arianayells-blog

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Ok wait let her speak

[arianayells-blog]

the fact that op turned off rbs is very very funny to me. anyway i want this post on my blog too.

[arianayells-blog]

Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine

Hello internet and welcome to another weekly blog post. This week we are going to looking at Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine.

 Background: Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine was released on December 1, 2008  as a single for their album debut Lungs, but also on the B-side to the single of their cover of “You Got the Love.”  The original version of the song was recorded without any instruments and in a studio the size of a bathroom. In an interview with BBC Florence said, "We didn't have any instruments and we were in a studio the size of a loo. All the drums were done by like banging on walls and endless vocal tracks tuned into this big screaming mess.” The song was eventually re-released on April 11, 2010 with a new video. The song itself was directly inspired by an art installation “Dog Days Are Over” by Ugo Rondinone. Overall the song was widely praised by critics and debuted at number 89 on the UK Singles Chart on December 6, 2008. The song itself re-entered the chart in January 2009 at number 93 then again four months later in May at number 91. The song ranked at number 21 on the U.S. Billboard 100 and certified platinum four times in the U.S.  [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link]  

 The General Idea: The phrase “dog days” is defined in two ways: “the sultry part of the summer, supposed to occur during the period that Sirius, the Dog Star, rises at the same time as the sun: now often reckoned from July 3 to August 11”, and “a period marked by lethargy, inactivity, or indolence.”  For the purpose of this song, we are going to use the second definition. The main meaning of the song or story of the song is a person getting starting to leave this period where nothing changed and how that change affects her. [Link]

 Lyrics:https://genius.com/Florence-and-the-machine-dog-days-are-over-lyrics

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/florencethemachine/dogdaysareover.html

 Happiness hit her like a train on a track

Coming towards her stuck still no turning back

She hid it 'round corners and she hid it under beds

She killed it with kisses and from it she fled

With every bubble she sank with her drink

And washed it away down the kitchen sink

The song starts off with this person seemingly to finally have happiness in her life after a long time without it which can sometimes be a surprise. Although happiness is typically a good thing, this person reacts negatively. She hides from it and tries to kill  and wash it away it with flings and alcohol. Sometimes during long periods of sadness, happiness doesn’t seem like a good thing. It takes you out of that daily routine of being self loathing and sad and puts you into a place of less sad.

 [Chorus]

The dog days are over

The dog days are done

The horses are coming

So you better run

Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father

Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers

Leave all your love and your longing behind

You can't carry it with you if you want to survive

The dog days are over

The dog days are done

Can you hear the horses?

'Cause here they come

The standstill in their life is finally over and judgement has finally arrived. She’s wants to run from it even though it’s good. You can’t expand and live life if you don’t leave your comfort zone while you also can’t live life if you have no motivation to do so. One has to live and let go in order to further their life. 

 And I never wanted anything from you

Except everything you had and what was left after that too, oh

Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back

Struck from a great height by someone who should know better than that

She wanted everything but also didn’t want everything the other person had and happiness came yet again. 

 [Chorus]

 [2x]

The dog days are over

The dog days are done

The horses are coming

So you better run

 I honestly enjoy the story this song narrates. This person who is at this standstill in her life and is finally receiving happiness is running away from it. Happiness in a period without it feels almost undeserving and almost makes you scared that once you have it it will go away and the bad will return. Sometimes you have to leave your comfort zone and run for the people you love in order to move on with your life. Between the fast pace of the song and how well known yet unknown it is, the meaning isn’t obvious but is so memorable. The song is simplistic yet about renewal and moving towards a new part of life, and that’s why this week we have discussed it.

[arianayells-blog]

bad_news by Bastille

Hello internet and welcome to another weekly blog post. This week we are going to be looking at bad_news by Bastille.

Background: bad_news by Bastille is third song on their EP VS. (Other People's Heartache, Pt. III). Vs. (Other People’s Heartache, Pt. III) is the third part of a series of mixtapes made by Bastille and was released in December 2014. Unlike the other two previous mixtapes, this one did not feature any covers but instead had various collaborations with other musicians on original tracks. This specific mixtape received average reviews and reception. None of the songs on this EP have received awards or hit numbers on the Billboard. The other two parts, Other People’s Heartache and Other People’s Heartache, Pt II, were released in February 2012 and December 2012 and  consisted of covers, mashups of samples, and some of their own music. From what few reviews there were about the EPs, they both received higher reviews than Pt.III. Overall Other People’s Heartache was mainly an set of experimenting and music in between the time of their first album Bad Blood (2013) and their eventual second album Wild World (2016). [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link]

 The General Idea: bad_news is a somewhat straightforward song about hearing bad_news whether it’s personal or just on the TV.

 Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bastille/badnews.html

https://genius.com/Bastille-bad-news-lyrics

 Bad news like a sucker punch, what do you say?

Air knocked out of my lungs, your cue to stay

When you hear something difficult don't back away

Some people say nothing, good ones engage

The song starts off with a simile. Bad news can sometimes be a big hit to someone’s day. Many times it leaves people speechless while others try to ignore it or pretend it didn’t happen. There are few who actually act positively on the situation. The singer is urging the other person to stay instead of leaving the situation.

 [Pre-Chorus]

Don't turn your back on me

Don't bury your head deep

Just cause you don't know what to say

Don’t avoid the truth of the matter just because you don’t know what to say.

 [Pre-Chorus]

 [Chorus]

It's true

That it kicks you in the teeth when you are least expecting

Bad news

Oh it beats you black and blue before you see it coming

Bad news always seems to get people when we least expected because we never expect it. We often think in the now and where we are. We don’t think in the future or what could be.

 Bad news like a sucker punch blew me away

People fill the streets like nothing has changed

Clock hands tick along, they don't look the same

Planes fly overhead like any old day

Bad news happens. Life happens. People’s lives in other places continue like nothing happened as well. It’s surreal that in one place of there could be chaos and in another it’s peaceful and life goes on as we speak.

 [Pre-Chorus x2]

 [Chorus]

 Maybe I just want some words of distraction

I feel like I'm being consumed

Maybe I'm expecting the perfect reaction

To pull me back

The singer/writer is in between feelings with the person they referred to in this song. Maybe he wants them to stay because of the overwhelming feelings of what’s going on or maybe he just wants them there to see if they feel the same way.

 [Chorus x2]

 This song is very straightforward in a sense, but it’s also very relevant with current events lately and even in the past. Bad news whether personal or not can be a sucker punch. No one expects a person dying in the family. No one expects a school shooting. No one expects a bombing, an assassination, or a war. We as a group of people don’t expect the worse to come and when it happens we don’t know what to do sometimes. We sit, we stare, and we wonder. We don’t act until other act. A current example of this as of the day of this post is the Manchester bombing. No parent, child, or adult would’ve expected that to happen. No one would’ve expected to try to post pictures of their children on social media in hope that they’ll find them. No parent expects to have a funeral for their child. The amazing yet sad part is that life in other cities and countries go on practically unaffected. We live, react, and then forget. When we react however, what do we say? We say our condolences, our prayers, and sometimes nothing at all. This song puts the feelings of every time something bad happens into this simple format and that’s the reason why I am sharing this post this week especially with events that have occurred in the past and present. Life happens and sometimes it's very unfortunate.  [Link] [Link] [Link]

[arianayells-blog]

Thick Than Dust by K.Flay

Hello internet and welcome back to another blog post. This week we are going to be looking at Thicker Than Dust by K. Flay.

Background: Thicker Than Dust by K. Flay is the ninth song on her album Life as a Dog. The album Life as a Dog was released on June 24, 2014. The album ranked at number 14 on the Billboard Rap Albums chart and on number 133 on the Billboard 200 on July 12, 2014. [Link] [Link]

Main Idea: Not much has been said by the writer themselves about but the song generally seems to be about various aspects of life or the writer’s life experiences.

Lyrics:http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/kflay/thickerthandust.html

https://genius.com/Kflay-thicker-than-dust-lyrics

 [Hook]

Me and my friends, thicker than blood

Just trying to breathe something thicker than dust

I need to keep my mind, my mind moving on up

Because it's always rolling down, always rolling down

The hook starts with paraphrasing the well known but also misused quote “blood is thicker than water.” The full quote is “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,” which means relationships made through bonding to share experiences are stronger than relationships of family. The following line could mainly be about trying to breathe through and trying to go through life that’s getting harder and harder to get through. The following lines are the writer mainly saying that they need to keep an open mind or an optimistic view because they’re always viewing life negatively. [Link]

 I'm in a brand new time zone, we got a whole new state of mind

Buzzing all high on a tightrope, eyes lit up like the Vegas sign

Nobody around got a husband, nobody around got a wife to call

Thinking about when I felt lovesick, doesn't really sound like a life at all

I'm in the mood for a plot twist, never cared what I'm supposed to be

Fuck living life in an office, my eyes, no not focusing

Wishing my future would carve out, bank notes and dinner plans

But we look better with the stars out, waking up to go to sleep again

This verse starts off with the writer possibly moving to New York. The following lines are about them feeling the excitement of moving to this place but also possibly feeling lonely or lovesick while in this new place. The lines after that are the writer wanting to live a life that wasn’t the typical work in office place lifestyle. They want their future to turn out for the better.

