Hello Penn Staters!  I seriously cannot wrap my head around the fact that this is my last blog post for this class, which means our freshman year is basically over!  I can still remember moving in like it was yesterday, and now we have a full year of college under our belts!  I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my blog throughout the year and hopefully discovered some new music and meanings!  For my last blog entry, I will be analyzing the song “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men.

“Little Talks” was released in December of 2011 by the Icelandic indie folk/pop band Of Monsters and Men.  A Philadelphia radio station is credited with being the first station to play the song, thus pushing this song and band to great popularity in the United States.  As of 2013 the song sold over 2 million copies in the U.S., and received an RIAA certification of 3x Platinum.

In an interview with Interview Magazine, Nanna, one of the lead singers, describes the meaning behind this song:

 “How we usually make our lyrics is, Raggi and I, sometimes we come up with stories or situations. That one is about a relationship. Sometimes we haven’t wanted to give too much away. We like people to read their own things in the lyrics. I guess I could share it. It’s about a couple and the husband passed away and it’s from the conversation between the two of them. We don’t know if she’s going crazy or if someone’s actually there. We’ve kind of been inspired by people that lived in my house. This old couple that lived there for 30 years. The woman passed away, so it was kind of different.”

            The main stylistic element that I never realized in the song, and the one that gives the lyrics the most meaning, is the use of the male and female singer’s voices doing a call and respond type singing.  This gives the song the feel that there is actually a conversation going on between the wife and her deceased husband.

In the opening lines, we hear “I don’t like walking around this old and empty house // So hold my hand, I’ll walk with you, my dear.”  The first line is sung by Nanna, and Raggi sings the next line, as if the husband is responding to her by saying he will hold her hand.  The next lines are: “The stairs creak as I sleep, it’s keeping me awake // It’s the house telling you to close your eyes.”  Again, we hear the use of a female voice expressing her sorrows, and a male voice acting as her husband trying to comfort her.

One of the lines that is repeated throughout the song is “Though the truth may vary // This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore.”  These lines are sung by both the male and female singer, which gives these lines a sense of unity.  They may have had their differences in the past, but they realize that their love is stronger, and someday they will be together again.

I encourage you to listen to this song, even if you’ve heard it before, and try to pick up on the conversation between the ‘husband and wife.’  As always here is the link if you want to check out the song! à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghb6eDopW8I  Again, I want to thank everyone who took the time to read my blog this semester!  Hopefully you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Talks

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/ofmonstersandmen/littletalks.html

http://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/discovery-of-monsters-and-men/

Hello Penn State!  I can’t believe this is already the second to last blog post I have to write for my passion blog!  It seems like it was yesterday when we started blogging and now it’s almost the end of our freshman year!  This week I will be writing about the song “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles.

This song was released in June of 2007, so it’s about 8 years old, but still popular enough to hear it on the radio from time to time.  I remember this song being a favorite song to act out and sing along to at sleepovers in 6^th grade.  But just this past summer on my senior trip to Myrtle Beach, it was still popular.  We heard the song several times on the radio driving down to the beach and throughout the week, so it became “our song” for the vacation (along with the song “Fancy” by Iggy and Charli XCX, but we won’t get into that!).  Anyway, “Love Song” was Sara Bareilles’ biggest hit, remaining on the Billboard Top 100 for 41 weeks, and has an RIAA certification of 4 times platinum!  This song was also nominated for 2 Grammy Awards in 2009, Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

There is a long and surprising story behind “Love Song.”  Through an interview with MTV, Bareilles said that after struggling to write a song for many years, this song just kind of wrote itself.  Here is the true meaning behind “Love Song,” as explained by Sara herself:

“[The record label] had encouraged me to keep writing, and I just wasn’t having any luck, and I was turning in the beginnings of ideas and snippets of moments of a song, and I was just getting a really sort of blasé reaction to everything.  I started to get really insecure about it, and then I got really pissed off at myself for caring what anybody thought. … I went to a rehearsal space one day. I sat down and wrote something for me. And ‘Love Song’ basically wrote itself. It’s totally honest, and I’m very lucky the label liked it as well.”

            The opening lyrics of the song are “Head under water // And they tell me to breathe easy for a while // The breathing gets harder, even I know that.”  These lyrics describe Sara’s feeling of not being able to write a perfect song for her record label.  Even though they keep encouraging her, she is feeling more frustration and pressure to produce a great song.

