I'm Clifford Stumme, and I use literary analysis and research to explain the deeper meanings of pop songs. Feel free to leave a comment or to email me at clifford@popsongprofessor.com with questions or ideas!
All in song lyrics blog post
Lorde's new album Melodrama is here, and it's fantastic. The songs on it have more of an acoustic, dry sound than the dark, heavy sound of Pure Heroine, but that doesn't keep songs like "Supercut" from being absolutely mesmerizing. In fact, the dry, clear sound brings the lyrics to the forefront as Lorde works through and seeks to understand a new young adult stage in her life that was the natural sequel to her ode to teenager-hood in Pure Heroine.
Imagine Dragons' new single "Walking the Wire" sounds strangely inspiring and anthemic compared to their last few singles, "Whatever It Takes," "Believer," and "Thunder." Those songs have been about personal empowerment or difficult truths, but "Walking the Wire" feels like it could be a heartfelt 80's ballad or the theme song to the moment in Titanic when Jack and Rose are standing at the front of the ship. Because "Walking the Wire" feels so strangely uplifting, it almost doesn't match the other songs released, especially when the dramatic guitar kicks in near the end. But it's obviously still an Imagine Dragons song. Dan Reynolds's unique voice and ability to beautifully yell each lyric with so much passion, plus a uniquely Imagine Dragons drum beat gives it their unique sound.
Lorde just dropped her Melodrama album, and it's awesome. Unlike Pure Heroine, romantic relationships figure heavily into the lyrical content, but the songs are very good and full of interesting metaphors and unique perspectives on topics some would have thought over-mined. Lorde surprises us with her ability to be fresh when writing pop music. And I think it's largely thanks to her ability to write such tangible, interesting lyrics that make us think more deeply.
The most impressive aspect of "Homemade Dynamite" is Lorde's ability to skillfully meld pop and alternative/indie aesthetics. The song has all the sass a pop queen could ask for, but some of the instruments in the background--particularly a whistle/synth/keyboard sound--give it a distinctly unique and eclectic vibe that doesn't take away from the vivacity of what she's saying. It's a unique song, but let's get into the lyrics.
The sound of Katy Perry's Witness album is pretty awesome. It's custom-made for club dance floors, and several songs may even make the Top 10 (apart from "Chained to the Rhythm," which already has).
I think "Sober" may be one of the more artsy tracks on Melodrama so far. The song isn't very similar to Pure Heroine musically, but it is interesting and seems to be following the stripped back vocals, chorused background vocals, and simple beat formula that many of the other songs are following. I do like the sound of it even if I couldn't have predicted it after Pure Heroine, and I'd love to know what you think about it too!
"2U" by David Guetta and featuring Justin Bieber is certainly an interesting sound, but mostly because it seems to be a combination of two sounds. You have Justin Bieber's vocals with what sounds like an early 2010's techno beat. The smooth, steadiness of his voice combined with the wide-ranging effects of the beat and instrumentals creates a sound that seems like it's always in flux, never quite ready to settle down. That nervousness gives the song energy and makes for what could very well be another chart topper. Bieber has been doing quite well as a featured guest recently on "I'm the One" and "Despacito," and "2U" might continue the trend.
I don't know about you, but I've been excited for Katy Perry's new album for quite a while. I'm not a superfan of many female pop stars (or male pop stars for that matter). I prefer homegrown, sincere lyrics that the artists write themselves and that they truly mean. But something grabbed my attention about this new Witness album. I think it was on Twitter, but Katy Perry claimed that this songwriting era of hers was going to be more politically and socially minded. "Chained to the Rhythm" clearly followed that blueprint, but "Swish Swish" (a swagger track) and "Bon Appetit" (a shallow pop sex track) both seemed to contradict her new motivation.
Lorde's new album Melodrama comes out in one week, and "Perfect Places" seems to be the song most like Pure Heroine that I've heard so far. The music is synthy and deep, but it differs from Pure Heroine by sounding lighter and less dark. There's just something below the surface of the music--maybe something in her voice--that speaks of being happier. Or maybe it's how she sings the line "I'm nineteen, and I'm on fire." Whatever that quality is, "Perfect Places" might be my favorite song from Melodrama so far. It's Lorde, but it's older, happier Lorde, and I like who she's becoming.