 [Hook]

 I've got a brand new passion, we found a whole new way to see

Might spend a whole night smashing, wait for the blowback patiently

World never seemed like a fair place, bad people got the nicest things

Same shit playing on the airwaves, naked girls, diamond rings

All my life been a good kid, so what I got a broken car

Moved my shit out of Brooklyn, laughed out loud, fell apart

Money's overrated, sex ain't hard to find

We're not in love, since when is that a crime

This verse starts with the writer stating that they’ve found a new way to view life.They say they might as well spend the whole night partying because the world was never fair of a place. The radio plays the same songs about naked girls and being rich while she’s lived an ok life but their car’s broken. They eventually left NY and fell apart. Sometimes being in a relationship not based on love is looked down upon.

 [Hook]

I thank God, feeling warmer, getting closer

All we've got, push it further, almost over

One last sip, kiss me like you really mean it

Times like this, I want something to believe in

[x2]

[Hook]

[x2]

Overall, this song is more of a subtle narrative about  a part in the writer’s life, but also how their friends have stuck with them throughout all this and them learning that they need to look up more. I personally feel this song is an example of that time where you’re living by yourself for the first time and all the excitement that comes with that. This song is also just a collective of different aspects of life in general: the excitement and loneliness that comes with living in a different place, not wanting to live a generic life, wanting a better future, realizing life sucks, and falling apart in the end in various ways. Thicker Than Dust shows various themes and statements that are just overall interesting and are what makes the song unique.

[arianayells-blog]

Believer by Imagine Dragons

Hello internet and welcome to this week’s post. Today we are going to be looking at one of Imagine Dragon’s latest songs, Believer.

Background/General Idea : Believer by Imagine Dragons is their lead single for their currently upcoming third album, Evolve. The song was released on January 31st, 2017. Not many statistics are known album sales wise as it was released recently, but the song has ranked at various numbers on the charts in various countries including number one in the United States. In an interview with People.com the lead singer and writer Dan Reynolds spoke about the songs meaning. “The meaning of the song is really reflecting on specific things in my life that were painful, whether it was anxiety and dealing with crowds, feeling overwhelmed by that or the success of the band, disease, going through depression - anything that was a source of pain in my life. And just rising above that, finding a place of perspective where I could be appreciative of the pain in life and make it my greatest strength.”  [Link] [Link] [Link]

 Lyrics: https://genius.com/Imagine-dragons-believer-lyrics

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/imaginedragons/believer.html

 First things first

I'ma say all the words inside my head

I'm fired up and tired of the way that things have been, oh-ooh

The way that things have been, oh-ooh

The song starts off with the writer having this attitude of being done with being quiet and finally speaking up about what they’re thinking and feeling about what’s going on. Throughout the song he uses a“first things first” repetition which gives emphasis on the points they’re listing throughout the song.  [Link]

 Second thing second

Don't you tell me what you think that I can be

I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea, oh-ooh

The master of my sea, oh-ooh

This part of the verse is him emphasizing that they’re the one in control of their life or what happens in their life. I decide who I want to be and what I can be.

 I was broken from a young age

Taking my sulking to the masses

Writing my poems for the few

That looked at me, took to me, shook to me, feeling me

Singing from heartache from the pain

Take up my message from the veins

Speaking my lesson from the brain

Seeing the beauty through the…

The first half of the pre-chorus is the writer talking about when he was young and how he dealt with this later mentioned pain as a child. They wrote poems and only showed it to the few that understand them or were close to them. The second half emphasises on more of when they’re now grown up. They sing not only from heartache from the pain but also about the lessons they’ve learned overall. Instead of singing about clouded experiences they connect that pain with the message they’ve learned and the lessons they’ve taken from life to create a more reasoned reflection about their life or experiences. In the end they’ve now see the beauty in the pain instead being depressed over it.

 [Chorus]

Pain!

You made me a, you made me a believer, believer

Pain!

You break me down, you build me up, believer, believer

Pain!

Let the bullets fly, oh let them rain

My life, my love, my drive, it came from...

Pain!

You made me a, you made me a believer, believer

The chorus is the main statement that shows the writer’s feelings that is being talked about in this song. Pain made them realize the beauty in it. It made them a believer in various aspects of their life including themselves and their career. Pain broke them down but also made them bring themselves back up.  Pain taught the writer how to grow stronger and better themselves.

Third things third

Send a prayer to the ones up above

All the hate that you've heard has turned your spirit to a dove, oh-ooh

Your spirit up above, oh-ooh

I was choking in the crowd

Building my rain up in the cloud

Falling like ashes to the ground

Hoping my feelings, they would drown

But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing

Inhibited, limited

'Til it broke open and rained down

It rained down, like…

This pre-chorus continues the emphasis on how they used to deal with pain. They would try to conceal or hide their pain and keep it bottle up while they wished for their feelings to drown away. However, feelings couldn’t be kept bottled forever and they eventually broke open and rained down.

 [Chorus]

 Last things last

By the grace of the fire and the flames

You're the face of the future, the blood in my veins, oh-ooh

The blood in my veins, oh-ooh

But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing

Inhibited, limited

'Til it broke open and rained down

It rained down, like…

The first half of this part of the song is mainly a statement about how pain or possibly the listener or the fans are the future of their life or what drives them now in their life. The other half was already said in the previous sections.

 [Chorus]

Overall this song deals with Dan’s experiences and feelings about his life so far and the pain he’s been through, however the vague or at least non-specific parts of the song give it a more relatable feel. The general message allows the listener to put their emotions and feelings in the song to be able to relate to it. We have all encountered pain in our lives and most likely learned and grown from it. That in itself is the main point of the song. The more personal parts of the song put emphasis on Dan’s past and how he’s grown from it and gotten to this point because of it. Pain in his life personally is what helped drive him to become better and in the end be the inspiration for various songs including this one. Pain is both negative but can also be a beautiful thing when viewed in the right light.

[arianayells-blog]

Paparazzi by Lady Gaga

Hello internet welcome back to another weekly blog post. This week we are going to be looking at the song Paparazzi by Lady Gaga.

Background: Paparazzi by Lady Gaga is her fifth single for her debut studio album The Fame. It was released on July,6 2009. The song overall received positive reviews from music critics. The song itself was also ranked by Rolling Stone as Gaga’s second best song overall. The song has been certified platinum in 2016. In general, the song has mainly been stated to be about her struggle with fame and love. In one interview with dancemusic.about.com she stated, “ The song is about a few different things – it's about my struggles, do I want fame or do I want love? It's also about wooing the paparazzi to fall in love with me. It's about the media whoring, if you will, watching ersatzes make fools of themselves to their station. It's a love song for the cameras, but it's also a love song about fame or love – can you have both, or can you only have one?” In an interview with Rolling Stone it was more clearly stated that Paparazzi was a song about love that was “an escape from her own narcissism and desire for fame.” She was so infatuated with the boy she was dating at the time that she was “ready to be his fan, to turn the camera around and photograph him.”  [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link]

The General Idea: As stated before, this song is about fame and love and questioning if you can have both.

Lyrics:

https://genius.com/Lady-gaga-paparazzi-lyrics

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/ladygaga/paparazzi.html

We are the crowd

We're coming out

Got my flash on it's true

Need that picture of you

It's so magical

We'd be so fantastic, oh

The verse starts off with Gaga sort of imitating the paparazzi which is typically a crowd of people. She’s wants to be in a new relationship, specifically with this one person she is referring to. Just like the paparazzi, the fourth line is similar to the fact how the paparazzi need a specific picture  of a person or they don’t get paid, however in this case Gaga needs this picture because she’s in love with this person.

Leather and jeans

Garage glamorous

Not sure what it means

But this photo of us

It don't have a price

Ready for those flashing lights

'Cause you know that baby I

This whole section of the verse is mainly Gaga saying how they’ll look great together even though she doesn’t know what it means for their relationship or at least the future of it. This picture of them doesn’t have a price tag or worth but they’re ready for the paparazzi anyways.

[Chorus]

I'm your biggest fan

I'll follow you until you love me

Papa-Paparazzi

Baby there's no other superstar

You know that I'll be your

Papa-Paparazzi

Promise I'll be kind

But I won't stop until that boy is mine

Baby you'll be famous

Chase you down until you love me

Papa-Paparazzi

The chorus is the main evidence or point in the song that shows this motive of her mocking or portraying the side of the paparazzi in her quest for this person. Gaga is pretty much being the stalker in this love story. Just like the paparazzi she’ll follow them until they love her and be the superstar or idol they want her to be. This can also be viewed in a reverse perspective and Gaga trying to woo the paparazzi. She loves the attention and will be the idol they want her to be and need her to be to make headlines. This perspective can at least be viewed in the upper part of the chorus not the chorus as a whole.

I'll be your girl backstage at your show

Velvet ropes and guitars

Yeah cause you're my rock star in between the sets

Eyeliner and cigarettes

Shadow is burnt, yellow dance and return

My lashes are dry - purple teardrops I cry

It don't have a price

Loving you is Cherry Pie

'Cause you know that baby I

This whole verse is a description of who Gaga will be for this person when she’s dating him. She’ll be that girlfriend backstage and that girl in between with camera flash dances and dried mascara tears. Loving them is easy as pie because she loves them so much.

[Chorus]

 Real good, We're dancing in the studio

Snap, snap, to that shit on the radio

Don't stop, for anyone

We're plastic but we still have fun

They’re love might be fake but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a good time.

 [Chorus]

 Promise I'll be kind

But I won't stop until that boy is mine

Baby you'll be famous

Chase you down until you love me

Papa-paparazzi

I already discussed this.