The chorus of the song is self-explanatory, now that you know the meaning behind the song, with lyrics like: “I’m not gonna write you a love song // ’cause you asked for it // ’cause you need one, … ’cause you tell me it’s make or break in this, … If all you have is leaving I’ma need a better reason to write you a love song today.”  Sara has finally realized that she wants to write music that makes her happy, not to please everyone else.  She also hints at the fact that she doesn’t see leaving the record label as a big deal if they don’t comply with her person decisions.

“Love Song” basically came from Sara’s personal frustration with trying to please everyone else with her music when she should have been focused on what makes her happy.  As always, here is a link if you want to check out the song!  à  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi7Yh16dA0w

Sources:

http://genius.com/Sara-bareilles-love-song-lyrics/

http://www.mtv.com/news/1583067/sara-bareilles-love-song-basically-wrote-itself-after-she-struggled-for-years/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Song_(Sara_Bareilles_song)

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 5^th 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/

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

Penn State, if you’re reading this, it’s too late… or is it? I am referring to Drake’s newly released album/mixtape, and if you haven’t listened to it yet you are definitely missing out. This may bit a biased because Drake is my absolute favorite artist and rapper, but his talent clearly shines through his new music.

I know that this blog is supposed to analyze different songs and find their deeper and true meaning, but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to write about Drake. Drake is my favorite person ever, I love him so much, and I have pretty much every song ever recorded by him. If you bring Drake up in conversation with me, you’ll probably wish you hadn’t because I could talk your ear off about how much I love him and his music. So, you could imagine my pure joy and excitement when he released his new music late last Thursday night, February 12th, out of nowhere.

Drake was supposed to release a new album titled “Views From the 6” sometime in the coming months, so when “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” dropped, everyone was shocked and confused. Although there was some speculation about Drake releasing a mixtape in early 2015, Drake himself never set the record straight. Also, mixtapes are usually free and released on music websites while this one is selling for a hefty $12.99 on iTunes. There is speculation that this mixtape wasn’t that random after all. In the past few months, Drake’s recording label YMCMB (Young Money Cash Money Billionaires) has been in some turmoil. Lil Wayne, the record label’s founder, has been talking about leaving Young Money Entertainment because they won’t release his latest album, and Drake is not far behind him. There have been rumors that Drake probably signed with YMCMB to release a set number of albums, and with his last mixtape being released as an album on iTunes, he could be free to leave the record company. Whatever the situation though, all Drake fans are excited about this new music.

The songs on this mixtape are very dark and moody, not unlike Drake. But, most of the songs seem to run together, with Drake “alternating between his mopey side and his paranoid side, or merging them in typical Drake fashion.” It feels like Drake is going through a rough patch in his life, drinking away his woes and trying to find himself. There aren’t any songs on this mixtape are suitable for the radio- i.e. nothing that is super upbeat that makes you want to dance. Drake also doesn’t feature any songs with his signature R&B style voice, making you miss you ex-boyfriend/girlfriend in you had in the third grade.

The mixtape does have its hits, though. The mixtape opens with the song “Legend,” a powerful song that lets you know if Drake does get caught up in the record label drama, he is still a rap legend. One of my favorites from this mixtape is “No Tellin,” a song that sounds similar to the rest, but Drake’s flow on this song is perfect. “Energy” is another good one, but still expresses Drake’s dark moments.

Whether this is an album or a mixtape, any music from Drake is great music. Check out “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” on iTunes and you won’t be disappointed (unless you’re not a rap fan). WARNING ~ His music is very explicit.~

Source:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/

Howdy Penn State! I am going to be writing about a beautiful country song this week, digging into its deeper meaning and touching story.

I remember the first time I heard the song “Concrete Angel” by Martina McBride. I was in 5th grade, hanging out with one of my childhood best friends. We loved discovering new music and we could watch music videos on YouTube for hours every day. I never really had an interest in country music, but it was all my friend listened to so I was pretty much forced to like it. We came across this song called “Concrete Angel” and started to watch the music video. I am not exaggerating when I say my friend and I were in tears literally one minute into the song. I am a very emotional person; I cry during movies, commercials, basically anything sad, sappy, or too adorable, I tear up. But my friend who never cried, I think I saw her cry maybe twice the whole time I was friends with her, and watching this video was one of them.

I love music more than anything, and I think it can connect with a person on so many mental and emotional levels, but sometimes the music videos just make the song that much better. Lyrics of a song can sometimes be vague and left to the listener for interpretation, but the music video tells the story that the artist wants you to take away from their song. A music video can transform a song and make it a different world for the listener, even if it’s only for a few minutes.

