Today, I will switch from my original hip hop songs  to another form of alternative rock. With this move, I am trying to promote the diversity of my blog.

The band that I will analyze today is a band that does not need a formal introduction due to the recognition that they have throughout the world, making them a significant household name.

One day I was shuffling through random songs on Pandora and happened to meet this song. Not knowing it was the Beatles, I listened because of the inviting melody with the vocals that accompanied the piano notes.  Because of this  impromptu encounter, I have been an avid Beatles fan and constantly play “Let it Be” repeatedly.

Background Information on the track:

This song was on and the title of the 12th and final album that the Beatles released.  Prior to the album, Paul felt insecure and isolated from the group entirely. One night when he was down in the dumps, he claimed his mother came to him in a dream. He explained how she gave him advice and it gave him the motivation to write this song.  He credited this song all due to his late mother and what she told him that night.

 

Lyrics:

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the broken-hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted
There is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Yeah, there will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Analysis of Song:

The song is was written by Paul McCartney on a very personal account. In the first stanza when he says, “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me..” he is referencing his mother who died in  1956 when Paul was only 14. The song’s lyrics are repetitive due to the significance of the meaning  and the impact that it had on Paul and his band members.

In the hook when it states, “Let it Be” he is also referencing his mother. A direct quote from McCartney states, “I’m not sure if she used the words ‘Let it be,’ but that was the gist of her advice.” 

Personal Review:

This song that was made as a tribute to Paul’s mother, as it served its purpose to the fullest. My favorite part of the song was the interlude filled with the melodies of the keyboard and accompanied guitars. They instantaneously filled the blank verse and  turned the song into a class A jam session.

“Let it Be” is not only a meaningful song to Paul, but it is a meaningful song to myself. While I did my research and analysis of the song, I instantaneously felt the Pathos of the song  making me feel as if Mother Mary was actually speaking to me as well. As I encounter this summer bridge or continue to face hardships throughout my collegiate career and beyond, the only thing that I can continue to do is “Let it Be.”

The final thing that I have to say to my audience is.. will you be like Paul’s mother and “Let it Be?”

 

 

For my second passion post, I will do another one of my original songs entitled, “Daily Routine.”

Daily Routine was a song that I wrote about my life in general, what I go through on an everyday basis and some of my dreams, thoughts and aspirations. Here I will give an analysis of my second verse. Be prepared to get an analysis of songs that are not my originals in the next post.

V2

A

Want to reach my goals in life, see distractions left and right, focused but sometimes I’m on my Robin Thicke sight- blurred lines, but I want it clear a Canon or a Nikon.

B

When these kids hearing me I want to be an icon, don’t hold grudges I’ll just let bygones be bygones. I want these tracks to scare you straight, appearance of a python.

C

Trying to be a meaty heavyweight, Mike and Tyson. No boxing match, killing this beat so I’m fighting.

D

don’t know why people are breezing through life, I wake up rise and grind to do it right.

E

Always kept my circle tight, no diet soda, this is light. And I’m trying to do this with all my might.

 

A

I am implying that I have set high standards for myself and I plan to achieve all the goals that I have on my agenda (Ex: Graduate college, get into grad school of choice and live a happy life with a happy family). With that said, I am also acknowledging that there are many distractions that can prevent me from performing at the peak of my potential (Ex: Girls, Friends, etc of things at PSU).

Even though I have these things revolving around my life, I still remain focused but then go on to say that my vision of being “Focused” can be “Blurry” at times (direct reference to the Robin Thicke song, “Blurred Lines”). I then continue with more references of Canon and Nikon (both high quality camera brands) to allude to my “Focused” metaphor.

B

Over the tenure of my Rap endeavor (I would not call it a career) many people have came up to me saying that they love what I do and encourage me to keep it up. I am saying that I want the younger ones to listen to me and look up to the message and words that I want to convey.

As a person, it takes a lot to get me mad because I tend not to dwell or give the time of day to things that I view irrelevant. I am saying that I will let bygones be bygones due to the person that I am.

At the same time, I am implying that I want my lyrical skills to impress people so that it “scares” them. A python is a deadly snake that can strike fear from its presence. In a way, I want my words to emulate a Python.

C

Meaty heavyweight alludes to a combination of references. Tyson refers to the chicken brand that produces “meat”. Mike is a double entendre referring to Mike Tyson who is a Heavyweight boxing champion.