Overall, this song was pretty straightforward but I personally enjoy the lyrics and how it definitely shows both a mockery of paparazzi but also desperation for a single person. Throughout the song there’s a constant “pay attention to me” vibe that goes along with the previously mentioned point of narcissism. The typical statement said by every fan “I’m your biggest fan” adds on to her point of being this stalker character. In the end, this song is just full of her wanting to be this person for the one she loves but also being this mocking character that represents the paparazzi and how they’ll do anything to get a picture or get news from a celebrity.

[arianayells-blog]

Dreams by Imagine Dragons

Hello internet and welcome back to yet another blog post. This week we are going to be looking at Dreams by Imagine Dragons

Background: Dreams is the ninth track on Imagine Dragon’s second album, Smoke and Mirrors. This song was not a single for this album so no statistics about Billboard ranking and reception of the song are clearly known. The album Smoke and Mirrors had mixed reviews upon release but debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and on the UK Albums Chart. Smoke and Mirrors was written while they were on their tour for Night Visions, their first album, and most likely up until late 2014 when they released the album’s first single I Bet My Life. The album also certified gold in the United States on August 26,2015. The album’s title most likely comes from the idiom of the same phrase. The idiom smoke and mirrors is used to describe “something intended to disguise or draw attention away from an often embarrassing or unpleasant issue —usually hyphenated when used attributively.” [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link]

 The Main Idea: The song’s main theme is the sadly reality of life and how the only time life is better is when you’re sleeping.

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Imagine-dragons-dream-lyrics

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/imaginedragons/dream.html

 In the dark

And I’m right on the middle mark

I’m just in the tier of everything that rides below the surface

And I watch from a distance seventeen

And I’m short of the others dreams of being golden and on top

It’s not what you painted in my head

There’s so much there instead of all the colors that I saw

The second line is the writer saying that he’s in the middle of the mark, a halfway point between two choices or a way to go. The writer then follows with saying that where they’re at is the layer below those who matter. They’re viewing life from the eyes of being 17 and slowly realizing that that the coming future isn’t guaranteed to be golden as we always dream. Life is sometimes painted out better than it seems to be. The usual dreams of being successful and happy are not always how the reality turns out.

[Chorus]

We all are living in a dream,

But life ain’t what it seems

Oh everything’s a mess

And all these sorrows I have seen

They lead me to believe

That everything’s a mess

The chorus is restating how we all are living in this created life. We want to believe and see only the good in life and not observe its mess, but that’s not how life is. Life has its ups and downs as it has it’s good sides and bad sides. The writer,however, has seen past these dreams and realizes the world is a mess.

[Post-Chorus]

But I wanna dream

I wanna dream

Leave me to dream

The writer is wishing to go back to the way things were, not knowing about the sorrows of life.

 In the eyes

Of a teenage crystallized

Oh the prettiest of lights that hang the hallways of the home

And the cries from the strangers out at night

They don’t keep us up at night

We have the curtains drawn and closed

The sights and problems that they have seen are frozen and all the can remember. The following lines describe how we sometimes go along with the act of if we don’t see it then it is not an issue. Ignorance is bliss.

[Chorus] + [Post-Chorus]

 I know all your reasons

To keep me from seeing

Everything is actually a mess

But now I am leaving

All of us were only dreaming

Everything is actually a mess

The writer is mainly saying that he understands why this reality and the mess of society was hidden from them but they do not want to live that life anymore. That life that was painted up for him was only a dream. Everything in the end is actually a mess. This can also be seen in examples today as a child sometimes we’re sheltered and have no idea how bad things are in the world. We’re kind of in this bubble that only involves the people around us, but as we get older we begin to see more and more of the reality. The dream careers we had in second grade become less and less likely to come true and be possible. Life’s hard, reality is mess, and making a living is difficult, but in the end we still dream and accept.

 [Chorus] + [Post-Chorus x2]

In general, this song is almost a straightforward statement about how we sometimes choose not to view life in its entirety. As a child our knowledge of the world only went as far as we were told. Anything and everything seemed possible, but as we grow up we slowly begin to realize how much harder these goals are or how cruel or sad the world actually is. In a general viewpoint, we sometimes block out the sorrows of the world because they bring us down. We try to paint picture perfect lives for ourselves and our children, but in the end we all know it’s just a facade to cover the reality. There’s also an acceptance that can be seen or just stated about the subject because we all generally know that life is a mess in one way or another, but we still choose to dream on and hope. It can be said that there’s beauty in that itself. I hope you’ve gained some insight from this post or even questioned life before childhood and taken something new from this.

[arianayells-blog]

Can't Pin Me Down by Marina and the Diamonds

Hello internet and welcome to another weekly blog post. This week we are going to analyze another song by Marina and the Diamonds called Can’t Pin Me Down.

Background/ Main Idea: “Can’t Pin Me Down” is the seventh track on Froot by Marina and the Diamonds. In the last post we discussed a little bit about the background of the album itself so we will not be talking about it again. The song itself is also not a single so no rankings or records stand with this song specifically. As the song mainly deals with the misconception the media has about what type of artist Marina is, she has to practically reassert who she is as an artist and why in reality she’s not another Lady GaGa or Katy Perry. In her interview with Refinery 29 talking about why she wrote this song she has said, “It was definitely born of frustration and feeling misunderstood. That’s not the media’s fault, or certain people’s fault. I definitely facilitated that. [The song] is me readjusting to that and being like, ‘You don’t even know what kind of artist I am. You will find out very soon.” This possible media assumption could be because of her previous album Electra Heart. Refinery 29 gives a further possible explanation by saying, “ On Electra Heart, Diamandis used wigs,makeup, and crazy outfits to play a series of characters meant to signify common female archetypes. It was a clever, instantly likable record that topped the charts in the U.K. and reached No. 2 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart, but it made people think Marina and the Diamonds might be the next Lady Gaga or Katy Perry.” The song also has some secondary themes involving more specifically on the perception of women in general, however the main motive for the song was Marina’s frustrations about misperceptions of her as an artist by the media. [Link]

 Lyrics:

https://genius.com/Marina-and-the-diamonds-cant-pin-me-down-lyrics

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/marinathediamonds/cantpinmedown.html

 [Chorus:]

You can paint me any color

And I can be your clown

But you ain't got my number

Yeah, you can't pin me down

Yeah, you can't pin me down

Yeah, you can't pin me down

The main point of the chorus is Marina saying that you can make me up as whatever you want to be, but that won’t be who I am and who I enjoy to be. The following line is phrase that mainly means that the media or the person she is referring to doesn’t have truly understand her or know her actual flaws or even just who she is as an artist. Marina is saying you can’t pin me down to any preconception they might have about her because that’s not who she really is and the person who keeps trying to define her will never succeed in the end because of their false impressions of her.  [Link]

Now I got your back up

What do you not like

Do you think I'm stuck-up

'Cause I'm always picking fights

You might think I'm one thing,

But I am another

You can't call my bluff

Time to back off, motherfucker

This verse starts off with a more sarcastic or less serious tone. Marina is now asking what they don’t like about her now that she has their attention. Is it because they think she’s conceited or stands up for her beliefs? Then the following lines somewhat restate the chorus’s idea with they will assume and define her as something she’s not and you don’t truly understand her so just back off with the assumptions.

 Do you really want me to write a feminist anthem

I'm happy cooking dinner in the kitchen for my husband

Yeah, yeah

In this pre-verse Marina is mainly asking does she have to write another feminist themed anthem to prove her point. However, she states that even writing another feminist anthem wouldn’t truly be her as being a “housewife” ,or one of those wives who is more “traditional” to a sense that they stay home, cook dinner, clean, and take care of the kids, is completely fine with her. She can’t be defined as “feminist” or “non-feminist” as the ideals and expectations of both are so mixed.

[Chorus]

 You ain't got me sussed yet

You're not even close

Baby, it's the one thing

That I hate the most

All these contradictions pouring out of me

Just another girl in the 21st century

As stated in other parts of the song, the media just hasn’t realize who she really is yet and at this point it’s just Marina’s pet-peeve. She’s said some or things that contradict with each other such as her values and goals. This just led to people assuming that she’s just another pop girl.

I am never gonna give you anything you expect

You think I'm like the others

Boy, you need to get your eyes checked

This is just another restatement of previous ideas. Marina is essentially unpredictable to the media as they keep believing that she is what she isn’t.

[Chorus]

 I could be your sister

I could be your mother

I could be your neighbour

I could be your lover

Do you like my body?

Do you like my mind?

What is it that you are having trouble to define?

The first four lines are her stating the fact that she can be anyone and have any relation to you as a person ,so why force her into being someone she isn’t. The next two lines could be the common assumption of you either believe that a person is cute or they’re intelligent, “brains over beauty”. However, if those lines are also tied with the final line then it can be interpreted as Marina asking why are you having a hard time defining me when you can just accept me for the person I am.

 I am never gonna give you anything you expect

You think I'm like the others

Boy, you need to get your eyes...checked, checked

We have already discussed this.

 You can paint me any color

I can be your Russian doll

But you ain't got my number

No, you can't make me small

You can paint me any color

And I can be your clown

But you ain't got my number

No, you can't pin me down

Yeah, you can't pin me down

Yeah, you can't pin me down

This chorus is almost the same as the other choruses, but the second line is different. The line mainly states that she can be this person that media assumes her to be both on and under the surfaces. Besides that line everything about the chorus is still the same in meaning.

