the popular thoughts and values. He always believed in spiritual liberation and hope towards achieveing one’s goal in life.
In the year 1997, Plant suffered a fatal lost, the death of his 6 year old son due to a viral infection. For this reason, Led Zeppelin went on hiatus for a year and a half. In 1982, Plant launched his solo career with Pictures at Eleven, which fared well on the album charts. Then he released the album The Principle of Moments (1983), known for "Big Log." Reuniting with Page and Jones, Plant revisited his Led Zeppelin days at the Live Aid benefit concert in 1985. The band finally came to an end with Bonham’s death in 1980. Plant still gives concerts every year with the remaining crew of Led Zeppelin .
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Yip Harburg H
ave you ever heard of Yip Harburg? Even if you do not know him, he is one of the greatest lyricists of all times, with more than 600 written songs, making " Over the Rainbow" one of his greatest hits (Corton, Monica.) Harburg, son of Jewish immigrants from Russia, was born in the year 1896 in Manhattan, NY and lived in a humble district of this town. He attended City College of New York, and graduated as a book writer interested in things like literature. (Yip Harburg)
At first, he started his career as a lyricist in the year 1930´s writting simple lyrics for Broadway, which allowed him to become famous in short time. Eventually, at the top of his career, he ended writing developed poem and songs which made him what he is remember for.
“Somewhere Over The Rainbow” The song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was originally created in the 1930´for Dorothy, the main character of the remarkable play "The Wizard of Oz." Judy Garland, a famous actress at that time, who won an Oscar for her interpretation, performed this role. Not only the lyrics, but also the song rhythm were created especially for her. Consequently, she rose to fame and this song became her signature. People would always ask her to sing the song. The day of death the song took a blast in fame, becoming one of the most musical impacts of the 1900´s (Song Facts.) After her death, many singers interpreted the song. However, Israel Kamakawiwo created his own version of it, which is, in my opinion, the best. The lyrics of this song did not change, but the tone and the instruments used in the many versions did. Kamakawiwo´s version is one of the best known because of the sweet and calm tone he uses when singing it. This unique use of instruments, combined with his peaceful voice gives the audience a different taste of this famous song (Song Facts.) A specific lyrics within the song that reflects and interesting idea is ¨Somewhere over the rainbow blue birds fly(12,13).” This leads me to think about blue birds as angels in heaven. Also when he says "somewhere over the rainbow", I think about paradise, somewhere peaceful, where everything is perfect - "heaven". The tone helps the audience feel this peace. Another quote is ¨And the dreams that you dreamed of once in a lullaby¨. What I can interpret about this quote is that he is trying to remind the listener about childhood, about those dreams you used to have when we all were kids, where everything was perfect, without any problems or doubts.
This song is algo great because of the cultural content that it shows. It is clear that Kamakawiwo is trying to show the audience his native island as a paradise. In his video, he represents his people, beaches, and wilderness as sacred. That also can be interpreted in the song as perfect. I am not the only one that thinks that this song leaves you speechless. Judy Garland once said: "Over the Rainbow has become part of my life. It symbolizes well wishes and dreams of people. I'm sure that's the reason why people cry when you hear it. I have sung it hundreds of times and it is still the song I've been closer to the heart". Like her, I feel that this is the greatest song of all time. (John De Mello).