Paramore dropped the music video for a new single just a few days ago, and it's been very interesting, between "Told You So" and the previously released "Hard Times" to try to predict the direction the band is taking. My impression of Paramore's earlier music was that it was fairly hardcore, but this new music seems to have Latin influence and seems lighter and easier to digest.
Harry Styles just released the next single from his upcoming album Harry Styles, and if any song from any former One Direction band member is going to claim indie influence, it's probably going to be "Sweet Creature." The name's already odd enough to be alternative, and the folksy backing vocals, simple guitar picking, and country-inspired vocal flourishes remind me heavily of acoustic alternative songs about summer days and childhood.
Just a few days ago, Imagine Dragons released "Thunder," and I have to say that I really like it. I remember hearing "Radioactive" for the first time. There was a girl I liked, and she, a few friends of ours, and I sat on her parents' livingroom floor sharing music. She brought out Imagine Dragons, and while relationally she didn't change my life, musically she might have. I was interning for a US senator at the time, and I remember pulling up Grooveshark and listening to Imagine Dragons songs non-stop.
Fall Out Boy just released their first new song in years. After the success of songs like "Uma Thurman" and "Centuries," I think a lot of Fall Out Boy fans have been waiting for something new from the band, and we now finally know that Fall Out Boy will be releasing a new album called Mania in September of 2017. The lead single off this album is "Young and Menace," and its lyrics are about riding the wave of feelings of isolation, anger and anxiety.
The Chainsmokers have released a new song! "The One" is slower and more purposefully emotional than most of the hits The Chainsmokers has been dropping recently. That being said, that slowness isn't what we expect from The Chainsmokers, so I'm curious to see whether people will take to it or not. Of course, it does sound like The Chainsmokers are diversifying their repertoire with "The One," which could be a sign that they're growing as artists.
Gorillaz is back after a half a decade hiatus, and I can't believe I've never listened to this music before. "Saturnz Barz" (not to mention the other three songs released at the same time) is artistically created, methodical, and cryptic. Some lyrics are clear personal narrative (a la Popcaan's rap), and the rest are near incomprehensible. Lay these down over a track that's just as new, weird, and edgy, and you have yourself a song worth listening to.
Clean Bandit, who has been touring with Zara Larsson, just released a new soon-to-be-hit single with the singer. Despite using the word "symphony" eight times, "Symphony" has got a strong dance beat and heavy synth, and sounds custom made for the club. But that's what one expects from Clean Bandit. And also as expected from Clean Bandit," Symphony's" music video has a strong emotional meaning. The music video shows a man recovering after the death of his boyfriend/husband. But does the song itself reflect this depth of meaning?
Lorde just released her newest song from Melodrama. And when I say "just," I mean "just." "Liability" is less than hour old, but it's already easy to hear how good it is. Interestingly, it's a different style from anything from Pure Heroine. The song sounds more singer-songwriter than any of the dark, synthy pop on Pure Heroine, but the lyrics are still angsty, dark, and sad. It's the same Lorde even if she sounds a little different in "Liability."
If you actually want to be hypnotized, the Coldplay lyric video for "Hypnotised" should do the trick for you. There's lots of slow motion water, flowers, bubbles, and landscapes. Combine that with the incredibly dream-like state the music itself will put you in, and you're really not going to have a chance against Chris Martin and the rest of Coldplay.
I should preface this by saying that I'm a huge Lorde fan, but I won't let that color my explanation and analysis of her song. Pure Heroine was the first time, personally, that a new album came out that I could listen to straight through and then start again. Every song on that record was amazing, and I loved them all. It opened me up to the new experience of listening to an album as a whole, which is more difficult than you might think in a world that runs on singles.
“Chained to the Rhythm” by Katy Perry is about people who live live far away from difficulty or unhappiness and who aren’t willing to come down out of these “bubble[s]” to see real problems that need to be solved in the world. She doesn’t specify the kind of problems and leaves it to her audience to apply her song to situations on their own though there does seem to be a pretty substantial political charge to this song.