Can’t Pin Me Down is a great example of what happens in general in media and today. Many people make assumptions about a celebrity’s personality or life based on the smallest of things that they see. It’s like interpreting a picture while only like at a small fraction of it.This can even be viewed in a general statement as we assume people’s personalities by the way they look or the things they say when we don’t even known half of the person that they really are. There is a whole lot more to a person than what’s on the surface, and that’s something we are taught but forget in our actions online and in real life. We are quick to judge but not quick to learn and understand. I hope you learned a somewhat practical viewpoint and maybe realized how this issue has happened in media today. Hopefully, we all will improve on this impulse in the future.

[arianayells-blog]

Savages by Marina and the Diamonds

Hello Internet and welcome back to another post! This week we are going to look at Savages by Marina and the Diamonds.

Background: Savages is Marina’s 11th track on her third studio album Froot. The album was released on April 3, 2015. The song was not released before this period as it was not a single for the album. The album itself debuted at number 10 on UK Albums chart and at number 8 on the US Billboard 200. Overall the album was well received and reviewed. In an interview with Time magazine, Marina specifically talked about the song Savages.  She said, “I’m not a political person at all, but I am interested in society. And seeing rape culture explode over the past few years and be pretty much in the news every single day is sickening. It’s more about trying to start a conversation on why these things are in our human traits. Because they are natural to us even though it’s really hard to hear. No one wants to say that rape is natural, but it’s something that’s been embedded in us, and it’s horrendous. So that inspired that song.” In another interview with Rolling Stone she also stated inspiration from more specific events that were happening at the time such as the Boston marathon bombing and the Delhi gang rape. [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link]

 The general idea: As stated in her interviews, Marina is exploring and discusses the on whether committing these various cruel actions or having the tendencies to them are natural or not.

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Marina-and-the-diamonds-savages-lyrics

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/marinathediamonds/savages.html

 Murder lives forever

And so does war

It's survival of the fittest

Rich against the poor

At the end of the day

It's a human trait

Hidden deep down inside of our DNA

The song starts off by stating some facts. War and murder has alive for ages. History shows that no matter what era human has existed conflict has always occurred between humans. The following two lines are Marina mentioning how we as a human race established Social Darwinism, the survival of the “fittest” or the richest. It was a theory that certain beliefs, races, and cultures were “superior” compared to others. The verse finishes with her main point of this song, that maybe all of these horrible things that are occurring right now are in our DNA and is inevitable because of it. History constantly repeats itself in various ways and maybe it’s the product of natural capability and choice. [Link]

 One man can build a bomb

Another run a race

To save somebody's life

And have it blow up in his face

I'm not the only one who

Finds it hard to understand

I'm not afraid of God

I am afraid of Man

The first two lines are directly referring to the Boston Marathon and how one person can do something horrible while at the same time another person can do something completely good and not ill intentioned. The following two lines also make a comment on the horrible things that happen in the world. One person trying to save someone’s life or multiple people’s lives can literally have them blown in their face. Examples of this include well known advocate for girl’s education Malala Yousafzai and even the countries that are accepting refugees into their countries. Malala didn’t die, but she was threatened various times by the Taliban and various parts of her town in Swat Valley were destroyed and bombed by them. A more current view of this includes the bombings that have occurred in the various countries that have accepted refugees. They wanted to help those who didn’t have a place to run, but it ended up blowing up in their face at some point. The following lines discuss how she is not the only one who finds these events hard to understand. Marina then says that she no longer fears God, but fears man because of knowing what we are capable of. [Link] [Link] [Link]

 Is it running in our blood

Is it running in our veins

Is it running in our genes

Is it in our DNA

Humans aren't gonna behave

As we think we always should

Yeah, we can be bad as we can be good

As suggested in the first verse, Marina brought up the idea that maybe these terrible tendencies are in our code. Sometimes we make decisions that aren’t ideal or well thought out and we are just as capable of being good as we are being bad.

 [Chorus]

Underneath it all, we're just savages

Hidden behind shirts, ties and marriages

How could we expect anything at all

We're just animals, still learning how to crawl

Underneath all of our lives we are all capable of being and are savages. Various views such as racism, homophobia, and sexism still exist and run from generation to generation as if it was sometimes instinctively taught. Despite how we try to differentiate ourselves from “animals”, we are still animals ourselves learning how to do even the basic of things on earth.

 We live, we die

We steal, we kill, we lie

Just like animals

But with far less grace

We laugh, we cry

Like babies in the night

Forever running wild

In the human race

The first four lines are a comment on how although we have our morals we still lose them. Animals haven’t developed morals and they do what they have to do to survive, however we as humans do have morals and even then our ignorance of this our actions are done with far less grace than actual animals.

Another day, another tale of rape

Another ticking bomb to bury deep and detonate

I'm not the only one who finds it hard to understand

I'm not afraid of God

I'm afraid of Man

The first two lines are just another restatement of how everyday we hear their tragedies. The following lines were already discussed.

You can see it on the news

You can watch it on TV

You can read it on your phone

You can say it's troubling

Humans aren't gonna behave

As we think we always should

Yeah, we can be bad as we can be good

We hear these horrible actions everywhere. We hear it on the news, our TV’s, on the internet, and even on our phones. The following lines were already explained.

[Chorus]

 All the hate coming out from a generation

Who got everything, and nothing guided by temptation

Were we born to abuse, shoot a gun and run

Or has something deep inside of us come undone?

Is it a human trait, or is it learned behavior

Are you killing for yourself, or killing for your savior?

The first two lines discuss how there is hate from generation after generation, generations who seem to have it all and are guided by temptations like greed. Marina then begins to again question are we all born to fight and act in war or is it something that’s gone wrong in what we have taught our youth. She brings up what we consider nature vs. nurture. Are these actions taught or something that we are all genetically capable and impulsive or inevitable to do. The final line brings up the questioning of the motives for the violence. Are you doing this for yourself or are you doing this for your religion? A current example of this is the not so debatable topic of if ISIS is really Islamic. As we all know religions are not violent, people are violent, but we still believe that Islam is a violent religion when in reality it is actually a peaceful one and many Muslims can attest to that. A less current example of this is European Imperialism. Many european countries colonized and divided “lesser” countries and nations amongst themselves. They murdered and enslaved  hundreds of innocents because of their belief in Social Darwinism that they were the superior race and that God allowed all their actions to be acceptable. All other religions were inferior to Christianity. In the end, people fight with religion as their motives, but it is only a cover to justify their personal motives. [Link] [Link]

 [Chorus]

In the end, the idea that people are innately savages is a possible thing. Although nurture does play a role in this as we all know hate is taught not born with, it is possible that through generations we have learned and become born with the capability to kill. That may be obvious as we all have the decision to do right or wrong we are still surprised by it. Horrible things are still on the news everyday to a point where it just isn’t “new” anymore. Despite how much we try to civilize ourselves from the animal we still sometimes end up like them if not worse. Sometimes we are savages and without morals by choice. Overall, I hope you gained a new perspective with this post as I have.

[arianayells-blog]

This is Gospel by Panic! at the Disco

Hello Internet and welcome to this week’s weekly blog post. In this post we are going to be looking at another Panic! At the Disco song, This is Gospel.

Background: This is Gospel is Panic! At the Disco’s second single for their fourth album Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die. The song peaked at number 86 on Billboard’s top 100 and certified platinum on July 7 ,2016. The main inspiration for this song was about one of band member’s, Spencer Smith, drug addiction. Bredon wrote the song during a time of concern and was kind of mad at himself and at Spencer because he didn’t know how to help him.  [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link]

The General Idea: As stated before the main inspiration for the song was about Spencer’s addiction. The song’s lyrics can be viewed almost as a conversation or the points of view between Spencer and Brendon and just the feelings from both sides during this time of worry and concern.

Lyrics

https://genius.com/Panic-at-the-disco-this-is-gospel-lyrics

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/panicatthedisco/thisisgospel.html

 This is gospel for the fallen ones

Locked away in permanent slumber

Assembling their philosophies

From pieces of broken memories

This verse starts off the song with stating this song’s purpose or dedication. This is for those who’ve fallen and are stuck there unable to get up. They assemble their beliefs from what broken thoughts and memories they still have. Not everything is complete but it’s all that’s left from the fall.

 Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart [2x]

Their gnashing teeth and criminal tongues conspire against the odds

But they haven’t seen the best of us yet

The first line is a way of saying this is my intention or belief similar to the saying I wear my heart on my sleeve. Both sides are expressing their care and their feelings and intentions. The second half is saying that despite the hardships that try to tamper with the odds of being free they haven’t seen the best of themselves. This can also be viewed as Spencer’s fight with addiction and how it tries to pull drag him back as most attempts at quitting end up doing, he still has a fight to put up and it’s not even the best of him yet.

 [Chorus]

If you love me let me go

If you love me let me go

‘Cause these words are knives and often leave scars

The fear of falling apart

And truth be told, I never was yours

The fear, the fear of falling apart

The chorus starts off with a reference to a very well known quote by Kahlil Gibran, “ If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. If they don’t, they never were.” This line can be viewed as Spencer telling Brendon to let him go and give him time to figure everything out and focus on dealing with his addiction. Sometimes concern from others can make the situation worse than it already is. The following line is mainly saying that what was previously said or has been said are painful and leave a lasting memory. These words hurt but sometimes they must be said. The following lines put more perspective of what Spencer was possibly feeling at the time,the fear of falling apart. This could be viewed as not succeeding in quitting or when he was at a point of his life where the addiction ran his life and his life could fall apart at any point because of withdrawal or overdose. Overall the chorus shows this almost fight between Spencer and Brendon about Spencer leaving and trying to deal with his addiction while all that Brendon could do was try to help and watch.

 Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart [2x]

This is gospel for the vagabonds,

Ne'er-do-wells and insufferable bastards

Confessing their apostasies

Led away by imperfect impostors

This verse re-explains the song’s dedication. This song is for all the people who don’t do good or make bad decisions with their lives. This song is for those who abandoned their beliefs and confessed these abandonments to people who are just as imperfect as they are.

 Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart [2x]

Don’t try to sleep through the end of the world

And bury me alive

'Cause I won’t give up without a fight

Don’t try ignore the problem at hand and pretend the issue is in the past. This can be viewed from Brendon’s point of view and him telling Spencer to not give up and leave him behind because he won’t let that happen without trying to fight and help him.

 [Chorus]

 Oh, the fear of falling apart

Oh, the fear, the fear of falling apart

 [4x]

(Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart)

The fear of falling apart

(Already discussed)

In general, This is Gospel is almost an abstract way of Brendon showing his feelings about his friend’s addiction and just being practically useless in the midst of it all. The song’s lyrics convey various points of view that includes Spencer’s fight and fears with his addiction and Brendon’s feelings and view on the situation especially on the verses where he states who this song is for. These people can be viewed in relation to Spencer’s situation, those who have fallen to a low and struggling to get back or have given up their fight and for those who have made bad decisions in their lives and given up their faith because of these actions or a bleak future. Overall this song shows this point in their lives and this hypothetical or metaphorical fight between both of them. As a closing point, I highly suggest watching the music video for this song as it helps show the meaning of the song and visually shows in an artistic way of the restraint and fight to be free.

[arianayells-blog]

Girls/Girls/Boys by Panic! at the Disco

Hello internet and yet again we are back at it with another song. This week we are going to be looking at Girls/Girls/Boys by Panic! At the Disco.

Background: Girls/Girls/Boys is Panic! At the Disco’s third single from their fourth album Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!. It was released on October 8, 2013 and ranked at #31 on Billboard’s US Hot Rock Songs. There’s not much statistical background to the song, however there is a story. On Genius.com, Brendon Urie annotated the chorus and explained the story that inspired the song. As a summary the story was about when he lived in Vegas and experimenting with sexuality. In various interviews Urie has also stated that he is sometimes gay and finds some guys attractive. Overall he believes that there shouldn't be shame in being having a fluid sexuality or even just loving another person.  [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link]

Fun fact pt 1: On July 21,2014 Panic! At the Disco donated $1000 to the Human Rights Campaign’s Pride 2014 gay movement after their show in Kansas City was picketed by the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church. [Link] [Link]

Fun fact pt 2: At various shows frontman Brendon Urie usually gives a short speech before playing Girls/Girls/Boys. [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link]

The General Idea: The song as a whole is a story about the writer wanting to date this girl but she’s already dating someone.

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Panic-at-the-disco-girls-girls-boys-lyrics

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/panicatthedisco/girlsgirlsboys.html

 I don't wanna hear you've got a boyfriend

Sometimes you're better off alone

But if you change your mind, you know where I am

Yeah, if you change your mind, you know where to find me

'Cause I don't ever wanna be your boyfriend

This part of the song is the first part of story. The speaker or writer was in general rejected by this girl because she was already dating another guy, but the writer than states he’s available and if you change your mind you know where I am.

[Pre-Chorus]

And never did I think that I

Would be caught in the way you got me

Push another girl aside and just give in

These lines are somewhat straightforward. The writer wasn’t expecting to be stuck in this situation with this girl who is bisexual and trying to fight to fight for her attention. The last line is the writer telling this girl to leave her current girlfriend and give dating him a chance.

[Chorus]

Girls love girls and boys (sophisticated, manipulated)

Girls love girls and boys (sophisticated, manipulated)

And never did I think that I

Would be caught in the way you got me

But girls love girls and boys

And love is not a choice

The chorus is the main part in which our previously mentioned background applies to. In various parts of the song it is shown that this girl is questioning her feelings and tries to hide the fact that she’s dating a woman. The writer ,however wants her to accept her feelings and herself even though he loves her. Girls can love girls ,and girls can love boys. In the end, love is not a choice. We can even view this topic outside of this specific story especially when many still believe being gay or bisexual or even asexual is a choice when the reality is it’s not. There are various articles about the science and genetic behind it when in general the conclusion to it all is that it’s just how science turned out and there’s no use denying it. Even nature, homosexual behaviour has been displayed although sporadic it exists. A well-known example is the gay penguin couple at the Kent zoo. All examples from science aside, at the end of the day you cannot change your feelings for another gender. You aren’t broken and no one should judge another person for who they love. Girls love girls and boys, and love is not a choice. [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link]

 Pose, you've gotta save your reputation

They're close to finding out about your girlfriend

But if you change your mind, you know where I am

Yeah, if you change your mind, you know where to find me

'Cause I don't wanna save your reputation

This verse returns back to the story. The girl as we have stated beforehand is trying to cover the fact that she has a girlfriend. However the writer does not want to date her just to be her “boyfriend” and just be there to cover up her real relationship.

 [Pre-Chorus]

[Chorus]

 I am just a villain vying for attention from a girl

A girl who can't decide and here's the reason why

The writer admits he’s trying to be her friend to get close to her and possibly date her. He’s aware of the fact that it’s wrong, but he’s also aware of why the girl is indecisive.

Girls love girls and boys (sophisticated, manipulated)

Girls love girls and boys (sophisticated, manipulated)

Girls love girls and boys (sophisticated, manipulated)

Girls love girls and boys (sophisticated, manipulated)

 And never did I think that I

Would be caught in the way you got me

But girls love girls and boys

And love is not a choice

We have already discussed this in the chorus.

In the end, this song ,although straightforward, clearly shows what Brendon believes about love and conveys the various relationships that he has been with but also situations that at least a few have faced in their lives. Those moments of questioning who you are as a person or who you truly love. This song encourages acceptance of those feelings and being who you are and loving whoever you want. Before I close off this post I want to add on to this topic and answer the usual question that is applicable to any topic, “why should I care?” Well to start off in various parts and majority of history we as a majority were homophobic and some still are. Various actions such as laws that makes homosexual activity punished by death, various violent hate crimes against such individuals, and discrimination. More recent examples of these actions include the use of conversion therapy, a psychological treatment or spiritual counseling designed to change a person's sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual, and has been shown to not work, parents disowning their child for their sexuality and forcing them to live on their own although they are a minor, and various forms of bullying and hatred from people online and even at school. Same sex-marriage was even legalized in all 50 states until June 26th 2015. The gist is that it’s the 21st century, why do we hate and ridicule an individual for who they love just because it is different from who we personally love? It’s time to learn to love and lessen the hate. To leave this on a bright side, there is a much bigger support for the LGBT+ community than there was even a few years ago ,and this holds hope for the future. I hope you learned something new from this post and just remember love is not a choice.

[Link] [Link] [Link]

[arianayells-blog]

American Idiot by Green Day

Hello internet and welcome to yet another blog post. This week we are going to be viewing a relatable song for current events or feelings going on at the moment, American Idiot by Green Day.

Background: American Idiot is one of Green Day’s many singles and is the first single from their album of the same title American Idiot.  The title of the song mainly refers to the state of the United States at the time and how they were controlled by biased media and George W. Bush, a eventually well disliked president, was running for re-election. Overall the song received positive reviews by critics and the public. When it was released and became Green Day’s first single to be on the Billboard Hot 100. The song itself was also nominated for four Grammys in 2005: Record of the Year, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, Best Rock Song, and Best Music Video. In addition to these nominations the single also certified gold in Australia, Italy, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Not much else can be said about this song background wise. It was another successful song from a band who liked to speak out when things are turning bad in life. [Link] [Link]

The General Idea: As stated in the background, the song is mainly about criticizing the media and just the overall state of the U.S. at the time. The fear or hysteria induced by the media. Pretty straightforward in some cases, but we are still going to take this and look at it verse by verse.

Lyrics:

https://genius.com/Green-day-american-idiot-lyrics

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/greenday/americanidiot.html

 Don't wanna be an American idiot.

Don't want a nation under the new media

And can you hear the sound of hysteria?

The subliminal mind fuck America.

The song starts off with him not being an “American Idiot” which can be viewed as being an ignorant American who believes the lies of the media or the government. Just a very...very  ignorant American. The verse continues with the main criticism point of this song, the media. As most usually are, we believe almost anything the news tells us even if it’s blown out of proportion. During this time, 9/11 was still very prevalent and the news made the idea and threat of terrorism seem more of a relevant issue than it actually was. It made people hysterical and support the ongoing War on Terrorism, a worldwide war declared by the Bush administration . In a general or overall viewpoint, the media will always as it has before be biased and corrupt or misguide people’s beliefs and the reality. The final line is mainly saying that America is basically in this state of having an indirect change of perspective of reality. The change wasn’t direct but was definitely a flip of what it might have better been off being.  [Link]

Fun Fact: Billie Joe has sung the last line as “mind Trump America” in the spirit of today's current situation and has also spoken about how he felt about Trump as a presidential candidate. [Link] [Link]

[Hook]

Welcome to a new kind of tension.

All across the alien nation.

Where everything isn't meant to be okay.

Television dreams of tomorrow.

We're not the ones who're meant to follow.

For that's enough to argue.

This hook or the chorus continues the song off with referring back to the hysteria again. After 9/11 the world obviously became tense especially in the U.S., a nation of immigrants or aliens. In the end, not much is being done to fix those issues as the media rants on and on about all the terrible things that may or may not happen. Television tells us how things are to be, made to be, or should be and that’s not an ideal that everyone can live up to or follow. Some can’t blindly accept what we are told and just accept ideals presented on a whim.