ADELE A
dele Laurie Blue Adkins was born in
Tottenham, north London, England on May 5, 1988. She was raised by a single teenage mother since the age of 3 when Adele’s Father split from her mother. Adele began singing at the age of four, she cited that Spice Girls was her major influence as to her love for music, stating that “they have made me what I am today”. Adele graduated from Brit School for performing arts and technology in May 2006 with her classmates Leona Lewis and Jessie J. At the age of 19 Adele release her first album, named after her age. 19 was released in 2008 and it has sold around 6.5 million copies worldwide. (“Adele”) Adele’s second album 21 was also named after her age, it is a hit all around the world. This album includes many outstanding songs such as “Someone Like You”, “Rolling in the Deep” and “Set fire to the Rain” that have been and still are a huge success for her career. (“Adele”)
Adele connects her songs to her live, that is why the massage of her songs are so dominant. She has been nominated for 102 awards from which she has won 59 of them. This year Adele was nominated for six Grammy awards and won them all, this awards included Best Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year, ect. (“Adele”)
“I Make music for ears, not for eyes”. -Adele By: Pilar Dasso
“I won’t let you choose enough to hurt me”. -Adele
y
W
hat album won the Grammy for best
pop vocal album? Which song won the Grammy awards this year for best pop solo performance? “Someone like you”,apart from having won many awards has also been a great sensation all around the world. Over a 10,000,000 copies of her album 21 have been sold all around the world, “Someone like you” was the last song written for the album and was created with the help of Dan Wilson. (“Adele”) Adele and Dan worked for two consecutive days to be able to finish with the song. Adele’s songs reveal personal experiences of her life and that makes it easy for her create songs, because she gets her inspiration from her own life. In The process of writing the song, Adele and Dan decided that they wanted to make the song as personal and emotional as possible, using as inspiration the heartbreak that Adele was suffering, after having finished her relationship of 18 months with her exboyfriend. “Someone like you” by Adele conveys to the audience that the message is “Sometimes it lasts and love but sometimes it hurts instead” (line 15). As the song continues the tone that Adele uses makes you realize that she is suffering, The most important line in all the song is used as the title “Never mind I’ll find someone like you/ I wish nothing but the best for you, too”(lines 25-26). In this lines she realizes that she has to move on and continue with out him, and even after all the things that have happened she wishes the best for him.
In the lines “Old friend, why are you so shy? /Ain’t like you to hold back or hide from the light”(Lines 5-6), we can see why Adele felt the need for her prime. (Andrew Unterberger) By the way that Adele writes in her lyrics you can clearly see that she regrets some mistakes and that she is sorry for having done some actions that where not beneficial. She realizes “How time flies/Only yesterday was the time of our lives”(lines 30-31). Using this metaphor she is explaining that she is sorry and its crazy how a couple months ago were so happy and now look at us.
So is it worth it giving it all for love?
The only thing I know is that love is a game that it’s worth playing and risking it all.
! The scorpions are a rock band from Hannover, Germany formed in 1965. The guitarist Rudolf Schenker formed it. At the beginning the band had harsh influences, they weren’t very ready and Schenker himself had to make the vocals. At 1969, when things began to come out better, Schenkers younger brother Michael and the voalist Klaus Meine joined the band. In 1972, the group recorded and released their first album called Lonesome Crow. The style of the Scorpions came from a combination of two electric guitars, power riffs and exuberant guitar solos. They had also amazing singers. They were unique on German rock. So right from that moment, the band was aiming for the very top of the international hard rock business. Klaus Meine wrote all his lyrics in English. He adopted his father’s philosophy of life – “nothing is impossible as long as you believe in it”. Right from the foundation of the Scorpions, he had only one declared ambition: "one day the Scorpions will be one of the best heavy rock bands in the world!" It was an idea to which all the band members were committed. They were constantly on the lookout for fresh challenges. They would appear wherever there was somewhere to plug in their instruments. So in 1975 Germany that same year, they were voted best live group. "Wind of Change" is a 1990 power ballad, which was written by Klaus Meine, the vocalist of band. Klaus Meine was born on May 25, 1948 in Hannover, Germany. He is best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Besides guitarist Rudolf Schenker, he is the only member of the group to appear on every album, despite the fact that he did not join until 1969. "
“Nothing is impossible as long as you believe in it”
!
