song comparison

     In comparison to A Day to Remember’s hit single “Homesick” and their acoustic of the same song, the tone almost completely changes. In the original, there’s a lot of “screaming” so to say, and the tempo is very upbeat. There’s more going on in the original, as it could be classified as the genre of rock and alternative. Basically, the acoustic gives off the same vibe as it shows a lot of feeling within the lyrics, but it’s calmer and shows a softer side of the otherwise loud and upbeat song. Yes, they both share the same lyrics and the same meaning, but the two differ in the tempo and the overall melody. The basic meaning of the song is that Jeremy, the singer of the band feels as if they’re holding on to a dream that is unattainable. Him and his band strive towards that goal no matter what complications are along the way, and luckily for them they’re currently one of the most well-known rock/alternative bands out there. So pretty much, the song is all about not giving up on your dreams, and both versions of the song convey the same meaning. That is my short comparison on the regular and acoustic versions of the song “Homesick” by A Day to Remember.

top 10

10. American Pie by Don McLean

         This song is on my top ten because it is based off of the death of Buddy Holly. It signifies things going wrong in the world and I feel that it’s kind of relevant even still.

9. Irreplaceable by Beyonce

         I chose this song as number 9 because Beyonce shows that even though she went through a bad breakup, and she was told that she could be replaced, she’s telling him that she isn’t replaceable.

8. Star Spangled Banner

        This song is eighth because it shows the freedom of America. I don’t really like America but it signifies the troubles we’ve gone through.

7. My Favorite Things by Julie Andrews

        I chose this song as 7^th because I love the movie The Sound of Music. The lyrics are things that the narrator thinks of when times are bad.

6. Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash

        This song is 6^th because the song is a story about love, despite the song title being “Ring of Fire”. Also Johnny Cash is a legend

5. Everyday by Buddy Holly

        I chose this song as my 5^th on my top 10 because I love Buddy Holly. The song is about the time in a relationship when you’re not officially dating, but the attraction is acknowledged.

4. Play With Fire by The Rolling Stones

        This song is number 4 because the song is about the singer’s relationship with a high-maintenance girl, which explains the line “If you play with fire, you will get burned”

3. Yellow Submarine by The Beatles

       I chose this song because I listened to it all the time as a child. They describe “Yellow Submarine” as a happy place, and that they pretty much trying to create a children’s song.

2. The End by The Doors

      I chose this song because I used to love this song when I was a kid. It’s about the narrator breaking up with his girlfriend.

1. All You Need Is Love by The Beatles

I chose this song as first because I love the meaning of the song. It’s saying that as long as you love, you can do anything. Love is the most important thing.

Final

     The six songs I have chosen are in relation to the themes of heartbreak and breakups. All have a slightly different way of conveying their meaning, as some are about being heartbroken while others are about breaking the other person’s heart. While there are many songs that I know of that are about or are related to heartbreak, I chose the six songs that speak to me the most. The genres of the songs I chose are indie, pop-punk, alternative, acoustic, and metal.

     (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9Q2Ytdyf2Q) Starting with my personal favorite, “Tiny Vessels” by Death Cab for Cutie. This song has a hidden meaning, which requires you to delve deeper into the song to get the perspective of the narrator. Basically, he had met this girl when he was staying at Silver Lake in California who he was not connected to emotionally. His feelings for her are purely physical, nothing else. They spent a lot of time together, and he even told her that he loved her when he didn’t. He thinks he should love her though; she is very beautiful. Because of this he tries to force love. Yet, no matter how beautiful she was, there was no part of him that wanted her emotionally. He even says and repeats lines such as “Yeah, she is beautiful but she don't mean a thing to me”. He says their relationship was “vile” and “cheap”, and they meet once more before he leaves her. “Tiny vessels oozed into your neck and formed the bruises that you said you didn’t want to fade, but they did and so did I that day” is comparing the hickeys he gave her to him leaving. Bruises fade, and so did he.

     (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1LKE7kJN88) Next, the song “The Old Gospel Choir” by Modern Baseball also conveys heartbreak, but in a completely different way than the previous song. While “Tiny Vessels” was about the narrator hurting someone else, this song shows the narrator being involved in a breakup in which he takes harshly. He reflects on their relationship and wonders if maybe only his heart was broken during the breakup and his ex never cared from the start. The lines “Breaking up never felt so cruel. And now I'm tired, and now I'm dead to me” shows how much of a toll this situation had on him, and how sick and tired his is of wondering what was and what wasn’t. “You sure ain't dead to me” goes to show that no matter how mad or upset he is at this girl, he doesn’t hate her. He wants to, but he doesn’t. In this song, the narrator ends up in heartbreak.

     (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21YJcWdiNfI) A Day To Remember’s song “If It Means A Lot To You” is probably their most famous song. It’s an acoustic song, which differs from their usual alternative-rock style. This song speaks to a lot of people who have been through a similar situation relating to being far away from someone you love. In this song, the narrator is in a long distance relationship because he’s always on tours and doing things for his music career. No matter how much they’re in love with each other, his girlfriend decides that she can’t live on like this, and that they need to call off the relationship in order to move on with their lives. Obviously the narrator is devastated, and he pretty much begs her to wait for him. The lines “You know you can't give me what I need. And even though you mean so much to me, I can't wait through everything” is in the perspective of his girlfriend, which shows that even though it hurts her to leave him, it’s what is best. Though both reluctant and confident, she calls it off with him.