Well maybe I'm the faggot America.

I'm not a part of a redneck agenda.

Now everybody do the propaganda.

And sing along to the age of paranoia.

The first two lines refer to how sometimes the word faggot is used a slur against people whom the person who spoke the word disagrees with. The writer isn’t part of those people’s agenda and being ignorant which is a typical characteristic of a redneck. The next two lines are again referencing media again and how we’re all paranoid because of its exaggerations due to events that have happened in previous years.

[Hook]

Don't want to be an American idiot.

One nation controlled by the media.

Information age of hysteria.

It's calling out to idiot America.

This verse is similar to the first verse. The overall idea is another media call out. Some information causes hysteria and the nation is hysterical because of the news. This in the end calls out how stupid or gullible we can be when this happens instead of looking into the real facts or viewing both sides of the situation.

[Hook]

After some background explanation, American Idiot is a pretty straightforward song. The media can change the view of the people especially when a time of crisis occurs making people’s minds like soft clay for misinformation to sculpt and corrupt. As of recent events we are in a similar situation. We are in fear of terrorism and terrorists reaching and hiding behind U.S. borders and we are scared of immigrants taking our jobs. We are told these things by both Trump and the media , and later on when the media is actually speaking the truth about the new president’s actions the president himself discredits manly credible news sources such as CNN and Buzzfeed by calling them “fake news”. As we are per usual, some believe these claims and some know better, but majority ruled this round out of fear. As a result, we are blocking people trying to escape fear in their own countries. BUT HEY, that’s just my opinion and honestly helps bring a current event comparison on how this song is even relative today. We the people of the alien nation, are currently in fear of outside events, and as a result the media yet again tries to mold our viewpoints either against or for favor of the president. In the end, personal research is the best research and don’t be an American Idiot. [Link]

[arianayells-blog]

Counting Stars by OneRepublic

Hello internet and for this week’s post we are going to be looking at another well known song, Counting Stars by OneRepublic

Background: Counting Stars is American pop rock band OneRepublic’s third single for their album Native. The song itself was the band’s most successful single and reached number one in many countries and number two in the United States. The song itself was written around the summer of 2012 when he was working and doing recording sessions with Beyoncé. “I was out there for about five days and on the second day I woke up early and I started combing through the internet, searching for stuff that would inspire me for Beyonce. I ended up coming across this weird song – I don’t even know what it was called – that had this indigenous folk sound to it that just struck me like lightning. I didn’t like the verses or lyrics, but I loved the feel and movement of it. That ended up inspiring Counting Stars.“I debated playing it for Beyonce and putting it forward for her album, but it didn’t feel like a song Beyonce would record. I immediately came up with the chorus idea, went home and for the next three months finished the Native album." [OfficialCharts.com]  As a result of this decision, the song was released on June,14 2013 and sold over a million copies, and debuted at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 of the week of July 6,2013. The song Certified Gold in the United States on September 16, 2013. In the end, Counting Stars was a big hit and break from OneRepublic and helped set off a spark of attention for their album Native. [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link]

Fun side facts: The music video for Counting Stars is the 16th most watched video on Youtube with a current total of 1,688,033,276 views. [Link]

The General Idea: The song’s main theme overall is dealing with life and financial issues. The band themselves have said that the song is about “laying in bed awake at night when you’re stressed out of your mind, thinking ‘How are we gonna make ends meet? How are we gonna pay the bills?’ You know, all those things you wanna do with your life – how are we gonna make them work? How’s this actually gonna happen or come to pass? So, instead of counting sheep, we’re counting stars.” Overall the song’s lyrics explain and show this. Staying up at night stressing about making ends meet, but also dreaming about being rich or being well off in life. [Link]

Lyrics:

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/onerepublic/countingstars.html

https://genius.com/Onerepublic-counting-stars-lyrics

 [Chorus]

Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

But, baby I've been, I've been praying hard

Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars

Yeah, we'll be counting stars

The song starts off with the chorus which helps set the song’s topic right from the start. The first part of the lyric describes both the loss of sleep because of financial verse but also the dreams that come with it. At some point in maybe our parent’s lives or the lives of other adults or even your own life you have experienced financial trouble. Maybe you or a parent or relative got laid off or emergencies and expenses came up and that caused a drop in savings or even a negative in the bank balance. Alongside this came a new stress. How are you going to pay the bills, feed yourself and your family, will you find a new job or recover from this? In general, it’s something that can keep people up at night The second part of the chorus describes that hopefulness and dreams that sometimes comes with times like these. We have all dreamed about winning the lottery or making it big in life and having a lot of money ,and that’s exactly what that second part is describing. Praying and dreaming for a better life or money to get out of hardships so that they’re no longer counting and living paycheck to paycheck, they’re counting the stars and possibilities ahead for them.

 I see this life like a swinging vine,

Swing my heart across the line

In my face is flashing signs,

Seek it out and ye shall find.

This part of the verse describes taking risks and finding a sign that you have been waiting for. As the first line describes, the writer sees his life like a swinging vine. Swinging from a vine in many movies that include a jungle usually make this seem like a risk and almost a leap of faith. You have to take a risk to continue further and that’s exactly what the writer did even though it might have put his love or passions at risk. The following two lines describe that feeling of finding that sign you needed to keep going forward in life, that life is going to get better.

Old but I'm not that old

Young but I'm not that bold

And I don't think the world is sold

I'm just doing what we're told

The first two lines describe a more of hitting that point in life where you feel old but in reality you aren’t but not feeling young because you don’t have that energy and adventurous attitude anymore. The following two lines are describing how we are all told what to do to fix the world or other issues going on, but somehow we just don’t. The world isn’t sold on the plan. This is just a way of saying we have the capability of fixing issues that we have started, but we don’t.

 I I I I feel something so right by doing the wrong thing

And I I I I feel something so wrong by doing the right thing

I couldn’t lie, couldn't Iie, couldn't lie

Everything that kills me makes me feel alive.

This final part of the verse describes those feelings of living dangerous or knowingly wrong sometimes feels rights and great while doing the right thing sometimes brings guilts and the feeling of this isn’t right. The final line is a reference or a revised way of the saying “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

[Chorus]

Ye-e-yeah

I feel the love

And I feel it burn down this river every turn

Hope is our four-letter word, make that money watch it burn

The first and second line are kind of straightforward. Love is a strong force and can burn bright even through the various turns or hardships of life. The third line is saying hope is just another word. Nothing overly special and nothing new. The following sentence describes having a job and just how we as human beings live life in general. We make money to watch it burn in various different colors as we spend it on necessities such as food, rent, and the internet but  also spend it on more unnecessary things in life that make us temporarily happy such as toys, new video games and consoles, going to the movies, and out of the budget clothes. We like to splurge on ourselves, it makes us happy, but it’s also metaphorically speaking burning away cash. For some you could say a similar phrase “Money burns a hole in their pocket.” They can never save only spend. [Link]

Old but, I'm not that old

Young, but I'm not that bold

And I don't think the world is sold

I'm just doing what we're told

[Repeated lines from previous verse]

 And I I I I feel something so wrong by doing the right thing

I couldn’t lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie

Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly

[Similar meaning to the previous verse that was repeated earlier]

[Chorus]

Oh, take that money watch it burn,

Sink in the river the lessons I learned

Take that money watch it burn,

Sink in the river the lessons I learned

Take that money watch it burn,

Sink in the river the lessons I learned

Take that money watch it burn,

Sink in the river the lessons I learned

The first line was explained in the previous verse. The second line describes how take that has been spent and apply it to what has been learnt so far whether it’s a lesson of saving money or a life lesson of to not value money over passions and other aspects of life. The river was described in a previous verse and was paraphrase for life. This adds the the aspect of the lessons learned because as we grow in life we learn and become better people. Take the mistakes that you have made and learn from them. As the writer in the chorus has stated with the financial troubles this might also be a point of realization that there are better things to value in life than money. In the end money is just fabric and paper.

Everything that kills me makes me feel alive

[Repeated line]

 [Chorus]

Take that money watch it burn,

Sink in the river the lessons I learned

Take that money watch it burn,

Sink in the river the lessons I learned

Take that money watch it burn,

Sink in the river the lessons I learned

Take that money watch it burn,

Sink in the river the lessons I learned

[Repeated]

 Overall, Counting Stars is clearly a song about dealing with hard financial times but also the journey and realizations that might come with it or come with life in general. We all grow from our experiences and the lessons we are taught. We all dream of a better life ,and we all eventually take risks but also occasionally burn through cash like it’s water. I feel like that this song can honestly apply to many people’s lives because this isn’t a foreign issue or something that’s new or uncommon. At the end of the day, we all dream of counting stars and living life without restriction by money.

[arianayells-blog]

Demons by Imagine Dragons

Hello internet! For this week we are going to be talking about Demons by Imagine Dragons.

Background: Demons by American rock band Imagine Dragons is their overall 5th single and their third single for their album Night Visions. The song appears on their ep Continued Silence but is also the fourth track on their debut album Night Visions. The song became their second top ten single after their well known song “Radioactive”. The single was on the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 for twelve weeks and peaked number six for four of those weeks. Overall all the song was received moderately well and charted in several countries. The song was certified platinum in various countries but was certified platinum 5 times in the United States. The song also won the Alternative Rock Song of the Year award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in 2014. Demons in general was a very successful song that most likely helped with making their debut album a success. [Link] [Link] [Link]

The General Idea: Overall Demons is a song about acknowledging insecurities and inner flaws. For the most part, we all have insecurities and sometimes we battle with them everyday. We know them as our demons or these negative beings that are present with us all the time that we are aware of. This song is about the battles of that and trying to hide the flaws from a person you love or care about who might not be aware.

