"Riptide"

 

James Keogh, otherwise known as Vance Joy, is a singer-songwriter from Australia who is opening up for Taylor Swift’s 1989 North American concerts. This song gained overnight success in Australia and now you can’t turn on the radio without hearing, multiple times, this unique folk pop song.  The simplicity of the melody line and the driving background instruments makes for a memorable song.  

I think the overall meaning of this song is about change. Vance Joy creatively, through the lyrics, paints a vivid picture of this guy who was once afraid of “dentists and the dark” falling in love with this perfect girl. All of his friends are jealous. The lyrics say, “All my friends are turning green.”  

However, like a riptide, she is constantly changing. There’s a side to her that he didn’t know and she’s always doing thing wrong, but he’s willing to go there with her.  The lyrics say, “I got a lump in my throat because you’re going to sing the words wrong.” He’s scared, but he doesn’t care because he loves her no matter what. He’s pleading with her to answer his question whether or not she is going to stay.

There is no definite ending to the song’s story. The ending is left up for your own interpretation on whether or not she stayed with him. We know, though, that he loved her no matter what and was willing to risk it all for her.

The lyrics and imagery in the video portrays a meaning of change in a unique and subliminal way. Coming from a Christian perspective, it’s comforting to know that God has an unconditional love for us despite our fears and failures.

"Little Toy Guns"

 

Are there any Carrie Underwood fans out there? Carrie Underwood gained immediate fame since her win on the singing show American Idol.  Years later, she is still one of the most successful American country singers and songwriters today. Many of her songs tell a simple story.   Carrie Underwood is also a professing Christian who isn’t afraid to voice her belief in God.  The song “Little Toy Guns” is a dark lyrical with a meaningful message.

Carrie Underwood said in an interview with the Rolling Stone that this song was written from a standpoint of watching children who are raised by parents that are constantly fighting. It’s a detriment for children to be raised up in that sort of negative environment because it plays a toll on them for the rest of their lives.

The music video to this song starts out with a little girl hiding from her parents who are arguing with each other. The girl holds onto her heart locket, closes her eyes, and goes into a world outside her own. In her own little world, out in the woods, her parents aren’t fighting. She brings them back together. In the end, everyone is holding hands.

Carrie Underwood sings, “I wish words were like little toy guns.”. There is no damage that can come from playing with toy guns. Words, on the other hand, are real and therefore can be used to hurt and destroy someone. Through imagery, Carrie Underwood is comparing hurtful words to real guns. She wishes, however, words were like toy guns.

This song is relevant today because the message of this song can be applied to many different situations. Never underestimate the power of words. It’s important to make sure the words that roll off our tongue are used to help someone rather than hurt someone. Words aren’t like toy guns. They have the potential to do some real damage.

 

 

"What We Ain't Got"

 

This post’s gone country. Jake Owen is a country singer/songwriter from Florida.  He’s a one man band who sings lead and strums the guitar to many of his songs. He started gaining popularity in 2006 with his record called “Startin’ With Me.” His newest hit song  “What We Ain’t Got” is on his album, released in 2014, called Days of Gold. The deep lyrics to this country ballad reminds us how important is to be satisfied with our circumstances in life.  

“We all what we ain’t got.” We should appreciate what we’re  given because nothing lasts forever. It seems people are always looking for the next best thing and sometimes the best thing is what you already have.

Jake, in this song, experiences losing someone in a relationship and he desires it back, but it’s just a little too late. He sings, “All I want is what I had, I’ll trade it all just to get her back.” The loss he experienced opened his eyes to see just how important it is to be happy and satisfied in life.

The validity of this song is so true because it, to some degree or another, relates to everyone. People are always looking for things in life but sometimes it’s important to reflect and appreciate the things we have. Let's not let  wanting more get in the way of realizing all the amazing things we’re blessed with.

  

"Believe"

 

2007 was a good year for the music industry because it was introduced to the promising rock band from London, England. The band’s members are Marcus Mumford (lead vocals), Ben Lovett (piano, accordion), Winston Marshall (banjo, electric guitar), and Ted Dwane (acoustic bass, electric bass).  This band brings a lot of talent to the stage with their musical abilities and their diversity.  It’s not every day you see and hear the banjo being played at a rock concert. That is, unless you’re at a Mumford and Sons concert.   Mumford and Sons, with the use of their many instruments, makes musical sounds that set them apart from their contemporaries. Mumford and Sons released their newest album, Wilder Mind, in March of this year.  “Believe” is a song featured on their newest album.

The singer, in this song, is questioning the norm. He could be questioning the validity of a relationship, his friends, or even a political leader.  The singer isn’t satisfied with the status quo because he wants something deeper. The lyrics say, “And I’m climbing over something. And I’m running through these walls. I don’t even know if I believe.”

The singer, wanting to know more, is not satisfied with the answers he’s getting.  The lyrics say, “I’m going to have to guess what’s on your mind.” He’s trying to pry answers out of this person but it only leads to more questions.

This song sends society a good message. We are constantly being saturated with the media and their message.  We are guided to think and believe whatever the media wants us to believe. On the surface, it may seem right. If it doesn’t align with what God says, though, it isn’t.   Sometimes, it’s good to ask questions and sometimes it’s good to believe steadfastly what you’ve already been shown to know is true.  Sometimes, it’s good to dig a little deeper. Let’s wade through what everyone constantly wants us to believe and find the answers for ourselves.

