March 2015 archive
Hello music lovers of Penn State! This week I will be analyzing a popular song by the rock band The Fray.
The Fray sings one of my all-time favorite songs, “Over My Head (Cable Car),” which was released in 2005. It was the debut single from the album How to Save a Life and sold over two million copies in the United States. The song was certified as “Double Platinum” by the Recording Industry Association of America, and was the 5th most downloaded song of 2006.
This popular song has a deeper meaning that what you would think just hearing it on the radio. Before I knew the story behind the lyrics, I thought this was just a pretty good song to sing along to with great vocals and tone. The actual story behind this song stems from a fight between The Fray’s singer/pianist Isaac Slade, and his bass playing brother, Caleb Slade. Basically, Isaac wanted his brother to leave the band because he wasn’t that great of a bassist, and they kicked him out in 2002. This song is told through Caleb’s point of view, and also known as “Cable Car” because that is Caleb’s nickname.
The first lines of the song are “I never knew that everything was falling through // That everyone I knew was waiting on a cue // To turn and run when all I needed was the truth.” This is describing Caleb’s ignorance of his actions and the toll it was taking on the band. He had no idea that his fellow band members wanted him out of their band without any warnings or signs. The first verse goes on to say “I’d rather run the other way than stay and see // The smoke and who’s still standing when it clears.” He may realize that there is now a problem, but doesn’t want to face the reality and see his bandmates, friends, and even family not want to stick by his side.
The second verse starts out with the lyrics “Let’s rearrange // I wish you were a stranger I could disengage.” Caleb is hurt by the situation, but if he didn’t care about it, he would be able to walk away, just like a stranger. The verse continues with “Just say that we agree and then never change // Soften a bit until we all just get along.” Again, if Caleb didn’t care about the situation, he wouldn’t spend his time trying to fix the problem or come to a resolution. He just wants to forget his differences and be friends with his brother again.
My favorite lines in this song, and probably the ones with the most meaning are “Find another friend and you discard // As you lose the argument in a cable car // Hanging above as the canyon comes between.” The Lyric Genius describes these lines perfectly, stating: “A cable car can be a scary place to be with someone, especially if you’re fighting it out. Despite your differences, you’re forced to be very close with the other passenger until the ride is over unless you want to walk out into the void below. That’s what it feels like to have big disputes with family members.”
Fortunately, Caleb and Isaac resolved their differences and are now the best of friends today! I hope you enjoyed this analysis, and here’s the link to the video if you want to check it out! à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFRkpvvop3I
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_My_Head_(Cable_Car)
http://genius.com/The-fray-over-my-head-cable-car-lyrics/
With the disturbing occurrence at the University of Oklahoma involving the SAE fraternity happening very recently, I decided to write my blog regarding racial issues in Greek life this week. We’ve had a lot of great discussion in class about the SAE incident and also compelling dialogue about racial tensions in all of Greek life from our classmates during our deliberation unit. So, maybe you’re thinking “more talk about the same issue, we’ve discussed this a hundred times, there’s no point in beating a dead horse.” While we have focused much of our class time talking about this topic, I feel it is very important to bring attention to. If it wasn’t for this class, I’m sure very few of us would take the time to talk about these issues or even realize they exist. We may hear about them on the news, but many of us would not delve into deep conversations about the tender topic of racism with our friends over lunch.
First, I must make a confession. It’s not something I ever put much thought into because I’m exposed to it almost every day, whether it is with my friends, movies, or on social media. I’m guilty of laughing at racist jokes (sometimes). The sad part is that racist jokes are constantly rolling off of people’s tongues without a second thought to who those words could be affecting. Racist, stereotypical jokes are used in so many movies that I rarely take note of the racial slur, laugh, and continue watching the movie. Now, just because I laugh at these jokes doesn’t make me a racist, more inclined to use the jokes, or hinder my inclinations of knowing right from wrong. I do know when my words and thoughts have gone too far, and I think that it what is important. Yes, I laugh along with my friends during the movies, or when we see a funny racial comment on social media, even sometimes saying a comment without thinking just to keep the conversation going. But, I will never take these jokes to the extremes; I know when enough is enough. I have actually lost friends because I was following my beliefs and not participating in activities that I knew were wrong. Unlike my so-called “friends,” I used my judgement to refrain from saying things I did not believe in instead of going against my morals to try to “fit in.”