     (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BKWMSdRZmM) In “Deathbeds” by Bring Me the Horizon, it’s a completely different genre than what they normally play. Metal-based songs are their forte, which is pretty much the opposite of this slow, soft song. Basically, the narrator is in love with someone he doesn’t want to be in love with. There’s this weird hatred in his words as he sings lines such as “I watch you like a hawk, I watch you like I'm gonna tear you limb from limb”, which shows how he looks at her almost as prey, and he’s becoming obsessed. But then, there is pain and sadness in the lines “And on my deathbed, all I'll see is you. The life may leave my lungs, but my heart will stay with you”. This stanza represents that even when he’s on his deathbed, she’s all that will matter to him. And if he does die, he will continue loving her in his afterlife. He doesn’t want to feel this way though; the narrator is torn between love and hatred and pain, and wishes that he could feel differently about this person. But he wants and craves her, making it impossible to get her off of his mind for even a split-second. He’s in love and heartbroken at the same time.

     (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVcfPSFdcVk&index=9&list=PL63FC68CEF1696533) The song “Quick Fix” by The Daylights pertains to the concept of unrequited love. The narrator feels himself falling in love with this girl, and wants to spend his life with her. Unfortunately, she does not share the same feelings, as she only wants a hook up. This is shown in the stanzas “I want something that'll last forever, you just want a quick fix”, which is repeated several times throughout the song. She lives her life almost scared of reality, so she puts off this character that is a lot different than her usual self. She relies on drugs and sex to cover up her pain, hence the lines “So throw away your cheap champagne, sleeping pills, fake friends, cocaine. Light a match in kerosene and let it burn”. Unfortunately, the narrator has fallen for whom she really is, but she’s scared of the commitment. It’s sad on both parts, and no matter how badly he wishes she would throw away her fake life, she won’t do so. He ends up giving up on her, though distraught and reluctant to do so.

     (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KJKTvbk_Us) Lastly, I chose “Navy Blue” by The Story So Far. This song is from their acoustic album, “Songs Of”. The song is about a break up in which the narrator cannot seem to get over. He can’t move on, despite the fact that his ex-girlfriend has already done so, and he doesn’t know what he should do to get the thoughts of her out of his head. He turns to alcohol, presented in the stanza “Now I just abuse substances to drown out your accomplishments, however few”. All of this frustrates me bad, cause I can't stay mad at you or change anything that I had” which says that no matter all of the pain that she’s caused him, he can’t seem to stay mad at her. He tries his best to remove her from all of his memories and to forget about her, but all of his attempts end in failure. If it’s something serious then hit me up, but until then the door is shut, forget my room” basically means that if there is something seriously wrong, then he’ll be there for her. But as an attempt to move on, he tells her he doesn’t want to see or talk to her until then. It’s quite a depressing song, but it portrays his feelings perfectly.

     All of these six songs fall into the category of heartbreak in some shape or form. Whether the narrator ends up getting hurt or vice versa, these songs are all similar to each other in a way. For example, “Navy Blue” and “The Old Gospel Choir” both pertain to being dumped and taking it harshly. They’re not able to get over their ex, and they’re affected immensely by the toll the break-up has had on them. It shows that no matter what may happen to two people, love can still exist, even if it’s in the form of unrequited love. Those two songs are the most similar out of the six. “If It Means A Lot To You” is similar to “Navy Blue”, “The Old Gospel Choir”, and “Quick Fix” in the sense that in all of those songs, the narrator ends up in heartbreak. On the other hand, “Tiny Vessels” is a song in which the narrator ends up hurting the other person. “Deathbeds” is probably the song least related to the others, as it refers to not wanting to be in love and hating himself in the process. In conclusion, all of these songs are similar to each other in the sense that heartbreak is present in each song.

"The Wall" Analysis

     In Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”, there is a much deeper meaning to the music video than what meets the eye. There’s a lot of controversy about what is displayed in the music video, with things such as the kids falling into a meat grinder and the masks that the children were wearing. In my opinion, the masks symbolized the way that the children were treated. They were all treated the same, all were expected to meet the same standards, and were just forced to live their life exactly the same as their classmates. They are treated as one but not in the good way. With the meat grinder, it basically is what happens to us within the educational system. The children’s own thoughts and own way of learning is pushed aside as the same fate meets all. And that is what the meat grinder is compared to; all of the kids turning out to be the same thing, or the same “product” when referring to the meat grinder. Basically, the education kids are receiving is messed up. And that is why all of the children acted the same and ended up in the same fate; everyone is expected to learn the same, act the same, and get the same grades while in school. Those are two of my personal opinions on what the music video for “The Wall” by Pink Floyd is trying to symbolize.

Both Sides Now

In the song “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell, she changes her perspective from one that is representation of her dreams to one of her personal experiences. For example, she says “Bows and flows of angel hair and ice cream castles in the air and feather canyons everywhere, I've looked at clouds that way” in her first line, and then directly after, she says “But now they only block the sun, they rain and snow on everyone. So many things I would have done but clouds got in my way”, which is practically her saying that she used to look up at the clouds and see angels, ice cream castles and feather canyons, but after her personal experiences, she realizes that she had spent too much time daydreaming and caught up in her imagination to realize what she could’ve been doing. She says that the clouds got in her way, which pretty much means that she had been too distracted by her dreams. When she says “But now old friends are acting strange, they shake their heads, they say I've changed”, it’s confirming the fact that she’s grown up and stopped daydreaming. She’s starting to see things as they really are instead of what they could be, and it’s changed her for who she was. Reality is tough, but being led on by the wonders of your imagination are tough as well. When she says the lines “I really don’t know clouds at all”, “I really don’t know love at all”, and “I really don’t know life at all”, it’s a strong realization that nobody does. People only know what they’ve grown to believe, whether true or not. And that is what the song “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell is about.