Lyrics:

https://genius.com/Imagine-dragons-demons-lyrics

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/imaginedragons/demons.html

 When the days are cold

And the cards all fold

And the saints we see

Are all made of gold

The song starts off with referring to those days when we just want to give up and life looks bad but yet the people or celebrities we think are saints are living well because they’re all rich.

 When your dreams all fail

And the ones we hail

Are the worst of all

And the blood's run stale

The description continues with those when dreams are destroyed and we end up disappointing the ones we love but also lose that inspiration or liveliness that keeps us going.

 I wanna hide the truth

I wanna shelter you

But with the beast inside

There's nowhere we can hide

This part of the the pre-chorus is the singer or writer referring to hiding their flaws from their partner or shelter them from recognizing their own flaws and not let them go through the same struggles as they do. The following line states that in the end you can’t hide from your flaws in the end.

No matter what we breed

We still are made of greed

This is my kingdom come

This is my kingdom come

In the end we all have flaws whether it’s the fact we’re greedy or we dislike a physical characteristic about ourselves.

 [Chorus]

When you feel my heat

Look into my eyes

It's where my demons hide

It's where my demons hide

Don't get too close

It's dark inside

It's where my demons hide

It's where my demons hide

The chorus is saying when you get so close to me that you can feel my warmth and you look me in my eyes, you can see all the flaws I have. This can be a reference to the saying “the eyes are the window to the soul.” Their window is dark and filled with the demons that the person is fighting with and trying to hide. Sometimes in literature people describe a person who's had something bad happen to them as the light faded from their eyes which is a metaphor for losing a spark or will to live that even the soul is dark. This chorus’s way of saying that is similar as their demons have sometimes taken that light from their eyes.

 At the curtain's call

It's the last of all

When the lights fade out

All the sinners crawl

So they dug your grave

And the masquerade

Will come calling out

At the mess you made

At the end of the day of the show the person puts on to hide their flaws the lights go out and all their flaws or sins come out. They show the person all the mistakes they made throughout the day and show how his masquerade or this fake show he’s putting up is flawed.

 Don't wanna let you down

But I am hell bound

Though this is all for you

Don't wanna hide the truth

The writer or singer doesn’t want to let their partner down, but they’re tied to their demons and are tired of hiding them from them and fighting them for the sake of their partner.

No matter what we breed

We still are made of greed

This is my kingdom come

This is my kingdom come

Repeated lines from the previous pre-chorus.

 [Chorus]

They say it's what you make

I say it's up to fate

It's woven in my soul

I need to let you go

Some people think that what happens in your life or the flaws and mistakes that you have made are your choice but the writer believes that it’s fate that decides how things go in your life. These demons are what you are dealt not the result of how you play your cards. The bad parts of him are tied to his soul and will eventually shine through in the end. The person feels like they don’t deserve the person they are currently with because of this. It’s better to let go without any problems  than to deal damage at the cost of still being with a person you care about.

Your eyes, they shine so bright

I wanna save that light

I can't escape this now

Unless you show me how

The writer’s partner hasn’t dealt with fighting with internal flaws and mistakes. They still have that light in their eyes and the writer wants to save that light before it goes out just like their light. They don’t know how to escape from their own demons because they’ve been dealing with it for so long.

[Chorus]

In general this song is about a person dealing with their inner demons. The demons metaphor itself can describe our flaws, whether physical or personality and how sometimes we try to hide them and they fight back. They are a negative part of ourselves. Sometimes we have to put on a show to hide these issues so that people don’t see what’s wrong. At the end of some days the fight is mentally deteriorating and takes a light away from us. You could call it self-consciousness and self-degrading. Eventually you learn acceptance and deal with those demons less and less and regain that light back , although it will never be as bright as it was before. I honestly think this song has showed that topic of how sometimes we are personally self-conscious and beat ourselves up over mistakes we made or pick out flaws in our personality or physical appearance. Sometimes this internal issues results in us hurting the people we love too. The idea of it is sad but is a reality in some people’s lives. I hope you give this song a listen and check out Imagine Dragon’s other songs too.

[arianayells-blog]

The Weight of Living

Hello Internet, and welcome back to the return of this blog! To start off this return we are going to be looking at two songs from Bastille’s debut album Bad Blood, Weight of Living Part 1 and Part 2.

Background: Not much background can be said about these songs as they were not released as singles. The album itself however, was released on March 4,2013 and eventually reissued on November 25, 2013 as All This Bad Blood. The reissued versions included two discs, the original album and various songs at were on their ep, Haunt (Demo), and their mixtape, Other People’s Heartache. Bad Blood received mixed reviews overall and certified gold and platinum in various countries. Overtime Bastille released various songs as singles to promote the album as well as touring and playing at summer festivals in the UK. The song Weight of Living Part 2 appears officially on the album as track number six while the Weight of Living Part 1 appears as a hidden thirteenth track on the album and as the sixteenth track on All This Bad Blood. Overall the album itself is references to various things such as myths or sayings. [Link] [Link] 

Weight of Living Part 1

The General Idea (with background): The song’s purpose and lyrics is somewhat literal to its name. This part heavily mentions reference to the albatross and how it’s a metaphor for the problems you have as if it were a curse. This is an allusion to the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Early on the poem an albatross follows around the ship on their voyage and was considered by good luck by the crew. At the end of the first part of the poem the Mariner shoots down the albatross for unexplained reasons ,and this deed eventually leads to various horrors that the Mariner and the sailors experience. At first the crew was thankful for the Mariner’s murder because it cleared the mist and fog and thought it was because of the albatross. The boat sits still in the water and at the end of part two of the poem the sailors now anger the Marnier’s action and force him to hang the albatross around his neck as a symbol of his sins. Overtime the crew dies of hunger and thirst and haunts the Mariner. He is then spared his life by the life and the death but is now cursed to walk the world telling his tale so that others will not repeat the actions he has done. The albatross is the main topic of this song and what it means metaphorically in connection to the weight of living.

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Bastille-weight-of-living-pt-i-lyrics

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bastille/weightoflivingpti.html

There's an albatross around your neck,

All the things you've said,

And the things you've done,

Can you carry it with no regrets,

Can you stand the person you've become,

This is the first reference to the albatross metaphor which is a weight of sins and mistakes. The line is then proceed by questions of if you can own up to your mistakes and actions that have led you to be the person you are now.

Ooh there's a light [2x]

The singer believes there is still hope or at least more for them to learn and make new.

[CHORUS]

Your Albatross, let it go, let it go,

Your albatross shoot it down, shoot it down

When you just can't shake

The heavy weight of living

The chorus is mainly a statement of let go of your regrets and mistakes, however it’s hard sometimes to let go of the past and make amends with yourself and others. The weight of living with this sin is overwhelming and can just be hard to live and let go off.  

Stepping forward out into the day

Shrugging off the dust and memory

Though it's soaring still above your head

It is out of sight and none shall see

Oooh there's a light [2x]

This verse is talking about when you do let go of your “albatross” but in the end it’s death or your sin still lives on with you in the back of your head and memories. Others might forget about it or never know of it or “see” it but you always will. In the end the singer still believes their is hope find happiness and move on from past decisions.

[CHORUS]

It's the sun in your eyes, in your eyes [4x]

The bridge is mainly a statement about how the hope that you might have could be blinding you from moving forward or is distracting from the reality of life. This hypothetical happiness is preventing you from your actual acceptance and change in life. This can also be viewed as how there will never be a time where you will get over your sins and you are only distracting yourself from dealing with the situation.

[CHORUS]

The weight of living [4x]

 Weight of Living Part 2

The General Idea: Unlike it’s counterpart this song does not make reference to a poem but rather just the idea of growing up and how there’s burden and fear that comes with it. Instead of an albatross and sin the weight of living is now a form of burden that comes with growing up and the pressure of becoming an adult.

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Bastille-weight-of-living-pt-ii-lyrics

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bastille/weightoflivingptii.html

The weight of living, the weight of living

The weight of living, the weight of living

The previous song ends with these lines and this song starts with the same lines which is really nice and connects the two songs together.

All that you desired when you were a child

Was to be old, was to be old

Now that you are here suddenly you fear

You’ve lost control, you’ve lost control

As a child, we all desired to just grow up and be an adult because it seemed like they had all the perks and freedoms that we desired. However, when you eventually get there all you feel is fear that comes with receiving many responsibilities and living on your own that you feel like you have no control of your own life.

Do you like the person you’ve become... Oh

The singer then questions if they like how they have changed over the years or if they regret past actions or wishing to grow up fast.

[Chorus]

Under the weight of living?

You’re under the weight of living

Under the weight of living

You are under the weight,

The weight of living, the weight of living

The chorus is mainly referring to the topic of growing up and the pressures of getting older. As a child and even teen you are sometimes forced to think about your future and what college and career you will pursue. Family members put expectations and pressures of being successful in life, having a family, and being happy. This pressure puts on just this weight of living that this person has to deal with and eventually becomes a fear. While this is all happening this person is focused so much on the futures possibilities that they waste away the present. In general the idea and pressure of having a good life in the future is a relatable feeling that many have experienced in their youth and even in adulthood.

