My most poetic playlist:

Posted on by ashac

Why do you like the songs you listen to? For me, I listen to certain songs because they sound nice, they bring me back to a certain time, or they fit with whatever mood I’m in. In a recent and really interesting project, I learned to appreciate different songs for their poetic devices that allow me to connect with them. 

I got to see poems and songs in a new light, by using tools I had learned to analyze and figure out their meanings. Trying to decipher what these poems and lyrics meant was something I found really fun, and gave me a new appreciation for poetry. 

The assignment for this project was basically to choose five songs that “speak” to me, that I somehow connect with. Before I go any further, here are my five songs.👇

Some songs I like at the moment are Wake Me, Pictures of You, and Rosyln. What you’ll notice is that even though I like those songs, I didn’t use them for this project. I knew the songs I chose had to have a lot for me to say about them, including why I relate to them. For each of the five songs, I made sure that I really connected to them enough to write about it.

This song overall is about growing up, therefore I would argue that almost anyone could relate to it, including myself. It captures the unexpected changes that come with not being a little kid anymore. The first part is about being very young. All the lines are quite sweet, as if they are being said by parents to their child, “we like to watch you laughing” (1:10). The lyrics praise who the song is addressing for simple things, like crawling and looking at insects outside. It describes the simplicity I recall from a young age, where there weren’t many responsibilities or expectations. After the chorus, in the next verse, we have jumped forward in time. “The memories fade, like looking through a fogged mirror,” this descriptive simile indicates that time has passed, because memories from being younger have naturally been forgotten (2:11). I love the way they used a foggy mirror to describe that, because that is exactly what distant memories feel like. The lyrics no longer speak to the listener, but are in the first person. Using “I” and “me”, they give you a sense that they have formed more of an identity, and are more independent. This verse highlights the stark differences of being older. “The water is warm, but it’s sending me shivers,” this paradox represents life becoming less simple (1:55). It means despite everything being fine in the environment they’re in, inside their feelings do not align with that. Perhaps those feelings, brought on by a more complicated life. The shift in the song from the two points in time, is abrupt. I feel like in real life it has been the same for me, one moment things are simple and small things you do are impressive and soon you are a complicated person with responsibilities which is a positive thing, but also scary. This song, I chose because I interpreted the lyrics as being about how the expectations of you get more serious as you get older, and I resonated with that. The chorus is repeated many times, “Control yourself, take only what you need from it, a family of trees wanting to be haunted,” which I imagine has been interpreted many different ways (1:23). “A family of trees,” could be using connotations of trees like growth and time. The chorus sounds like advice from the musicians to their younger selves when they were “kids”.
For me this song is about determination and persistence. It has an inspiring, cheerful mood, and explains the motivation behind reaching for our goals. One of the first lines, “Don’t trail behind, keep moving,” shows that people reaching their goals, pushes others to achieve their’s (0:01). Comparing yourself to others can be negative, but competitiveness does encourage hard work. “All the scrapes on our knees will tell you where we’ve been, where we have bled,” is a line that stands out to me (0:10). It means that the work you do to achieve what you want in life, will become a part of who you are, a part of your identity. The song repeats, “oh, we play, ah, in autumn days, ah,’” to me this means the importance of having fun while also working hard (0:20). “Won’t lay down our heads till the day is won,” reinforces this sense of determination (0:42). Towards the end they sing, “We’re just chasing what we can’t ever get, ever have,” it represents doubt that may show along the way (2:27). This is before a long pause, then returning to the chorus as if the doubt is overcome. I’m a goal oriented person, and I often wonder what forces push me to accomplish my goals. I feel that being determined is a large part of my personality, and this playful song that uses simple rhyming and repetition captures that very well and explains what makes us all keep working towards something bigger.
I interpret this song as being about how changes we experience in life will eventually become something “normal”, so just make the most of it. The example of this I connect to the most, (which this song also alludes to) is the pandemic. “though it’s been tough for you, losing touch,” and, “you’ll be fine,” are the lines that open up this song up, and I feel they sum up my experience in lockdown, in the pandemic (0:03) (0:23). It was hard to not see people I knew and eventually lose touch with them, which was a very common experience from that time. Despite this, I can look back on it now and say that it will be fine. “I’ts a new normal, it’s up for us to live in it, not to understand it,” gives us the title of the song. That cliché phrase which I often find overused actually sounds nice with the rythm and adds context to the song. The song clearly has a theme of change with the repetition of, “I’ts just a season,” and more literally, “Cause everything is changing.” Songs about changes in life usually have a positive or negative attitude towards that. This one is definitely positive, it’s saying that although change is tough, you can make the most of it and be ok.

