My song:

You Brought this on Yourself Mr. Kefor
(the Humble Salamander)


(soft singing)
I am up so highh
Cheese is dripping down the sides
How did I get here
This took me a whole year

I can see tourists
Got shopping bags on their wrists
I am so lowly
My burger dies slowlyy

(Chorus) (screemo)
I sit here on this towerr
I am still so small
Cut off my tail
It'll grow back (you cant hurt me)
I AM A SALAMANDER

(rap music)
Hey ya'll its Sally,
Don't try to push me off my tower
I am much to small to survive the fall
I'll splat flat on the concrete
Even though I gots four feet
My burger is still pink in the middle
I can take the risk even though I am so little
The sun is getting bright and I'm getting crispy
Still on the Eiffel tower yo I'm making history
(Techno music break)
No I've never been a lizard
I've fended off a bird
But I'm just a humble Sally-mander
Sittin on the Eiffel tower
So spread the word

(Chorus)
(singing)
They told me not to try
They told me I would die
But yet here I am
With a cheeseburger in hand

(fading out)
I will survive
I will survive
I will survive
I will never die

My Favorite:
1. MGMT (2008). “Electric Feel.” Oracular Spectacular. This has been my favorite song for awhile for no other reason than that the music and their voices work together to make an extremely catchy and exciting song. I listen to it to either maintain my good mood or to put myself in one.
2. Foster the People (2012) “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls).” Torches. I only started listening to this song recently but it reminds me of my number one favorite song so it would only make sense to be number two. It is really catchy and fits into the genre of music that I like best.
3. Journey (1978) “Wheel in the Sky.” Infinity. Not only is this one of my favorite songs but I also think one of the best of all time. I like it because the lead singer’s voice sounds to cool and I like the way the instruments sound with his voice.
4. Billy Joel (1977) “Only the Good Die Young.” The Stranger. I have always loved Billy Joel’s music and this song was the first I ever heard by him and it always reminds me of all of his music. I think it is the best song he has written.
5. Billy Joel (1980) “You may be Right.” Glass Houses. This is my second favorite song by Billy Joel because it has such a good beat and I love his voice in general. I like the music he uses in this song better than all of his others (Other than “Only The Good Die Young)
6. The Temper Trap (2008) “Sweet Disposition.” Conditions. I love this song because it has such a addictive mood to it. I love the singer’s voice and it is a great song to listen to when you need to relax.
7. Oasis (1996) “Champagne Supernova.”What’s the Story? Morning Glory. Even though it is a ridiculously long song, it is a good song to listen too when you want to kick back and relax. The instrumentals vary throughout the song keeping it refreshing throughout the whole eight minutes.
8. Kenny Loggins (1972) “Danny’s Song” Sittin in. I love this song because it is so sweet and it’s chorus is very catchy and gets into my head.
9. Petey Pablo (2006) “Show me the Money.” “Step Up sound track.” It is a very good song to listen to when you want to get pumped up and I just like listening to it.
10. Usher (2004) “Burn.” Confessions. I’ve always loved this song. I used to listen to it as a kid and I just enjoy hearing it now. Just because of how much I listen to it would have to put it in the top 10.

Of All Time (In my Opinion):
1. Journey (1981) “Don’t Stop Believing.” Escape. Although I am not a big fan of this song, it is impossible to deny the impact that it has had for the past thirty years. It is impossible to go to a school function, a party, or even a friend’s I pod without coming across this song over and over again. Even thirty years later, everyone still knows this song and can sing almost all the words. It would be hard to say that this isn’t the number one song of all time because the evidence that everyone still knows and loves this song is too overwhelming.
2. Pink Floyd (1973) “Time”. Dark Side of the Moon. The whole idea and purpose of the song puts it at a high point on the list. Not only does this song possess great instrumentals, it also has a very universally important idea and representation of time that everyone on earth can relate to. It is also a very well known song to people in later generations.
3. Billy Joel (1973) “Piano Man”. Studio Album. This is also a song that has maintained its popularity throughout the past thirty years. Although it is not as well knows as ‘Don’t Stop Believing” it is still a widely known and loved song by people. Billy Joel is still a respected artist today and many of his songs are well known.
4. Steve Miller Band (1991) “Serenade”. The Very Best of the Steve Miller Band. It is difficult to choose one of their songs to put above the rest, but the lyrical and instrumental value of the song put it at a higher level than the other on the album. The Steve Miller Band was very popular in the seventies and their music has continued to stay popular even though many people don’t know it is them they are listening to.
5. Steve Miler Band (1991) “Joker”. The Very Best of the Steve Miller Band. This is The Steve Miller Band’s most popular song. Many people still know and love it even though it was written very long ago (Album was released later) It is a very catchy song in general and is easy and fun to sing along to. Based off of popularity it is in the top ten greatest songs.
6. Guns n’ Roses (1988) “Sweet Child O’ Mine”. Appetite For Destruction. This is another song that has a great deal of longevity. The guitar work and also the unique sound of the lead singers voice leads this song to be one of the greatest in history. Most people know , and love this song despite it’s age
7. Jimi Hendrix (1967) “Purple Haze”. Single. Hendrix is widely considered the greatest guitarist in history, Purple Haze is considered his greatest song. It is the first heavy metal song written in the sixties. It was one of the songs that defined the sixties age of drugs .
8. John Lennon (1988) “Imagine” . Soundtrack Album. John Lennon’s most popular song, and considered one of the best songs ever recorded. The song has universal relevance where John depicts what his idea of a perfect world would look like. It has lyrics regarding kindness and lack of government or religious influence on civilization. Although it is a great song it would not rank very highly on the top ten because it does not have that powerful of music in it.
9. Bob Dylan (1965) “Like A Rolling Stone” Highway 61 Revisited. This song has universal themes regarding a renowned topic of being a rolling stone. This is believed to be the most popular of the very popular and influential musician Bob Dylan.
10. Beatles (1967) “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”. SGT. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band . I personally believe this is the best Beatles song because it is so upbeat. It can be used to define the types of songs that the Beatles mostly recorded, and the Beatles are one of the most famous bands in history.