Without
music, life is just a number of repeated steps over and over that have been set by our ancestors as a way of life. However, once you have music, these steps become bearable and actually enjoyable. When feeling blue and going through a rough time, the best way to lighten up and find hope is to listen to the song “Wind of Change” by The Scorpions. The lyrics of this song are so thriving that it only takes someone to read its first verse to start regaining hope and thinking of a brighter future. “… we should be so close, as brothers” meaning we could have conflicts but at the end we should love each other no matter what Everyone passes through moments of grief during his or her lives, no matter whether you
are an adult or a child. The magic of this song is that it will make one remember that moments of agony don’t last forever; it is j u s t a m a t t e r o f time before they go away. “Wind of change” is a very earnest song that expresses the hatred and darkness of wars, and how we must strive to avoid repeating them. It is essential that as human beings, we try to comprehend the history so that we do not repeat the miserable like wars but we learn from it and so we become better. This may not be the greatest song ever for men with major ambitions but it definitely was for the people in Russia who were
looking for new hopes and dreams. This song gave them strength and something to look forward too. The band was so significant at those times that in 1975, Germany, The Scorpions were voted best live group. (Wikipedia) The song persuades us to realize how significant it is to be united and determine ourselves to make the world a more desirable place where people would feel safe and children would start to dream again; that the future is in our hands and everything we do from now makes a change. The messages underneath the lyrics were to celebrate the end of the cold war that lasted from 1945 to 1991. 46 years in war, could you imagine? As the song was so powerful it was not only a worldwide single which sold 14 million copies but it hit top the twenty best selling singles of all times. It hit the charts in Germany and all across Europe and hit # 2 in United Kingdom
and #4 in the United States. The song was a megahit in Germany as it is still currently the 10th best-selling single of all times in Germany. In 2005 the audience of the German television network ZDF chose “Wind of change� as the song of the century. It was the best selling song ever in Germany selling over 6 million copies in the country alone. This song meant a lot in Germany because it represented reunification for them as a memory of all the falls they had had. (Wind of Change song facts) Wind of change is a perfect example of how music can lighten you up and how you can really connect and find hope in it. That even though it is just a song, it gives you the possibility to gain strength and know that you are not alone; that someone out there could be feeling the same way as you are. Wind of change reunited Germany through it’s powerful message setting an example to others that even though it is just a song it means something much more to other people. There is no doubt this is the best song ever.
“MY HEART WILL GO ON”
Ever heard of the 14 Oscar award winning film called
heart does go
Titanic? It is actually a really famous film, if you haven’t
on
heard of it. It’s theme song “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine
more you open the door / And you're here in my heart / And
Dion, has been an admired and popular song all over the
my heart will go on and on” (lines 7-11)
/
Once
world. The song was actually written to be the theme song
Message: “Near, far, wherever you are / I believe
for the hit movie Titanic, because it's the movie's theme
that the heart does go on / Once more you open the door /
song, because it reflects on the love life of the two main
And you're here in my heart / And my heart will go on and
characters of the movie and if one character dies, they will
on” (lines 7-11). The message relays on the chorus of the
always be remembered in each other's dreams.
song that means that if
The song was originally written as a purpose of
someone is away from you it has to be for a reason, and they
being the theme song for the hit movie Titanic. The lyrics of
will always be in your heart because that person meant
the song are basically about Rose and Jack the two main
something really big in the past for you. And it is about a girl
characters in the movie, and how Rose will never forget Jack.
that misses her boyfriend, and since he died, she will always
After the so3ng was 100% written, it was recorded on May
remember him because he was really special for her life.
1997 and its release date was on December 8, 1997. (My Heart Will Go On) Celine Dion was not the actual person who wrote the song “My Heart Will Go On”. Will Jennings actually was the one who wrote it. Celine Dion was the one to perform it. (Celine Dion) With 338 total songs, Celine Dion is proud to present (Celine Dion) The message of the song basically relays on the
Jennings, the lyricist of the song, explains that the tone is hopeful, but sad at the same time because the girl says that she sees and feels him in his dreams. "Every night in my dreams / I see you, I feel you" (lines 1-2) Some of the literary devices: “Every night in my dreams / I see you, I feel you” (lines 1-2). The literary device used here is that it is a metaphor of what she actually wants to do, so it means “I see you, I feel you” so she is remembering someone or something from the past.
chorus, that means that if someone is away from you it has
The throughout tone of the song is sad but at the
to be for a reason, and they will always be in your heart
same time hopeful, because even if Dion doesn’t want to
because that person meant something really big in the past
remember something but at the same time she doesn’t want
for you. it is about a girl that misses her boyfriend, and since
to forget that something, because of all of her past memories
he died, she will always remember him because he was
she had with that someone, in this case referring to the man
really special for her life.
on the background knowledge of the song.
