Soundtrack Of My Life: Feedback

Devices

1.       Imagery is used in literature to refer to descriptive language that evokes sensory experience

·         Jimi Hendrix’s “Castles Made Of Sand”; “As she slams the door in his drunken face”

·         Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well”

2.       Hyperbole is a figure in speech in which statements are exaggerated to evoke strong feelings

·         Ray Charles’ “Drown In My Own Tears”; “I’m drowning in my own tears”

·         Beyoncé’s “End of Time”

3.       Allegory is a figurative mode of representation conveying a meaning other than the literal

·         Rush’s “The Trees”; “And they wonder why the maples/Can’t be happy in their shade”

·         Ed Sheeran’s “Lego House”

4.       Alliteration is the repeating of the same consonant sound at the beginning of several words

·         CSNY’s “Helplessly Hoping”; “Heartlessly helping himself to her bad dreams”

·         Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me”

5.       Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds

·         Wu-Tang Clan’s “Iron Flag”; “One boot off he Rudolph”

·         Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”

6.       Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant two or more times in short succession

·         Jack Johnson’s “Sleep Through The Static”; “Because it’s a battle when you dabble in war”

·         Ed Sheeran’s “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You”

7.       Local Color is imagery that focuses on specific features

·         The Byrds’ “Lover of the Bayou”; “I drank the blood from a rusty can”

·         Chris Brown’s “Forever”

8.       Double Entendre is a phrase that could be interpreted two ways

·         Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”; “Last dance with Mary Jane/One more time to kill the pain”

·         Kelly Clarkson’s “Because Of You”

9.       Oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines two normally contradicted terms

·         Govt. Mule’s “Beautifully Broken”; “She’s so beautifully broken”

·         Taylor Swift’s “Sad Beautiful Tragic”

10.   Irony is a situation in which there is an incongruity that goes beyond the most evident meaning

·         Soundgarden’s “Burden in My Hand”; “kill everything you love”

·         Ed Sheeran’s “Kiss Me”

11.   Paradox is a statement that leads to a contradiction

·         Ozzy Osbourne’s “I Just Want You”; “There are no identical twins”

·         Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold”

12.   Tone is the underlying attitude of the songwriter

·         Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar”; arrogant

·         MKTO’s “Classic” nostalgic

13.   Point of View is determined by who the speaker is talking to

·         Billy Joel’s “Allentown”; First person narrative

·         Chris Brown’s “Should’ve Kissed You” First Person Narrative

Tonal Analysis Final Draft

                Creating a tone of admiration in “Classic,” MKTO uses a first person point of view, nostalgic symbolism, and affectionate similes to prove that a girl is “one of a kind.”

                Throughout “Classic,” MKTO uses a first person point of view to express their feelings. In the song it says, “Who can blame me / When I just wanna make you smile?” They are saying that it would make them happy to make this girl smile. Thinking that this girl might be too good for them, MKTO explains that, “You’re over my head / I’m out of my league.” They are saying that since this girl is viewed so highly, they are not good enough for her. This girl is viewed as timeless, making MKTO “[Think they were] born in the wrong time.” She is said to be classic and the newer generation is “plastic.” Using a first person point of view, they are persuading her by stating their feelings and opinions.

                MKTO uses nostalgic symbolism to show how she is valued. In the song, the girl is compared to different decades, “A star in the 40’s / centerfold in the 50’s.” The band chose these decades to symbolize her personality. She is also compared to, “Hepburn, Beyoncé, Marilyn.” These are all well known “classic” women. Being compared to these women also symbolize that “Girl you’re timeless, just so classic.” This girl is compared to modern day stars, and stars from the 50’s to symbolize being timeless and classic since these women are considered classic. Symbolizing timelessness, MKTO states that she seems too classic to be from modern times.

                Admiring similes are used to compare this girl to finer things in life. She is first compared to a diamond, “girl you’re shining / Like a 5^th avenue diamond.” By comparing her to a diamond, they are saying she is beautiful and bright.  Later in the song, this girl is again compared to something great, “Old school chic / Like a movie star / From a silver screen.” Now, the girl is being compared to fame. MKTO also compares her to more fame, “I wanna thrill you like Michael / I wanna kiss you like Prince.” MKTO chooses songs by famous musicians to define their relationship goals. Comparing her to fame proves that she is a star or diamond.

                Displaying a tone of emulation, MKTO’s “Classic” uses a first person point of view, sentimental symbolism, and glorifying similes to explain how this girl is unique.

Tonal Analysis Rough Draft

                Creating a persuasive tone in “Classic,” MKTO uses a first person point of view, nostalgic symbolism, and affectionate similes to influence a girl into having the same feelings as them.

                Throughout “Classic,” MKTO uses a first person point of view to express their feelings. In the song it says, “Who can blame me / When I just wanna make you smile?” They are saying that it would make them happy to make this girl smile. Thinking that this girl might be too good for them, MKTO explains that, “You’re over my head / I’m out of my league.” They are saying that since this girl is viewed so highly, they are not good enough for her. This girl is viewed as timeless, making MKTO “[Think they were] born in the wrong time.” She is said to be classic and the newer generation is “plastic.” Using a first person point of view, they are persuading her by stating their feelings and opinions.