The song “Concrete Angel” by Martina McBride came out in 2002, and is was still voted the #1 Saddest Country Song in 2014, according to Rolling Stone. At first glance, the song is about child abuse, stemming from a somber and heart wrenching event close to McBride’s heart. McBride’s niece was a victim of child abuse, so this song is a dedication to her. Her niece was abused by her mother, McBride’s sister, after she divorced her husband. McBride’s sister abused her daughter continuously until one day when McBride’s precious niece was killed.

Even as I write this post today, I am still touched and emotionally connected to this powerful song. I wanted to re-watch the music video so I could explain it more in my post, but I had to stop the video about a minute in because I could already feel my eyes welling up with warm tears (and because I am sitting in the library and wouldn’t want to burst into tears in front of hundreds of people I don’t know). But, I want you as the readers to watch this video, listen to the powerful lyrics, and hopefully feel an emotional connection. I would recommend waiting until you are in your dorm room, curled up with a box of tissues, before viewing this video. Here’s the link for you! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtNYA4pAGjI

Source:
https://www.lyricinterpretations.com/martina-mcbride/concrete-angel

Hey Penn State! Although it’s almost Friday (yay!), who hates the thought of Monday morning rolling around again? I know that I always dread Mondays because they mean getting up early, trudging through the day, and repeating the same routine for four more days. But, one person’s hatred for Mondays will leave you cherishing each and every Monday for the rest of your life.

Originally, I wanted to focus on analyzing songs that are popular, current, and easily recognizable. But, I stumbled upon an old song with a very dark backstory that proved to be more interesting than the latest Taylor Swift single. The song is called “I Don’t Like Mondays” by The Boomtown Rats. This song was written by band member Bob Geldof in 1979 while he was on tour in Atlanta, Georgia. This song was inspired by a horrific event that occurred in a suburb of San Diego, California on January 29th, 1979. A 16 year old girl named Brenda Ann Spencer absolutely hated Mondays, so she decided to shoot up the elementary school across from her house. She was an experienced sharpshooter, and used a rifle that had been a Christmas gift from her father for the school shooting. She killed 2 adults, the principle of Grover Cleveland Elementary School and the school’s custodian, and injured 9 young students.

This intense situation lasted for 7 hours, while San Diego Police surrounded her house waiting for Spencer to turn herself in. While in her home, she spoke with a local newspaper reporter that called, not knowing that the actual school shooter would answer the phone. When Brenda was asked why she did it, she replied: “I just started shooting, that’s it. I just did it for the fun of it. I just don’t like Mondays. I just did it because it’s a way to cheer the day up. Nobody likes Mondays.” Brenda eventually surrendered to the police, and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. In 2001, Brenda acknowledged that she could be the inspiration for other troubled teens that committed acts similar to hers. She said: “With every school shooting, I feel I’m partially responsible. What if they got the idea from what I did?”

Now that you know the terrible story, understanding the song “I don’t Like Mondays” is very easy, but to someone who has never heard of this event they may just think it’s a ballad for those who hate Mondays. The song starts out with lyrics that would indicate a student who doesn’t feel like going to school because it’s Monday, understandable right? (I know I skipped a few Mondays in high school).

Then, the lyrics turn to “And mother feels so shocked / Father’s world is rocked / And their thoughts turn to / Their own little girl.” Alright, now I don’t think this is a regular rant about a day of the week. Then, we hear the eerie and sad lyrics “All the playing’s stopped in the playground now / She wants to play with her toys a while / And school’s out early and soon we’ll be learning / And the lesson today is how to die.” The artist wanted to tell the heart wrenching story in just a few lines, and definitely achieved just that. Here is the link to the full set of lyrics in case you are curious: http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/the_boomtown_rats/i_dont_like_mondays.html

This just goes to show how a normal song can have such a deeper meaning than what you think. Next time you’re listening to your favorite song on the radio, realize that the lyrics could possibly have story behind them!

Sources:
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=698
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/justice-story/justice-story-don-mondays-article-1.1504277

Hello Penn Staters! I hope you enjoyed my last post regarding the analysis of the hit song “Chandelier” by Sia. This week, I will be taking another very popular song and exposing the deeper meaning behind it. I’m praying that you enjoy this post!

I’m sure many people are familiar with the hit song “Take me to Church” by Hozier; it’s basically playing on every radio station, commercial, and advertisement you listen to! Andrew Hozier-Byrne, also known as Hozier, is an Irish solo artist who originally released this track in September of 2013. This song reached number 1 on the Irish iTunes chart, and number 2 in the official Irish singles chart. So why did this great track take so long to become popular in the United States? The song became popular here when it was featured in a Beats commercial featuring LeBron James, and gained recognition from there. This track was also the most globally streamed song on Spotify, streaming 87 million times in 2014.