"Until It's Gone"

 

 

Linkin Park has been a success since the beginning of their musical career. The members are Joe Hahn, Dave Farrell, Brad Deslon, Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon and Chester Bennington. They originated in California and, though you probably listened to them in middle/high school, they are still very much in the public eye. Their music borders between pop rock and alternative rock. The song “Until It’s Gone” is one of their most recent songs that made it to the top of the charts in 2014.

This song by Linkin Park is a song about loss. You don’t know if the couple in the music video, after breaking up, got back together. I don’t think that’s important for us as viewers to know because the message is to appreciate what you have before you lose it. The singer at first doesn’t realize that he’s about to lose something that he now takes for granted but later will appreciate. He sings, “Oh you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” The singer emphasizes the lyrics “Until Its Gone” by singing them over and over.  I think the singer sings these lyrics over and over again to emphasize how many opportunities we’re given over and over again to save what we have before it’s too late and we’ve lost it.

We live in a materialistic world and it’s easy to have a desire to want more. Materialism brings superficial happiness that lasts for a while but sooner than later will disappear and disintegrate into nothing but loneliness and sadness. As a result of filling the void with superficial things, we begin to not appreciate what we have and want more.

Everyone’s heard a thousand times to appreciate what you have but I think this phrase begins to lose its meaning.  We can become susceptible into thinking someone or something will always be present in our lives. More than likely, this is not the case.  Coming from a Christian perspective, we should appreciate the many things God gives us in our lives and this song can be a reminder to do just that.

"Polaroid"

Let’s talk about Imagine Dragons. No, I didn’t say imagining dragons, I said Imagine Dragons.  This Las Vegas rock band gained popularity rather quickly with their single called “It’s Time.” The band’s members are Dan Reynolds(lead vocalist), Wayne Sermon (guitarist), Ben McKee (bassist), and Daniel Platzman (drummer) and together they make some pretty fiery  music. The creativity in the style/lyrics of their songs, I think, set them apart from your rock/pop bands on the radio today.  Trending now from Imagine Dragons is their song “Polaroid” off their “Smoke+Mirrors” album.

A Polaroid camera, as we all know, is an instant camera where, after you point and shoot, you have your picture within seconds. There isn’t a lot of effort involved into getting that perfect picture. Often times, with certain circumstances in our own lives, we want things to work like a Polaroid camera. We want the beautiful end result of something without putting in the sweat and tears needed to accomplish your dream.  We also want it now and if we can’t get it now, it’s not worth it. Right? After all, we live in a world conditioning us to think we can instantly get anything we want.

I think this song is conveying a relationship that, without work and dedication, will crash, burn, and fall. The relationship, in order to be successful, will take time. A good relationship is not equated with instant gratification. Work and time are the two ingredients to a “Polaroid Picture” relationship.  

The lyrics say, “I’m gonna get ready for the rain to pour heavy.” The individual in this song, after living in the fast lane, realizes for something to be good, it first must be bad. Giving up is not an option for this individual because he/she is willing to go through whatever it takes to get what they want.

I think this message is relevant for society today because greatness is not something instantly achieved. It’s something that, with hard work, evolves over time. We live in a day and age where it’s hard to keep our focus on something because we are constantly infiltrated with countless things the world has to offer. Let us not allow our hopes and dreams to be charred by the fire eating dragon of lack of steadfastness of what we apply ourselves to. Anything worth achieving is worth putting the work into.

"Out of the Woods"

 

This young singer/songwriter is known for writing lyrics that sound as if they came out of her journal about past relationships. This makes her songs so real and relatable to everyone because they too have experienced some of the same things.  She has evolved, through the years, from country to now a pop artist but the message of her songs haven’t really changed.  Taylor Swift is among one of the most popular names in Entertainment today. Taylor Swift is one of my favorite artists of today.  The song, “Out of the Woods”, is on her most recent album 1989.

Taylor Swift, in an interview, explains the overall song’s meaning by saying, “"This song is about the fragility and kind of breakable nature of some relationships. This was a relationship where I was kind of living day to day, wondering where it was going, if it was going to go anywhere, if it was going to end the next day. It was a relationship where you kind of never feel like you're standing on solid ground." (www.entertainmentwise.com)

This meaning behind this song is portrayed through imagery in the lyrics. The chorus, repeatedly, says, “Are we out of the woods yet?” “Are we in the clear yet?” She’s saying, in reference to her relationship, are we out of danger? This is referring to a shaky and shallow relationship because there was no foundation established. The relationship could have ended the next day. The relationship could have lasted the next day. She didn’t know. To her, this kind of relationship brought on many mixed emotions. It brought on bad feelings. It brought on good feelings.

This song has a more questioning and anxious tone to it.  This song takes you on a bit of a music roller coaster ride.   The repeated question she sings in the chorus I think represents the anxiousness she felt while in the relationship. She was frantic because she had to keep asking herself if they were okay. She couldn’t get herself to believe everything was fine, no matter how hard she wanted to.

I think this message resonates with people in society because it’s something everyone experiences.  You can, under certain situations, feel anxious and frantic but also excited and happy. Feelings, instead of logic, start to control the situation.  It becomes easy to ignore the bad things screaming at you until it comes to a screeching halt. Coming from a Christian perspective, our focus should be on pleasing God. When we give God ourselves, He’ll lead us in the right path for our lives.