                MKTO uses nostalgic symbolism to show how she is valued. In the song, the girl is compared to different decades, “A star in the 40’s / centerfold in the 50’s.” The band chose these decades to symbolize her personality. She is also compared to “Hepburn, Beyoncé, Marilyn.” These are all well known “classic” women. Being compared to these women also symbolize that “Girl you’re timeless, just so classic.” This girl is compared to modern day stars, and stars from the 50’s to symbolize being timeless and classic. Symbolizing timelessness, MKTO states that she seems too classic to be from modern times.

                Admiring similes are used to compare this girl to finer things in life. She is first compared to a diamond, “girl you’re shining / Like a 5^th avenue diamond.” By comparing her to a diamond, they are saying she is beautiful, and she “shines.”  Later in the song, this girl is again compared to something great, “Old school chic / Like a movie star / From a silver screen.” Now, the girl is being compared to fame. MKTO also compares her to more fame, “I wanna thrill you like Michael / I wanna kiss you like Prince.” MKTO chooses songs by famous musicians to define their relationship goals. Comparing her to fame proves that she is a star or diamond.

                Displaying a persuasive tone, MKTO’s “Classic” uses a first person point of view, nostalgic symbolism, and glorifying similes to influence a girls feelings.

Binary Thesis for Boston and Pink Floyd

        Though both "Rock n' Roll Band" by Boston and "Have a Cigar" by Pink Floyd convey a theme of fame, Pink Floyd uses an arrogant tone to say the music industry is about making money while Boston uses an appreciative tone to display the love in music.

Binary Thesis

                Though both Beyoncé’s “End of Time” and Chris Brown’s “With You” convey the idea of the speaker’s undying love, Beyoncé utilizes loving personification to show her willingness to love this boy, “until the end of time” while Chris Brown uses the excessive cliché, “with you” to prove he will be with this girl forever.

Album Review - Prism

Katheryn Hudson, otherwise known as Katy Perry is often referred to as “The Queen of Pop.”  Her newest album Prism is the singer’s fourth studio album. It became a success after the release of her first single “Roar.” The following two singles, “Dark Horse” and “Unconditionally” added to this success. The album contains very positive material that pertains to the themes of relationships and independency.

“Roar” is one of the many upbeat songs on this album. “Roar” is about not being afraid to say what you are feeling. Katy Perry’s lyrics allude to a past relationship where she was afraid to state her opinion. She says, “I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath.” Katy is saying that she could never say how she feels, but now she has changed that. Another successful upbeat song is “Dark Horse.”  The more upbeat songs of Prism convey positive feelings about relationships and being independent.  The album also has its share of slow songs. “Unconditionally” is a slower song that uses reassuring repetition to show her undying love.

                The album’s success caused it to be the second best-selling album released by a woman in the United States in 2013. Prism became Katy Perry’s fastest-selling album. Katy is now nominated for Artist of the Year and  Song of the Year for “Roar” at the first ever iHeart Radio Music Awards. The album was also Katy’s best opening week.

Song Analysis 1 "Should've Kissed You"

                Displaying a feeling of remorse in “Should’ve Kissed You”, Chris Brown uses a first person point of view, periodic personification, and heartbreaking repetition to convey his “regret.”

                Throughout “Should’ve Kissed You” Chris Brown uses a first person point of view to tell the listener how he is feeling. He says, “I did it again, I admit it.” Chris Brown is saying he had made another mistake. Every time he is given another chance he says, “I lose my cool and I blow it.” He is upset that he let another chance to fix his mistake slip away. To continue his story Chris Brown says, “I left you standing there and now I regret it.” He is explaining to his audience that the mistake he made is heartbreaking.  By using a first person point of view, it makes the listener understand what he is going through.

                Chris Brown also uses occasional personification to display his emotions. Chris talks about his loss for words, “And I get all tongue tied, lost in your eyes.” He is saying that he is nervous around this person and does not know what to say. After he made the wrong decision he says, “And next time I won’t stop, I’ll listen to my heart.” The next time he has the chance he will go with what his “heart” feels is right.  When Chris goes back to fix his mistake he notices that, “your smile said you were feeling me too.” The person he went back to see was happy he had come back. By using this sporadic personification, the listeners can infer that he feels bad about what he did but he is happy that this person was feeling the same way.

                Using heartbreaking repetition, Chris Brown shows that his mistake was bothering him. One of the most repeated lines, “I should’ve kissed you” explains that he didn’t take the opportunity to kiss this person.  Another line that gets repeated frequently is, “I should’ve told you, told you just how I feel.” He is implying that he never got the chance to tell this person about his feelings for them.  Since he didn’t tell this person how he feels, he says, “I’m a fool and I know it.” Not taking advantage of the opportunity, he feels foolish.

             Conveying a feeling of heartbreak in “Should’ve Kissed You”, Chris Brown portrays his "regret" by utilizing personification, repetition, and a first person point of view. 

Should've Kissed You

Song Analysis 1

Displaying a feeling of remorse in "Should've Kissed You", Chris Brown uses a first person point of view, periodic personification, and frequent repetition to convey that "now I regret it".

1. "I should've kissed you" (point of view)
2. "I'll listen to my heart" (personification)
3. "I should've told you, told you just how I feel" (repetition)