Reflecting on these, some I’m very proud of and some I see where I could improve. I’m very happy with how I wrote my analysis for “Kids” by MGMT. I payed close attention to my vocabulary, the depth of my analysis, and how well I was explaining my connection to it. Other writings I wish I spent more time on to give a deeper analysis, I know there is more to dissect from some of these artists’ words. The practice of analyzing poetic devices in these five songs has allowed me to notice the devices in all the music I listen to, and even connect deeper with songs that I’ve listened to before. 

To present this work in class, I shared my ideas about the songs in a group of three. We did this two times. In the first presentation, I showed to the two other people that I had thought critically about these songs, and that I was familiar with the lyrics. Although I did this, I wasn’t able to fill seven minutes of speaking the first time. I think this was because I was just loosely following what I had said in my writing, and didn’t think of starting a discussion about it. In the second one I wanted to improve, so I made sure to be engaging by speaking in a more engaging tone and make better use of the visuals I created. I airdropped the visuals to my group so they could follow along as I spoke. I also was able to fill the seven minutes the second time, by explaining slower and in more detail. In the second group we also had meaningful discussions about each other’s song choices.

Below are the visuals I created for this!

I created the visuals with the process of analyzing my songs in mind. To show how I interpreted the songs, I used my annotated lyrics of what I noticed in them. On top of that, I illustrated imagery that stood out to me so that those I presented to could see the lyrics through my eyes.

During this project we looked at many different poems and songs. One poem really helped me improve how I analyze these texts.

Rows and flows of angel hair

And ice cream castles in the air

And feather canyons everywhere

Looked at clouds that way

 

But now they only block the sun

They rain and they snow on everyone

So many things I would have done

But clouds got in my way

 

I've looked at clouds from both sides now

From up and down and still somehow

It's cloud illusions I recall

I really don't know clouds at all

 

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels

The dizzy dancing way that you feel

As every fairy tale comes real

I've looked at love that way

 

But now it's just another show

And you leave 'em laughing when you go

And if you care, don't let them know

Don't give yourself away

 

I've looked at love from both sides now

From give and take and still somehow

It's love's illusions that I recall

I really don't know love Really don't know love at all

 

Tears and fears and feeling proud

To say, "I love you" right out loud

Dreams and schemes and circus crowds

I've looked at life that way

 

Oh, but now old friends they're acting strange

And they shake their heads and they tell me that I've changed

Well something's lost, but something's gained

In living every day

 

I've looked at life from both sides now

From win and lose and still somehow

It's life's illusions I recall

I really don't know life at all

 

It's life's illusions that I recall

I really don't know life I really don't know life at all

We had to look at this poem for its theme. Looking at the overall structure, and the smaller details like the connotations of words she used, helped me figure out the overall theme of changing perspectives over time. I really connected with what this poem says about how our perspectives change, how we see both sides of something as we get older. I love that this was communicated through a well thought out structure. It really clicked for me at this moment, how to read poetry. This helped me when I got to writing about my five songs. 

At the beginning of this project I was excited, but also nervous to share what songs I listen to. My music taste is not something I end up sharing very often. I notice other people also seem to hesitate to publicize what type of songs they like, and I wonder why? I think music taste is actually something quite personal. Now I know, the music we listen to says something about who we are, so of course we hesitate to share something that’s a big part of our identities.

After this project I have found myself listening to more music than I did before. I notice how different song lyrics impact me. I end up wondering why that is, and now I know the answer could lie in the poetry of the lyrics.

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