I thought it would be fun to do some research on some of my favorite songs. So without further ado, I hope to hit multiple bands, so one song might intrigue you rather than being the same type of song for all. (Confession: Most of these songs are acoustic, I guess I prefer acoustic sounds to electric instruments.) After each song I'll post a lyric (its hard to pick a favorite.)
Starting out with my favorite band of all time, The Beatles. This has been my favorite Beatles song for a couple years now, so you can be confident this isn't a phase??? I don't know ha ha.
"I've Just Seen A Face"- The Beatles
My interpretation: The lyrics are pretty easy to follow in this song. It seems that they the song is written about love at first sight. Seeing someone, and just being attracted to what you see, whether that be appearance or maybe what the person is doing. It's about being infatuated, and falling in love with what your seeing. The lyrics talk about how there is something different about this particular person, and how they seem like the perfect match.
The Research: This song was written about Jane Asher, Paul McCartneys then girlfriend. He wrote "I Saw Her Standing There" as well about her. Paul would play this song a lot on the piano during family get together's and his aunt loved the song. Paul almost originally named it after her. It was different from anything The Beatles had done before, and Paul McCartney describes it as being an uptempo country western song that keeps pulling you forward.
Featured Lyric: "I have never known the like of this I've been alone and I have, missed things and kept out of sight for other girls were never quite like this."
"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"- The Beatles
My interpretation: I'm actually pretty sure this song appears on the same album, and is another acoustic song written by The Beatles. I think this song is written about a break up, and feeling that you can't go on without that person in your life. Maybe feeling as if people seem to be laughing at you for being lonely.
The Research: The song is actually about a guy being heartbroken due to the girl he likes being with someone else. People laugh at him, because they know his issue. He is reminded to try to hide his love for her. He is too heartbroken to picture himself being with anyone else. It is rumored the song was written about the Beatles manager Brian Epstein, as having to hide his homosexuality. When John Lennon wrote this he said that he wasn't feeling any of the emotions that are within the song. This was the first Beatles song to have other musicians featured, these musicians played flutes.
Featured Lyric: "How could she say to me "Love Will Find a Way?" Gather round all you clowns, let me hear you say......HEY! You got to hide your love away!"
Getting away from The Beatles and onto Green Day, with two....you guessed it....acoustic songs. I don't know man, there's something about a natural instrument sound. 1st up:
"Last Night on Earth"- Green Day
My interpretation: This song was my favorite Green Day song, and even favorite song for a couple of years. I have overplayed it so much now that it has been passed up, but its still significant to me. All of these songs have been love songs thus far....but I guess a majority of songs are love songs. This song is a love ballad written for someone that you deeply care about and love. All of this person's love, is for this person, and every breath.
The Research: There are two different theories. 1) Billie Joe Armstrong wrote this about his wife while on tour when he missed her. 2) The album 21st century Breakdown tells a story of two characters Christian and Gloria, and this is the song he sings to confess his love before she goes brain dead in the next song. "Before the Lobotomy". Some have also said that they interpreted it to be about a soldier writing home to their significant other about how much they love them in case they die in the war.
Featured Lyric: "With every breath that I am worth here on Earth, I'm sending all my love to you."
"Ordinary World"- Green Day
My interpretation: There's not many lyrics in this song, and I don't have a definite clue what its saying but my guess is either he believes an ordinary world is boring and he needs adventure, or he wishes he could just live in an ordinary world to escape the celebrity world.
The Research: According to an interview done with Billie Joe Armstrong this song was written about wanting simplicity in life, especially with all the new technologies and chaos in the world. The song was written for a movie of the same name starring Billie Joe Armstrong. In the story Billie Joe portrays a once famous musician leaving a band to be a father.
Featured Lyric: "What would you think if you saw a shooting star, in an ordinary world?"
Onto the next artist twenty-one-pilots. Tyler Joseph is probably the greatest lyrical genius in history and living today. His lyrics have so much depth to them in every song. His songs are filled with so many layers that its hard to only pick two significant songs. But here are two that I have chosen. With twenty-one-pilots, how you interpret the song may be vastly different from what it actually means.
"Goner"- twenty-one-pilots
My interpretation: Like I said, it is very hard to interpret twenty-one-pilots songs, and it seems like most people interpret the songs differently and usually Tyler Joseph is vague to keep it that way. So the research part may be what other people think it means. I feel like the beginning of the song is about someone close to giving up, but by the end they are coming to terms with they actually don't want to give up and cry out for help. This song is very repetitive so this song doesn't contain many lyrics either.