I finish this segment by saying that I am “killing” this beat with my words (as in I am flowing and doing justice to the beat).  I finish with the boxing reference by saying that it is not a boxing match, but I am still “fighting”.

 

D

“I don’t know why people are breezing through life” is myself speaking out loud wondering why people don’t take initiative or wait for opportunities to come to them.

I then go on to finish this segment by saying I “rise and grind everyday” as in I wake up to work hard everyday (definition of grind).

E

Always kept my circle tight means that I have a select few  people that I allow to get really close to me. As for creating raps and putting them together, I am saying that it is light or easy (which implies the reference to diet soda). That is why I end by saying I am trying to do this with all my might because Rap is my passion.

Listen to Daily Routine Here: —->

 

For my first passion post, I will talk about some of the prevailing thoughts, ideas and themes that I express in my music. If you do not know, I express myself through rap and I go by the stage name Young Vic.

The song that I will talk about is called “Tribulations” where myself and other colleagues talk about our personal tribulations and the tribulations of the world. Here is a verse from the song where I will break it down explicitly for everyone to understand.

A

[Lemme start, Lemme go..
Bout to kill this beat and flow..
Looking back to just where I am
No Aloe Balcc but I am the man]

B
[I’m seeing trials no court in session,
People hustling due to recession,
Life changes need some adaptations..
And people dying due to pigmentation..]

C
[There’s a saying, ignorance is bliss
Can’t say racism don’t exist..
RIP Freddie Gray.. I hope and pray his soul will stay]

D
[It’s a shame that death makes us see
Image in perspective of the country
I’m talking about this cause noone will
and I try to keep it real, not worried about a deal..]

E
[Its a crisis in the middle East
Beheading hostages we seem weak..
And we facing tribulations everyday..
It all gets better is what they say..]

F
[Cause I don’t know you, or your story
Take your trials turn them to glory..
Shiny days after the dark and stormy..
We will win, I see Victory!”]

Lyric Breakdown

A – I open the verse anxious as I am ready to deliver my message to my listeners. As I look back through everything I have been through and the way I have matured with my raps, I feel like the man (direct reference to the Aloe Blacc song, “The Man”).

B- When someone is in court for a crime they committed, they are on trial. I use wordplay to define trials as a struggle or a hardship that many people are going through, not to be confused with being in court.

The economy is on the rise again, but it has not fully recovered since it crashed. Because of the recession, I am making a point that people are “hustling” as in doing anything in their power to provide for themselves and their families. Ex: Working extra shifts, picking up another job or selling drugs.

People dying to pigmentation can also be referred to many events, especially the shooting in South Carolina that happened very recently. This was a hate crime where supremacy placed a part in killing so many innocent people.

C- Ignorance is bliss refers to if you do not know anything about something, you will not worry about it. I counter this by saying that you cannot say you are ignorant about racism in this day in age because I believe that it is so profound to the non-innocent minds. I then reference Freddie Gray as a source of kaios that reminds many Americans what race is in this day in age.

D- A lot of people never know what they have until it is gone or when a situation has escalated to a new level. In this case, death has allowed Americans to stand up and counter race and police brutality.

I then go on to say, I will always keep it real no matter what. Many artists prefer not to talk about controversial subjects to maintain their reputation or to avoid slander. I am not looking for a record deal or to make a surplus of music from this, therefore I will not be intimidated in the messages that I convey.

E- This a reference to ISIS, the wars and the violence that is going on in the Middle East. I then go on to say “beheading hostages, we seem weak” as in ISIS has the Western world on their knees. They are organized and have produced a general atmosphere of fear to prevent any resistance.

Even though we face tribulations, I tell my listeners that it all gets better no matter what. Just know you have it better than someone else in the world.

F- Every person has their own story, their own problems and their own tribulations that they are going through. I use imagery to help illustrate to my readers that shiny days are still to come even thought you may be walking in a storm at the moment.  In the end, we will prevail through all of our problems. Before I come to a close, I tell my listeners that victory is definitely ours.

You can watch/listen to the live performance of “Tribulations”

While I already came up with the idea that I wanted to use  to center my blog around, I can at least say what I was considering. Before I came to a decision, I wanted to make sure that my topic was both interesting to me and that it was unique. This made me bring up  sports and music immediately. While many people do sports, I know that I want to go in-depth with music-all types of it (such as Rap, Hip Hop, R&B, Pop, EDM, Country and all sorts of music). Expect to hear my taste in music and what it means to me.