Hozier originally wrote this song after going through rough breakup with his first girlfriend, but it’s not your ordinary love song. According to The Irish Times, Hozier explains his breakup as: “I found the experience of falling in love or being in love was a death, a death of everything. You kind of watch yourself die in a wonderful way, and you experience for the briefest moment – if you see yourself for a moment through their eyes – everything you believed about yourself gone. In a death-and-rebirth sense.”
The track also focuses on the contemplation of sin, but is not a direct stab at the church or faith. Hozier describes the meaning of the song as:

“Sexuality, and sexual orientation – regardless of orientation – is just natural,” he said. “An act of sex is one of the most human things. But an organization like the church, say, through its doctrine, would undermine humanity by successfully teaching shame about sexual orientation – that it is sinful, or that it offends God. The song is about asserting yourself and reclaiming your humanity through an act of love.”

I bet you were not expecting such a deep meaning! When I first heard the song, I was pretty confused as to why they were playing a religious song on the rap and hip-hop radio station that I was listening to. Even my Mom heard the song and asked, “Why are they still playing Christmas music on the radio, it’s already January!” Good try Mom, but I know now that this song is basically the opposite of a spiritual meaning.

The music video is even more intense then the lyrics of this song. The video shows two men in a same-sex relationship, and how homophobia is viewed in Russia. Violent homophobic treatment is showed when the community learns of the men’s sexuality. Regarding the video, Hozier says, “Growing up in Ireland, the church is always there – the hypocrisy, the political cowardice, the video has the same theme – an organization that undermines humanity.”

I highly recommend checking out the video if you haven’t already seen it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYSVMgRr6pw

Sources:
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=32921

Hello Penn State! It has been a few weeks since my last post, but I am back and ready to blog! Last semester, my passion blog focused on different genres of music, their historical backgrounds, and a particular artist from that genre of music. This semester, I am going to be writing about something slightly different, but still keeping it music related.

I got the idea a few weeks ago while listening to one of my favorite popular songs right now, “Chandelier” by Sia. Her amazing vocals are what originally caught my attention and made me fall in love with the song. But, I soon realized that this song had a deeper meaning than someone just swinging from a chandelier. So, for my passion blog this semester, I will be taking a different song each week from Billboard’s Top 100 songs and exploring the true meaning behind the lyrics and what the artist wanted to convey with their piece of music. Music is such an important part of my everyday life so I definitely wanted to keep my blog related to music. Hopefully this topic will be of interest to others and inspire someone’s new favorite song!

To start my first post of the semester, I will be analyzing the song “Chandelier” by Sia as I stated before. While listening to the song, you would think that this is just another party anthem about drinking and doing stupid things, like swinging from a chandelier, while intoxicated and/or high. Sia’s hit song is actually about herself and her struggles with alcoholism and prescription drug addiction. We can see that as we take a closer look at the lyrics.

The opening lines of the song are “Party girls don’t get hurt/ Can’t feel anything, when will I learn?/ I push it down, push it down.” Sia knows that she has a problem but isn’t trying to do anything to stop her drinking. Sia explains these lines as the “Supression of fear through self-medication,” according to Pop Genius. But why doesn’t she stop drinking and get help?

The next lines of the song are “I’m the one “for a good time call”/ Phone’s blowin’ up, ringin’ my doorbell/ I feel the love, feel the love.” She is explaining that her habits are giving her friends and popularity, but is it positive attention and love? The line “I’m the one ‘for a good time call’” is referring to men only looking at her as a sex object, not a person. This line can also refer to writing a woman’s phone number in a bathroom stall for sex, as it appears in the hit song “867-5309 / Jenny” by Tommy Tutone.

The saddest lines of the song are “Help me, I’m holding on for dear life, won’t look down, won’t open my eyes/ Keep my glass full until morning light, ’cause I’m just holding on for tonight.” Even though her partying is essentially killing her, she chooses to ignore it for another night of drinking and drug use. She isn’t planning for the future; she only knows that she needs to feed her addiction right now.

Hopefully the next time you hear this song on the radio, you listen a little closer to the lyrics and try to feel what Sia was going through at the time. Sia has parted ways with her days of addiction and alcoholism and has now been sober for 3 years.

Sources:
http://genius.com/Sia-chandelier-lyrics
http://musiceon.com/2014/09/meaning-sias-chandelier-lyrical-analysis/