Though “Have a Cigar” and “Rock n’ Roll Band” both focus of the idea of a band “making it” in the business, Pink Floyd incorporates a mocking tone, and stereotypical motifs in order to represent record dealers and their various lies, while Boston also utilizes stereotypical motifs, but with a joyfully reminiscent tones in order to present the glory of becoming “a sensation”

                Pink Floyd writes “Have a Cigar” in the perspective of the record dealer responsible for managing their band.  The song consists of short choppy sentences that come together to create an overwhelming and all encompassing mood to the piece. Pink Floyd writes lyrics that show how condescending and fake the band managers and big record dealers are by making seemingly nonsensical statements like “which one’s Pink?” The dealers are lazy and incompetent workers who really are only along for the ride, they are heavily involved in “riding the gravy train” by feeding off of the band’s success and energy. Although it is the band that has to “get an album out” and who “owe” their works “to the people” the manager or dealers still seem to think that they are heavily involved in the success, as though they and the band are a “team” when really they are only free loading off of the band’s talents. Pink Floyd makes use of several motifs to represent the band manager. In general when someone pictures a stereotype of a big Hollywood record dealer he/she pictures the dealer as a man with a nice suit, a fancy car, and a “cigar.” Pink Floyd presents the perspective in the first statement with the condescending term “boy” as the record dealer offers the band member a “cigar.” Pink Floyd adopts the voice of another perspective that is the opposite of their own; they are a band adopting the voice of a record dealer or band manager. They copy, or mock, the record dealer’s way of carrying himself/herself, the way the record dealer speaks/lies, and the dealer’s method of making money, “riding the gravy train.” The speakers tone in the song is condescending, but the song writers tone is mocking, or debatably cynical.

                Boston, like Pink Floyd, makes use of stereotypical motifs to represent a big Hollywood record dealer. Boston brings a “Cadillac car” and also “a big cigar” into the imagery to represent the stereotype of a rich business oriented record dealer. However, unlike Pink Floyd, Boston seems to have a different opinion of their rise to fame. Boston is joyfully reminiscent of the days when the band used to “sleep in” their “cars” and “practice right out in the street.” Although at the time these events may not have been ideal or enjoyable, now that the band has moved on to bigger and better things those memories live as happy reminders of their past, and how things have changed. The speaker in “Rock n’ Roll Band” seems excited and happy to be playing music, and hitting the big leagues. He exclaims his excitement as the crowds are “getting crazy” and as he and his band hear from the record dealer that they will “be a sensation.”

                Pink Floyd has a much more convoluted idea of the Hollywood scene than Boston; they clearly do not respect or trust record dealers in general due to the way they treat the band. Boston is an excited about their fame, and reminiscent about the memories of how they started out. Although both “Have a Cigar” and “Rock n’ Roll Band” are about the same generalized topic, the two bands share a different perspective of making it big in Hollywood.  

A Hard Rain's a Gonna Fall

A Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall

           

Shifting between ironic and non ironic phrases in “A Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall” Bob Dylan crafts sensory syntactical patterns, tragic hyperboles, and a paradoxical phrases in order to display the horrors that happen in the world, presenting them as “a hard rain.”