“Near, far, wherever you are / I believe that the By: Mafe Onrubia
With Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson dead and bands such as The Beatles and Queen separated, people lost lots of hopes in music. But, many peoplemight not know that there are a lot of good artists alive. Being born in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada on March 30, 1968, Celine Dion started a good life as an artist. At the age of 12, Dion wrote her first song "Ce n'était qu'un rêve" Celine Dion is one of those few artists that have more than three major hits per album recorded. Almost all of her songs were number 1 hits. Someexamples of megahits as,” “Because You Loved Me,” “The Power of Love” and of course, “My Heart Will Go On,”, one of Celine Dion’s most popular songs during her whole carrer. Celine Dion has had a fast-paced and productive career throughout the1980s and 1990s. People call her “The girl has a start over her head--she’s that lucky,”her manager & husband Rene Angelil
SOUL MEETS BODY By: Kevin Lo
S
Why is “Soul Meets Body” by “Death Cab for Cutie" one of the best written songs in history?
ongs from modern rock groups like Linkin Park,
reasons why feelings are transmitted from the lyrics is
Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters were
because Gibbard never truly loses his presence within the
considered the best written songs until a Washington-
song. Whether it is a quite breakdown or a heavily
based indie rock group called "Death Cab for Cutie"
strummed part, he can keep on singing with a hypnotizing
released a song that later became a breakthrough in
voice accompanying the tender and lovelorn lyrics. For
music. The group emerged as one of the best indie bands
example, the lyrics “I do believe it’s true” are accompanied
when “Transatlanticism”, the fourth album of the group
by a louder strumming of guitar, however Gibbard’s
reached success. (“Death Cab For Cutie”) The glory became
relaxing tone of voice stands out more than the
larger when "Plans", their fifth album came out. One of
instrument. When Gibbard’s soft and deep voice sang the
the reasons for its high amount of sales and big quantities
lyrics “a melody softly soaring through my atmosphere” it
of nominees for Grammies, is because "Death Cab For
made me close my eyes, feel at total peace, and think about
Cutie", composed one of the best written songs ever, "Soul
where soul meets body. The words “Soul Meets Body” gives
Meets Body". (“Soul Meets Body”)
me a relaxed feeling. These words connotation are relaxed,
“Souls Meets Body” is a different song that displays many qualities. Its jangling with the acoustic guitar
secure, peaceful, paradise; These are the words that truly describe the feelings I got while hearing the song.
strumming was the first thing that caught my attention. Then, the wonderful upbeat rhythm that followed the lyrics of loss and wonderment made me move at the songs pace. You can clearly sense the feeling of warmness and relaxation when Ben, Gibbard the group’s lead singer, says “And let the sun wraps its arms around me”. From this personification, I got a feeling of peace and felt secure, like if the song lyrics were protecting me. In this case, Gibbard makes a personification making seem the sun look like as a human being hugging you. One of the
“Soul Meets Body” was released on October 10, 2005.
