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 meaning
I became a Twenty One Pilots fan my first year of grad school when I was meeting up with some friends in a parking lot. Twenty-One-Pilots-Early-Adopter Heather had her car door open and was playing "Car Radio" pretty loudly. The song sounded weird, and I didn't think much of it, but I kept hearing it around, so I pulled it up on YouTube and eventually bought it or something (maybe used Spotify?).
I really like the sound of "Cold Water." The song is fun and poppy with all the electronic instrumentation I like in pop music (plus some acoustic guitar at the beginning). Justin Bieber does a great job of singing, and the song's well produced. What's more, the lyrics are uplifting and encouraging--a pretty cool thing to hear from a song that's (undoubtedly) going to premiere on the Hot 100. The song's got enough star power and just the right mixture of positive lyrics and fun music that there's no way this song isn't going to be popular.
I've never been Katy Perry's biggest fan. Something about the candy costume in "California Girls" threw me off. And "Roar" is too much pump-up without enough purpose. But it doesn't matter what I think, right? The point here is to explain this song objectively and line-by-line.
Pop Song Professor Clifford Stumme takes on "Car Radio" by Twenty One Pilots and uses rock legend "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey to help him do it! "Car Radio" is about thoughtfulness and is an incredibly thoughtful song itself. Don't miss this explanation!
Enjoy this podcast that asks a big question. Please email me at jugglingcliff@gmail.com if you have a response to what I said. I'm still ironing out some of the details of my theory here, so bear with me. Have a great day!
I'll be honest that I'm not the biggest Shawn Mendes fan. "Stitches" was a little bit weird: If she was the one hurting him, how does being away from her mean he'll need more stitches? And I haven't listened to much else by him though I do know that he's supposed to be the new "rival" to Justin Bieber--both from Canada and both heartthrob, teenage types. But I want to be open-minded and know that I haven't listened to enough of him to be able to accurately judge. I decided to give "Ruin" a chance, and I'm going to explain it.
Hey! Be sure to check out my most recent podcast about what "Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd means! The meaning of this song may surprise you, and it definitely isn't about what it sounds like. Enjoy!
After Demi Lovato put out "Cool for the Summer" last year, we knew that she was up to something. She's twenty-three now, and she began as a child star on the Barney & Friends television show and quickly moved onto the Disney channel. But if you've read my explanation of "Cool for the Summer," you know she's not one to be kid-friendly or to uphold "traditional" values.
Rihanna released "Sledgehammer" for the soundtrack of Star Trek Beyond in 2016. Musically, the song is intense but understated. The lyrics though are interesting with enough of a well-defined premise to work for a pop song. There does not seem to be anything exceptionally interesting about "Sledgehammer" on its own, but Rihanna is a strong singer, and she makes the song an enjoyable listen.
There have been many debates on what "Heathens" by Twenty One Pilots means: witnessing, Orlando, the Skeleton Clique, and more.
But everyone's still confused. Hopefully, this podcast and my theories give you a few pieces of evidence to continue your search for what this song truly means.
I explained the meaning of Twenty One Pilots's new single "Heathens." My argument was that it addressed new fans of the band, telling them to be careful around members of the Skeleton Clique (Twenty One Pilots's VERY enthusiastic fanbase). I thought Tyler Joseph, the lead singer and songwriter for the band, was maybe even telling people to be careful about being judgmental towards those they didn't understand.
Bastille released "Good Grief" on June 17th, and I have to admit that while I've heard (and liked) several of their songs I'm not as up on them as some you readers might be. Therefore, if I miss something, please let me (and other readers) know in the comments below. We'll work on this together.
It's (basically) a rule that Twenty One Pilots doesn't write in the same genre twice. And we can definitely hear that here with "Heathens." The song is part grunge, maybe part R&B, and part pop. It reminds me of "Fairly Local" more than any other song by them, but even then it's iffy. You can listen if you like and let me know what you think (unless the leaked location I've been listening to has already been removed). Alternatively, I recommend searching for it on Twitter; there seem to be many uploads of the song there.
New podcast live! Enjoy this explanation of Mike Posner's "I Took a Pill in Ibiza." I think you guys will love this song (if you don't already), and I know I did.
The songs about fame, drugs, money, and more. "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" is an incredibly deep song (especially for a pop song), and it's also going to make you fall in love with EDM even more.
Listening to this song has been a weird experience for me. I know there's not much in it as far as lyrical depth goes (there's not supposed to be), but the music is super fun. It sounds perfect for dancing, and I can't stop pressing the "play" button as soon as it finishes. I guess for an artist as famous and tried-and-true as Usher (who released "OMG" and "Yeah!), "Crash" being really good is no surprise. He just released "Crash" as a single from his upcoming album Flawed, and I'm sure we have a bit more of this smooth, R&B sweet-talking coming our way.
Switchfoot just released this song a few hours ago, so there's literally no one else on the Internet explaining it at the moment. That means I'll be explaining this song without any help except for what is in the song and what I can find on Switchfoot's website (not much).
Nick Jonas released "Bacon" featuring Ty Dolla $ign on June 3rd, 2016 as part of his upcoming album "Last Year Was Complicated." It's probably going to be/was a pop hit, but nobody actually gets what it's about. People who don't listen closely think that Jonas is saying he likes bacon better than his ex, but that's not the case.
DNCE (headed up by Joe Jonas) was formed last year, but the single the band released is still holding steady at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Cake by the Ocean" is an infectious dance anthem written by Justin Tranter and DNCE. But the song doesn't have the most normal origin story. Apparently it was created after two European producers (Mattman and Robin) mistranslated the name of a cocktail called "Sex on the Beach" as "Cake by the Ocean." The band heard the mistranslation and had the song written within ten minutes.
Red Hot Chili Peppers just released the next single from their upcoming album The Getaway which will be released on June 17, 2016. Musically, "The Getaway" is slow, methodical, and hypnotic. It sounds like something that Coldplay would put out, and it's quite catchy.
