Song Analysis Reflection

The theme I chose for my song analyses was loss, whether it was the death of a loved one or an agonizing breakup. I wanted to see how this theme was approached by artists in six different genres, so I analyzed one of each of the following: pop, country, alternative, rock, rap, and ballad. I was pleasantly surprised by the unique perspective of each song, as each one took the theme in a completely different direction. First, I analyzed “It Will Rain” by Bruno Mars. This pop song’s theme was that the end of a relationship can drastically impact the lives of both people in it. The tone was negative and regretful, and although at the time of the song the relationship hadn’t ended yet, the speaker feared that his past actions would lead them to an inevitable end. The second song was a country one, “Just a Dream” by Carrie Underwood. Like the first song, this one took on a negative attitude, but it surrounded the death of a significant other rather than a breakup. It told a beautiful but tragic story about a woman who lost her fiancé and was now attending a funeral instead of a wedding. This song had a theme very similar to that of “It Will Rain”: death often takes a mental and emotional toll on the loved ones left behind. Next, the alternative song I analyzed was “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” by Death Cab For Cutie. The song assumed a much more accepting view on death, conveying an overall theme that death is inevitable and should be accepted rather than worried about. The speaker described death in a simple, comforting way, and from his tone, it sounded like he was trying to console a loved one who was worried about death. The fourth song, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, returned to an uneasy attitude towards the theme, but the speaker took on a completely different viewpoint than those of the first two songs. The well-known rock song was about a man who had just committed murder, and it described the rollercoaster of emotions he felt while looking back on his mistakes, from confusion, to indifference, to regret, to anger, and back to indifference. The iconic lyrics perfectly exhibited the theme that by taking the life of someone else, one can be left feeling, ironically, lifeless. The fifth song I analyzed, a rap song, was “I’m Coming Home” by J. Cole. In this song, the speaker was extremely conflicted about death; he wanted to be freed from the burdens in his life, but on “Judgement Day”, he would be haunted by the mistakes he had made. The speaker took on a relieved tone for the first half of the song and a troubled one for the second half, contributing to the overall theme that in order to be relieved of one’s troubles in life, one must have a clear conscience. Finally, I analyzed a classic ballad by Elton John, “Candle in the Wind.” John admiringly wrote the song about Marilyn Monroe, and he talked about his belief that there was more to her personality than the Hollywood icon everyone made her to be. The song’s theme made a profound statement that oftentimes when someone dies, people do not remember him or her for the person he or she truly was. Across these six genres, some songs took a more positive stance while others were more negative, but they can all be united under the idea that death is one of the most impactful forces on life.