While hearing “Soul Meets Body” one can realize the
This phenomenal song has peaked at number 5 on the U.S.
importance of feeling at total peace and focusing entirely on
Modern Rock Track chart and it stayed there for 14 weeks.
thoughts that are pure. By doing this, Ben Gibbard can clearly
Additionally, Elisa Bray, of The Independent said that the
“feel what its like to be new” (line 4) and forget about his
song is “one of their best melodies” and said the lyrics “a
worries. Thoughts and memories from his girlfriend are things
melody softly soaring through my atmosphere” sums up the
that can block him from reaching his nirvana, that’s why he
effect of the song on its listener. (“Soul Meets Body”)
“send[s] [his] thoughts to far off destinations” (Line 6) He
Furthermore, Mike Diver, author of Drowned in Sound stated
hopes they can find a better place far more suited than the
that the song has an element that “leaves a bitter aftertaste
present to be able to forget about all the negative things. Ben
that lingers long after the sound of silence settles”. (Diver)
Gibbard wants to be new but he still has feelings for his
This means that the song has an impacting message and has
girlfriend. It seems like they are struggling in their
strong lyrics because it makes the listener think about what
relationship; that is why he wants to feel a certain peace.
they just heard. At least, it happened to me. After I heard the
Despite this, he admits that “there are roads left in both of our
song, I thought about the message. This made me look up the
shoes/but if silence takes you/ then I hope it takes me too”
lyrics and reflect upon what I heard. I have to admit, the real
(lines 23, 24, 25). Gibbard says that they both still have paths
reason why I think this is one of the best lyrical songs written
in life that they have to travel and places to go before they die,
is because of the feeling the lyrics transmit. Ever felt that
but if the one he loves dies before that, then he would rather
sensation when you don’t have to worry about anything? Well,
die too. In these lyrics, silence is used as a metaphor to
this song transmits that feeling and if you don’t believe me,
compare it with death. Before dying, he wants to be absorbed
you better hear it.
in the moment “and let the sun wrap its arms around [him]. (line 2 ) Finally, he wants to go where soul meets body.
The people that made this song a reality. (From left to right). Jason Mc.Guerr (drums), Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Chris Walla (guitar, production, keyboards) and Nick Harmer (bass).
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
From left to right: Nick Harmer, Ben Gibbard, Chris Walla and Jason McGerr.
B
en Gibbard, Chris Walla, Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr are the ones that made Dead Cab for Cutie a reality. This American alternative rock band was formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. Gibbard’s first album, “You Can Play These Songs with Chords” was first released as a demo but not long after, the album had succeeded. Gibbard decided to take this project serious and completed a whole band. From the years 1997-2003, the band released several albums but it wasn’t until the year 2004 when the band took its great leap. In November of that year, Death Cab For Cutie signed a “long –term worldwide deal”
with Atlantic Records, leaving Barsuk Records. The reason of this change was because the fourth album of the group “Transatlanticism”, had proven them really successful. Their fifth album “Plans” was even more successful. Singles like “Soul Meets Body” and “Crooked Teeth” made the album receive a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album of 2005. Furthermore, the album achieved Gold Status in 2006, after charting on Billboard for 47 consecutive weeks. In 2008, the band released their sixth album, “Narrow Stairs”. This album was nominated in the 51st Grammies, best alternative music album, but unfortunately
couldn’t win them. Finally, their seventh album “Codes and Keys” was released on 2011. This album was also nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 54th Grammy Awards. (“Soul Meets Body”)
“Plans”, fifth album of the group and probably their most popular.
- Kevin Lo
“A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere”
By: Karen Wong ¨…Her skills as lyricist, always her strongest point, continue to evolve. Unlike so many current writers, she knows how to tell a story¨ (Newman, Melinda)
Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989 in
Lucky You¨. She realized she was very good at this
Reading, Pennsylvania and was raised
and she would always spend the whole
in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. When
afternoon writing. Her favorite class was
she was ten years old, she won a
English class and one summer she devoted
national poetry contest with a poem she
her entire vacation to write a novel (not
called ¨Monster in My Closet¨. One day,
published). She enjoyed writing very much
a computer repairman went to her house and taught
and began writing songs regularly which helped her to
her how to play three chords on a guitar and since
express her feelings of not fitting in at school and
then, she started playing. Knowing these three chords,
being bullied. Some years past, and she started doing
she wrote her first song:
performances at local karaoke contests, festivals, fairs, and coffee shops (Fabian).