Peer pressure is a popular excuse when it comes to young teens and twenty-somethings getting caught for doing something they shouldn’t. But when we come to college, shouldn’t we be able to make our own decisions without basing them off of what everyone else is doing? I feel that many of the racial incidents that happen in Greek life stem from students who feel pressured to go against their beliefs to fit in with their sorority or fraternity. I was curious about other incidents that happened in Greek life across the United States, and some of the stories are shocking.
In December, the SAE chapter at Clemson University showed their racial ignorance by hosting a “Crip-mas” party, a reference to the Crip gang that originated in Los Angeles and is composed of mainly black members. Students at the party were required to wear bandanas, sagging pants, and Tupac shirts to celebrate.
In January of 2014, the Tau Kappa Epsilon chapter at Arizona State University was expelled after hosting an “MLK black party.” Students mocked a great individual by wearing basketball jerseys, sagging pants, and baseball caps. Even their cups were racial slurs; they used watermelons to hold their drinks, a nod to a black stereotype.
I was a bit shocked when I was scrolling through this article and saw that Penn State made the list. In December of 2012, the Chi Omega sorority held a “Mexican-themed” party with students wearing sombreros, ponchos, and fake mustaches. They even went has far as posing with signs that read “Will mow lawn for weed + beer” and “I don’t cut grass, I smoke it.” Thankfully the chapter was shut down in 2014.
In November of 2013, the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity at Cal Poly State University held a Thanksgiving party with the theme of “Colonial Bros and Nava-Hoes.” According to a report by NBC News, “men were dressed up in colonial-era costumes and women were wearing scantily clad Native American-themed outfits. The event doesn’t at all pay homage to Native American contributions in history; rather it culturally appropriates their clothing and other cultural traditions for the sake of a drunken rager.”
We hear about Greek life parties with certain themes almost every weekend. Do we really think about how these parties could be offending other students, or are we just concerned with having fun at other’s expense? Next time you are thinking about going to a racially themed party, or even watching a movie with racist jokes, think about how your actions are affecting others and if that is how you want to portray yourself.
Source:
http://mic.com/articles/112240/12-incidents-that-prove-fraternity-and-sorority-racism-isn-t-just-an-oklahoma-problem
Get pumped up Penn State! This week I will be analyzing a rock song that could possibly have an allusion to the popular 1954 novel Lord of the Flies.
The song that I will be analyzing is “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” by The Offspring. It was released in 2008 and was number 1 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart for 11 weeks. As of 2012, the single sold more than 1.6 million copies and is certified ‘Gold’ by the Recording Industry Association of America. Now, the song is not very popular so if any of you actually know the song I would be surprised. I don’t know how I came across the song, but I’ve known it for a few years now. It’s not a dancing song, but the beat really gets you pumped up and excited. It is a great workout song; I love listening to it when I need that burst of energy to get through the last 5 minutes on the elliptical. It’s also a great song to blast while you’re driving- windows down, a nice summer afternoon, and a great song to rock out to.
I listened to this song on one of the last days I had to be at high school. We had something called “Senior Boards,” where we came into school to give a speech about our senior project and when we were done, we were done with high school! I remember opening all the windows and driving down the highway with this song blasting! I felt the need to play this song because, at the time, I thought the lyrics were relevant to my situation, “Nice work you did // You’re gonna go far, kid.”