It all crept up on you, in the night it got you

And plagued your mind, it plagues your mind

Every day it passes faster than the last did

And you’ll be old, soon you’ll be old

This verse is mainly about how adulthood creeps up on you, that you don’t really expect it until it’s too late. It eventually plagues you with the fear that was previously stated about living on your own and all that comes with being an adult. Life moves faster each year and soon life will be over and you’ll be old and in a realization that’s terrifying. This can also be put to the situation of being a high school student and how life and the years keep getting shorter and shorter that eventually you’re off to college and living life as an adult.

Do you like the person you’ve become...

[Chorus]

Oh tell yourself this is how it’s going to be

Oh tell yourself this is how it’s going to be... Oh

The bridge references to the discussed topic in the chorus and how when we think about the future we plan it out. We tell ourselves what our future is going to be and where we will go in life. Deep down however, we all know that this is not always what the reality will be and that things can change and go for the worse.

[Chorus]

The weight of living, the weight of living

In general, the Weight of Living Part 1 and Part 2 are songs that deal with real life feelings about mistakes and fear of living life. The first song and its heavy emphasis on the Rime of the Ancient Mariner shows how mistakes we make stick with us for life and we try to shake it from us but in the end fail. Live and let go and have acceptance for the past. Learn from your mistakes so that history doesn't repeat oneself. The second song focuses on the weight of growing up and the fears that come with it. Growing up is sometimes terrifying and hard at first. It also might not live up to our expectations that we hold for ourselves and that just comes with the weight. The Weight of Living as a whole is an idea that can be placed upon almost any difficult personal life experience such a grief, regret, stress, and  peer pressure or family pressure. Living with a weight on your shoulders or in your heart can be personally damaging and affect who you are as a person both positively and negatively. Overall I hope you understand the meaning of this phrase and if you have such a weight to learn to let it go and live on.

[arianayells-blog]

Folie a Deux by Fall Out Boy

Hello internet and for one of our last posts for a while we will be analysing one of my favorite Fall Out Boy albums, Folie a Deux.

Background: Folie a Deux is Fall Out Boy’s fourth studio album and was release on December 16,2008. The album was recorded from July to September 2008 and ranked number eight on the US Billboard 200 chart. Originally the album was to be released on November 4th but was postponed to not conflict with the presidential election. Overall the album received generally positive review from music critics, however it received conflicting views and support from fans that concertgoers would “boo the band for performing number from the record in concert.” Fall Out Boy heavily toured to promote Folie a Deux and even created a fake campaign online called Citizens for Our Betterment. The campaign supposedly “hacked” Decaydance Records website and clues were left by Wentz and his wife Ashlee Simpson on their blogs. The marketing campaign eventually revealed Folie a Deux’s release date and included a mixtape titled Welcome to the Administration that included various new tracks from Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship, and Panic! At the Disco.  This was the first time that a Fall Out Boy album was not autobiographical. The songs dealt with themes of decaying relationships, moral dilemmas, trust, infidelity,responsibility, commitment, and societal shortcomings. The album’s title comes from Folie a Deux, a rare psychiatric syndrome in which symptoms of a delusional belief are transmitted from one individual to another. The phrase can also be said as the “madness of many” or “a madness shared by two.” Due to various conflict between the band members and negativity given by fans, Folie a Deux became Fall Out Boy’s last studio album before the band’s 2009-2013 hiatus. [Link] [Link]

The songs we will be looking at in this post are Disloyal Order of the Water Buffalos and I Don't Care.

Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes

The General Idea: Disloyal Order is mainly a song that introduces themes that are going to continue throughout the album, mainly themes of heartbreak, misfortune, and romantic ideas that are conflicted. The main theme that continues is falling in and out of a relationship and occasionally the theme of feeling out of place.

Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/falloutboy/disloyalorderofwaterbuffaloes.html

https://youtu.be/4ci43EANAI0

I'm coming apart at the seams

Pitching myself for leads in other people's dreams now

Buzz, buzz, buzz

Doc, there's a hole where something was

Doc, there's a hole where something was

The person is falling apart because of emotional turmoil and it’s come to a point where they wish they were someone else. They call  the doctor saying that they’re missing a piece of themselves or trying to figure out what’s wrong when reality there’s nothing wrong with them.

Fell out of bed,

Butterfly bandage, but don't worry

You'll never remember, your head is far too blurry.

Butterfly bandages are used to hold skin together around a deep cut acting as makeshift stitches. This verse is mainly saying put a bandage on it and everything will be fine, you won’t remember what damage has been done in the end.

Put him in the back of a squad car restrain that man

He needs his head put through a catscan

Hey editor, I'm undeniable!

Hey doctor, I'm certifiable!

The verse continue with this person is so crazy that they need to be checked and restrained. The following lines are mainly saying what I say is always true, but I am also certifiably insane.

I'm a loose bolt of a complete machine

What a match, I'm half doomed and you're semi-sweet

The person feel out of place in the world almost as if they’re just a space part. The second line is like saying we go together because I’m insane and you’re not overly sympathetic in a way.

So boycott love

Detox just to retox

And I'd promise you anything for another shot at life

This first half of the chorus encompasses the main theme of this song. Give up on love and detox from it only to fall back in even if the relationship was toxic. It shows those times when you’ve had a terrible relationship and honestly never want to date again but fall back into it anyways because being loved and relationships are addictive. The person would give up anything to have another shot at the relationship or even just restarting life altogether.

And perfect boys with their perfect lives

Nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy

(Wants to hear you sing about tragedy)

Nobody wants to hear celebrities and people who have a well set lives complain.

Ohh

Little girl, you got me staring odd

Oh!

Or was that just a telescopic camera nod

The person is mainly unsure if they see a girl staring at them or just another camera.

P-p-painted dolls in the highway truckstop stalls

Lot lizard scales cool your nightlife moods

All the rookies leave your badge and your gun on the desk

When you leave the room

Painted dolls plays onto the the next line of lot lizards which are prostitutes at truckstops. The following lines refer to typical police movies where the cop gets benched when he really wants to catch the guy he’s after.

[Pre-Chorus Repeat]

[Chorus Repeat]

Detox

Just to retox

Detox

Just to retox

Detox

Just to retox

Detox

Just to retox

Detox (So boycott love)

Just to retox

Detox (Boycott love)

Just to retox

Detox (Boycott love)

Just to retox

Detox (Boycott love)

Just to retox

This almost anthem and chanting part of the song helps strengthen this repeated ideas. Detox off of love so you fall back to it again like it’s an addiction.

[Chorus Repeat]

In general, Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes is a song about being in and falling out of relationships and establishing the theme of feeling out of place in the world or being unlucky or unfortunate.

I Don’t Care

The General Idea: This song can also really be referred to as the narcissists anthem as the song deals with themes of narcissism and the pros and cons of fame. This song’s themes is literally its title of just being so full of yourself that you don’t care about what others think of you.

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Fall-out-boy-i-dont-care-lyrics

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/falloutboy/idontcare.html

Say my name and his in the same breath

I dare you to say they taste the same

Let the leaves fall off in the summer

And let December glow in flames

The singer is so overly confident that they were so much better than their lover’s ex.

Erase myself and let go

Start it over again in Mexico

These friends, they don't love you

They just love the hotel suites, now

Forget about the heartbreak, get over it, and move on. Start over your life and line of failed relationships completely. Their friends don’t care about who he is as a person and only care about him because of his fame and money.

I don't care what you think as long as it's about me

The best of us can find happiness in misery

Said,

I don't care what you think as long as it's about me

The best of us can find happiness in misery

The chorus is mainly the point of narcissism and a viewpoint all attention is good attention especially with fame and media, love me or hate me you’re still thinking about me. The last part is just the best can find happiness in the worst of situations even if it means convincing yourself otherwise in such situations.

Oh take a chance, let your body get a tolerance

I'm not a chance, put a heat wave in your pants

Pull a breath like another cigarette

Pawnshop heart trading up (trading up)

The first half of this verse is the singer saying give him a chance and have sex with them, they’ll learn to enjoy it. It’s not really a risk because they’re already “turned on” by them. The other part is mainly trading hearts and love in exchange for others.

On the oracle in my chest,

Let the guitar scream like a fascist

Sweat it out, shut your mouth

Free love on the streets but

In the alley it ain't that cheap, now

The singer can predict his own future and let the guitar play as loud as the haters and fascist leaders. Shut up and just deal with it because nobody cares about what you’re saying. Finally let people love who they want, but remember prostitution isn’t cheap. This verse is seems very out of place but still goes with the theme of the song.

[Chorus Repeat]

Said,

I don't care just what you think

As long as it's about me, you said

I don't care just what you think

As long as it's about me, I said

I don't care (I don't care)

Said, I don't care (I don't care)

Said, I (I) don't (don't) care (care)

I (I) don't (don't) care (no I don't)

I don't care, (I said)

I don't care, (I said)

I (I) don't (don't) care (care)

Remember kids, what people say about you doesn’t matter and all press is good press when you’re famous.

[Chorus Repeat]

In general, both songs demonstrate and introduce themes that continue through the album and just the conflicts of having fame. I often call this the “the album for when you’re angry” simply because of just the loud “I dislike love and society and myself” themes that are prevalent in the songs. Folie a Deux was ahead of its time as it is now well loved by most fans and is just a piece of art created in a bad period of time between the band member and just personal lives in general. Overall Disloyal Order and I Don’t Care are definitely prominent songs for the album and give a more straightforward view or message to various themes.