In 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011, she won Songwriter and Artist of the year in the Nashville Songwriters Association International Award (TaylorSwiftArchive).
out now and it’s the most intense track Swift ever recorded¨ (Gorgan).
expressing her feelings towards this situation. Swift told People magazine that "A lot of times when people's relationships end, they write an e-mail to that person and say everything that they wish they would have said. A lot of times they don't push send. This was a tough one to write and I guess putting it on the album was pushing send." Taylor Swift wrote an intimate song about a boy she loved and trusted, but he did not demonstrate his affection towards her.
In addition to their break up, Taylor Swift wrote a song
She was in distress for a long time and due to that, she used powerful lyrics which helped to clearly visualize and feel her emotions. Also, a lot of meaning to the song can be perceived. This makes the song a
In 2009, the country singer, Taylor Swift was rumored to be dating John Mayer, an acoustic musician. Their romance was very brief but was filled with emotion even though it left Taylor with a broken heart. In ¨… [her] new album, ´Speak Now, ´ she included a song written for John Mayer. It is the story behind the song that makes it great. This song: “Dear John” is
¨If you are gonna do Taylor Swift wrong as a boy, then you will end up on a song and its happened in more than one occasion¨ (Tomlinson, Troy).
great one because she tells a story with a lot of meaning expressing and saying all the things she could never tell him face to face. The song, ¨Dear John¨ by Taylor Swift, is one of the best lyrical songs of all time because of its wide variety of literary devices such as metaphors, similes, personifications, and others. Adding imagery along the song was evident since it made it descriptive and easy to visualize particularly since it’s a story being expressed in lyrics. This song is also great because Taylor Swift delivers a strong message about a girl revealing the story of how devastated she was when her impassioned relationship had ended. She could express her
feelings towards John Mayer, telling him all the awful things he caused while being together, and making something good out of it. She writes in the song how ¨Long were the nights when/ [Her] days once revolved around [him] ¨ (1, 2). It seemed like an endless love while she felt something for him when in reality it was foolish to
care about someone that wouldn’t give up anything for her. She was deeply in love with him and sometimes it was the only thing she worried about. Furthermore, we can see that this relationship was no different with her when she mentions in the song, telling him: ¨All the girls that you´ve run dry have tired, lifeless eyes/´Cause you´ve burn them out¨(44-46), she says. This is a good example of a metaphor she uses, which proves
how he didn’t just break
her heart, but also many others who were never fully healed, saying he ¨[burned] them out¨ (46). She would also say that ¨ [He painted her] a blue sky and go back/ and [turned] it to rain¨ (7, 8). This is a hyperbole which describes how he would bring joy and happiness into her life and later on he would damage it all and turn it into pain and misery as if he regretted doing things to please her and make her happy. The song´s greatness can also be seen in how cathartic it was for Swift after she experienced so many incidents in this relationship. She reached a point where she started to think "… maybe it's [her] and [her] blind optimism to blame/ Maybe it's [him] and [his] sick need/ to give love and take it away" (22-25), she explains. She always had faith in him and she kept seeing only his positive qualities. Following so many problems in their relationship, she ¨… [looks] back in regret how [she] ignored when they said ´Run as fast as you can´¨ (28-30). And I repeat, as she only saw his righteous actions, she never imagined that she would end up being hurt. People advised her right and she took it wrong.
Finally she uses metaphors, symbolism, and similes adding that she ¨… took [his] matches/ Before fire could catch [her]… ´I'm shining like fireworks/over your sad empty town´¨ (50, 51). She concludes the song letting us know that now she realizes that she has much power over him and that he is finally Grammys 2012 weak and alone.
Finally, we can see that this could be the greatest written song ever because of the emotions delivered throughout the song and how everything is conveyed in a very poetic way using imagery. It is unbelievable how she can paint a picture within only three minutes. This song is also well known for being very popular. Taylor Swift´s CD, Speak Now, has received a lot of positive reviews from music critics, who congratulated her for her songwriting abilities and themes. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and sold about 1,047,000 copies in the first week.