            Dylan writes a collection of statements that all verify a question asked by a separate character. The assumed parent, talking to his/her “blue eyed son” asks questions like “where have you been” to which the “darling young one” replies with a series of alliterative descriptions of the places he has been, all possessing a dark tone. He is asked “What did you see?” “What did you hear?” “Who did you meet?” and “What’ll you do now?” Dylan organizes his verses in distinct syntactical patterns, all having to do with the body’s senses. What the “son” “saw” “heard” and felt. In each grouping Dylan represents the horror and tragic events happening through the perspective of senses. The listener is permitted to experience the “guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children” through the sense of sight, which also relates to the type of imagery that Dylan forms throughout the song.

            Dylan represents the horrific events happening in the world in hyperbolic statements. He exaggerates the extremity and the amount of tragedy sweeping the nations. He sees each of the tragic events as “a wave that could drown the whole world.”  By making such extreme statements he allows the listener to realize the full implications of each event. The speaker did not see one, a few, or even a dozen “talkers whose tongues were all broken” he sees “ten thousand” which is a much more extreme amount of suffering which impacts the audience to a larger degree. Dylan uses patterns in his ages with the repeated use of the word “young” to describe innocent “children” in less than ideal situations. “Young” women burn, “Young children” wield “guns and sharp swords” He uses hyperbolic ages, making sure that the victims of his tragedies are all young with innocent finesse, adding to his purpose of representing the horrific events of the world in a way that reaches out to the audience.

            Dylan uses a multitude of statements that seem to oppose each other. He uses opposite words in the same statements creating an oxymoronic feel to his words. He mixes “white man” with “black dog” “newborn” babies are surrounded by blood thirsty “wolves” “one person” starves while other “people” are “laughin.’” However, many of his statements are actually in the form of paradoxes, they appear to conflict but they have the ability to relate with one another. “A man who was wounded in love” gives the impression of conflicting ideas. How could “love” have the ability to wound, when generally love is accepted a beneficial thing? Yet, the idea of love hurting, and sometimes being painful is also a widely accepted theme. His statement appears to disagree, but by using a new mind set, it agrees. Dylan’s method of making use of paradoxical statements adds an intelligent quality to his writing, as well as showing how complicated the issues are. “A poet who died in a gutter” is conflicting, a poet creates beautiful language and has a more refined sense of life, and yet he dies in a dirty and disrespecting place. Yet many poets are poor and make meager livings, so the idea of dying in a gutter does indeed make sense in that regard. Dylan’s paradoxes present how strange and unpredictable life is, as well as how horrific and unfair it can be.

            Dylan represents the sadder aspects of human existence. The starvation, the death, and it’s absolutely nonsensical habits. He utilizes a plethora of paradoxical statements. He controls his syntax to have an organized and sensory based theme. He uses hyperbole to show how wide spread the tragedy is; it seems so large and uncontrollable. He makes use of all of these factors to show the audience how desperate and sad life can be; human existence is a “hard rain” that’s “a-gonna fall.

           

                                         

Candle In the Wind

            Norma Jean, more popularly known as Marilyn Monroe, life tragically ended in 1962 after a successful acting career throughout the fifties. As a respectful tribute to the late Marilyn Monroe in A Candle in the Wind, Elton John and Bernie Taupin utilize second person narration, characterized allusions, and conceptual imagery in order to represent the objectification of women in the media, urging listeners to see them as "more than sexual."

            Bernie Taupin wrote the song in the second person, directing the message to Marilyn Monroe, but also to the audience. The audience is placed in the role of Marilyn, as though the message is for them. Taupin takes advantage of emotional appeals to the audience. Marilyn's struggles become their own struggles; it is not just she that had to face these hardships. Taupin ignores the glories and wonders of having fame and fortune; he focuses on the "pain" and "loneliness" she had to face. The general mood of sorrow throughout the song adds to the emotional appeal to the audience who is directly spoken to through the use of the second person. The audience is made aware of the struggles that women face in the media by being set in Marilyn's place for a fleeting four minutes.

            Marilyn was not just seen by the public as a beautiful actress. She was viewed as a major sex symbol in the fifties and still today.  Women throughout the decades revere her as a role model and an idol; She represents famous women in the media and is still respected and honored today. Taupin and John did not create a song about a random woman who blended into the Hollywood scene. They chose to write a tribute for the woman who is the icon for famed women. Marilyn is used as a representation for all women involved in the media. Taupin writes about all the struggles that most beautiful women face in the media. Most women are viewed as nothing "more than sexual." They are forced onto "the treadmill" to have the perfect bodies and beautiful faces that people want to see on television. Taupin writes how such expectations and standards for women are unfair and cruel. He shows that women recieve no respect from society and even when they are gone the press still disrespects and publishes harsh judgments against them.