After doing more research about this song, I found out the lyrics weren’t actually what I thought they meant. According to The Offspring, this song is about the abuse of power and was greatly influenced by the novel Lord of the Flies. The book title is even mentioned in the last chorus of the song! I’ve actually never read this novel, but from my understanding it is about a group of boys that are stranded on an island and they try to govern themselves with terrible results.
The first verse includes the lines: “Another clever word // Sets off an unsuspecting herd // And as you step back into line // A mob jumps to their feet.” The author of the novel, William Golding, said these lines are referring to one of the characters named Ralph who loses control during assemblies on the island.
The pre-chorus of the song includes the lyrics: “Now dance, f*cker, dance // Man, he never had a chance // And no one even knew // It was really only you.” Golding describes these lines as “denoting the tribal dance that Jack insists upon, right before Simon’s murder.”
William Golding says the chorus of the song “alludes to Jack’s transformation into killer chief and his pursuit of Ralph across the island.” The chorus of the song:
With a thousand lies
And a good disguise
Hit ‘em right between the eyes
Hit ‘em right between the eyes
When you walk away
Nothing more to say
See the lightning in your eyes
See ‘em running for their lives
If you’ve actually read the novel Lord of the Flies, let me know if these lyrics are accurate allusions! And if you haven’t, you learned something new and also discovered a new song to rock out to! Here’s a link to the video if you want to listen! https://www.youtube.com/watchv=5_LxyhCJpsM
Sources:
http://explorewilliamgolding.com/
http://genius.com/The-offspring-youre-gonna-go-far-kid-lyrics/
Hello dreamers of Penn State! This week I will be analyzing a famous song from the early 1970’s, and I think they true meaning behind this song will shock you!
The song for this week’s analysis is the famous “Imagine” by the late John Lennon. It was originally released in 1971 and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. It was named by Rolling Stone magazine as the third greatest song of all time. The song gathered fame again in 1980 after the murder of John Lennon. The song was released right in the middle of the Vietnam War and after the cultural upheaval of the 1960’s. Like many others, Lennon thought the violence and loss of so many lives during the war was unnecessary. I didn’t know this, but the United States government actually tried to deport him from the country because they were anxious about his protests and agitations. But instead of accepting the violence and war, John Lennon wanted to write a song about alternatives to conflict.
“Imagine” is described as “a strong political message that is sugarcoated in a beautiful melody.” He felt that the world would be a better place if there weren’t things to divide people, and wanted to sing in a softer tone so more people would be willing to listen to his message. This song succeeds because of its pure simplicity and because it “speaks directly to the humanity within each of us. It is a plea for justice, morality, and brotherhood with our fellow human beings,” as John Lennon said in a 1980 interview. Lennon said that the inspiration for this song came from one of his wife’s books. Grapefruit, a book of instructional poems written by Yoko Ono, was given to John after the two met. At first, John said he didn’t really understand the point of the poems, and would even get annoyed while reading some of the poems. But, after reading more poems, he became enlightened to write this song.
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today…
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
After reading the history of the song, the lyrics are pretty simple and self- explanatory, but I’m sure you never realized how heavy the lyrical meaning really is. My favorite lines, and the chorus of the song are: “You may say I’m a dreamer // But I’m not the only one // I hope someday you’ll join us // And the world will be as one.” The message is still relevant in today’s society, and maybe someday we truly can be seen as “one.”
When I usually hear this song, I think about the world being a better place; it’s a song that brings people closer together and everyone sings along. I remember hearing this song at THON around 3 a.m. one of the mornings, and felt a bit emotional. Everyone started singing and I felt that the message was very positive because a school was coming together for a great cause, leaving our differences out of the situation for the greater good. I never realized there was so much backstory and emotion behind this song, since it was pretty “sugarcoated.” Next time I hear this song on the radio, I will hopefully realize how powerful the message really is.
Sources:
http://www.shmoop.com/john-lennon-imagine/songwriting.html
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1094
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/johnlennon/imagine.html