The Research: There are many interpretations. Some people think the story is about defeating the dark side of yourself where your demons reside, other think maybe he is calling out to God or to his audience. He might be calling out to his audience to get to know who he really is. (he being the lead singer, Tyler Joseph). His lyrics are very personal, and share a lot about the thought processes that go on in his head.
Featured Lyric: "I'm a goner somebody catch my breath...I wanna be known by you."
"The Judge"- twenty-one-pilots
My interpretation: I think this song is about Jesus as the judge. The person is pleading for Jesus to set him free, but he's not sure if hes worthy enough due to past sin. That'd he realizes he doesn't deserve heaven, but hoping God will be gracious towards him.
The Research: The other interpretations basically coincide with what I interpreted with a few added things. First that the person is justifying why he should go to hell, and that the person is dealing with a lot of depression throughout the song, and sees that as a bad and shameful thing.
Featured lyrics: "I found my way right time, wrong place as I plead my case."
Since Tyler Joseph has some pretty genius lyrics I thought I'd add the four lyrics I probably use most in conversation. So here's that.
" This is not what I had planned, this is not what I had planned!"- Forest
"I've been thinking to much, help me." - Ride
"My friends and I, we got a lot of problems"- Polarize
"I'm a kitchen sink, you don't know what that means, because a kitchen sink to you is not a kitchen sink to me...okay friends? -Kitchen Sink
Onto Panic! at the Disco now. I only really came to love Panic! at the Disco for a few years now, but I do believe Brendon Urie is another insanely creative lyric writer. He is also super talented in many areas including an impressive vocal range. I only have one song for this band, although I do appreciate a lot of their music. This is the one song that has stuck with me, since the beginning that I have really liked. (Surprise...it's acoustic).
"Northern Downpour"- Panic! at the Disco
My interpretation: This is a hard one for me to interpret, but I believe it's another love song, and the person professing his love to the other person.
The Research: People have interpreted the song to be about appreciating the little things in life, not being interested in worldly things. It's about a girl and a guy moving in separate directions but not coming together, so its more about moving on. The world is a difficult place so find joy in just surviving.
Featured Lyric: "I know the worlds a broken bone, but melt your headaches call it home."
Bonus Lyric: "I missed your skin when you were East, you clicked your heels and wished for me"
Moving on from Panic! comes a song by Troye Sivan. This wasn't a song he had written, but a collab with the band Zedd. I always thought the music in the background was catchy, and interesting. (For those of you who don't know, Troye Sivan was a YouTuber who shared funny skits as well as cover songs and original music. Troye became famous once one of his songs got noticed, and now he is pursuing his music career.)
"Papercut"- Zedd featuring Troye Sivan
My interpretation: The lyrics seem to be portraying a fight between a couple. They feel like whatever they're fighting about is a much bigger deal than it is, since its personally painful. They never meant to hurt each other.
The Research: People have interpreted this song to be about a fight between a couple, like I interpreted. After the fight they realize that it was no big deal, what they fought about didn't really matter. Other than this interpretation, I couldn't find a lot of other information on this song.
Featured Lyric: "Right now it feels like we're bleeding, so deep that we might not get back up"
"Cancer"- My Chemical Romance
My interpretation: This song is pretty straightforward. I don't know why I like it so much, because it tells such a tragic story. I first discovered this song when it was covered by twenty-one-pilots but I thought I would give credit to the original writers of this song. This song is told through the point of view of a person with cancer who is dying. In the song they are saying to their significant other goodbye and how hard it is for them to leave them behind. In the lyrics it also shows they're thinking about the future and how they will never get married, and how horrible it must be to see him this way.
The research: The research basically restates what I interpreted above.
Featured Lyric: "Now turn away, cause I'm awful just to see. All my hairs abandoned, all my body, all my agony."
The rest of my favorite songs are worship songs since those are pretty straightforward, I will just post a favorite lyric from each.
"Build My Life"-HOUSEFIRES
"Open up my eyes in wonder. Show me who you are, and fill me with your love, and lead me in your love to those around me."
"Just Be Held"- Casting Crowns
"Your life's not falling apart it's falling into place. I'm on the throne stop holding on, and just be held."
"Us for Them"- Gungor
"His judgement comes to us, and his judgement is love, may our judgement be love."
"The Proof of Your Love"- for King and Country
"Let my life be the proof, the proof of your love, let my life look like you and what your made of, how you lived how you died, love is sacrifice."
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