            Taupin and John use a sorrowful mood to create the image that Marilyn was just a fragile being caught up in harsh situations. Taupin uses the concept of a "candle in the wind" to create the image of a delicate flame in the brutal wind that is show business, a delicate flame that was doomed to be extinguished.  His use of conceptual imagery creates the illusion that is was Hollywood and fame that led to her untimely demise. Taupin also illustrates that Marilyn was one of the few that "had the grace to hold" herself, while others simply "crawled." "Crawled out of the woodwork" like termites, devouring the sturdy being that was Marilyn Monroe. Taupin shows that if a strong and independent woman like Marilyn Monroe could not withstand the pressure and abuse of the media, how could another woman?

            Elton John and Bernie Taupin use an idolized woman to represent all women in the media. They craft second person narration, characterized allusion, and conceptual imagery to serve the overall purpose of creating a tribute to a woman whose "candle burned out long before her legend ever did." Marilyn Monroe and other women and the media should be viewed "as more than sexual." Taupin illustrates the cruel treatments and struggles of a woman who never was.            

              

Candle In the Wind, Elton John/ Bernie Taupin

 

 

Goodbye Norma Jean
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
They crawled out of the woodwork
And they whispered into your brain
They set you on the treadmill
And they made you change your name

 

(chorus)

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did

 

Loneliness was tough
The toughest role you ever played
Hollywood created a superstar
And pain was the price you paid
Even when you died
Oh the press still hounded you
All the papers had to say
Was that Marilyn was found in the nude

 

[repeat chorus]

Goodbye Norma Jean
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled

Goodbye Norma Jean
From the young man in the 22nd row
Who sees you as something more than sexual
More than just our Marilyn Monroe

 

[repeat chorus]

Little Green

           
The bond between mother and child knows no bounds, except that of poverty. Showing a woman’s conflicted views of her decision to put her child up for adoption in Little Green, Joni Mitchell commands symbolic, colorful imagery, distinct characterization, and cryptic diction in order to describe the bittersweet reality of her own choices, “Sometimes there’ll be sorrow.”
           
The color green is usually used to represent nature, fertility, rebirth, etc. Mitchell makes use of the traditional symbolism of the color green to say something about her child: “Call her green and the winters cannot fade her.” Mitchell highlights the colorful imagery of the color green as that of nature, green like spring grass, uninfected with the death-like nature of winter. Green symbolizes the birth of Joni Mitchell’s child, which differs slightly from the traditional meaning of green as rebirth. The “blue” eyed child, Little Green, is a product of Joni Mitchell’s fertility. The color Blue is representative of sadness in English literature. Later in the song, Mitchell composes a letter to the estranged father, indicating the child’s eye color; Little Green’s blue eyes do not only represent a genetic connection between the father and the child, but also represents the sadness Joni Mitchell and the child, feel about their loss. Mitchell also occasionally mentions the Northern lights and their ability to “perform.” The Northern lights are a colorful array of mystical lights that haunt the Northern skies; the different colors symbolize the different emotions the speaker is feeling: “You’re sad and you’re sorry, but you’re not ashamed.”
           
Mitchell outlines three characters in her piece. She characterizes herself and her child with the most distinctions, and supplies a small segment about the child’s assumed father. Mitchell separates herself, the author, from the speaker in the song, even though she is writing about her own experiences. Mitchell creates a distinction between her present self and her past self, by addressing herself as “you.” By speaking in the second person she is impersonalizing the story from her own point of view, and making the listener feel more involved in the story. She is allowing herself to move on from her own decisions by placing them in the point of view of another. Mitchell does not include much concrete information about the child, except for the general time of birth: “Born with the moon in Cancer.” And the child’s eye color, blue. Mitchell mentions a third character, the California man. Although it is never directly stated, he is the assumed father of Little Green. Once again little information is actually given about the man. Mitchell gives very little character description about Little Green and the California man, but goes into immense detail about the variety of emotions the speaker feels. Her purpose is to write about her experience and struggles, not to include in depth descriptions of the people involved. By placing such general information about the characters she is making the song relate to a larger group of listeners. The song is no longer just about herself and her own experiences, but also about whatever similar experiences the listeners have experienced.
   
Throughout the song Mitchell never directly tells the listener anything. Any information the listener intends to find must be found by making inferences about the text. When Mitchell describes the man who went to California, the listener infers that this man is the father of the child, Little Green. Mitchell utilizes such cryptic diction throughout the song. After reading over the lyrics several times, the listener can assume that the song is about a young woman with child, putting said child up for adoption: “Child with a child pretending.” Later, she mentions that she signs all the “papers” in the family name. These papers, in context with the rest of the lyrics, can be interpreted to represent adoption papers. Mitchell’s purpose in the puzzling choice of her diction is to create a song that is beautiful, rhythmic, and a song that needs to be heard by a thoughtful audience.
   
Mitchell controls symbolic and colorful imagery, distinct characterization, and cryptic diction all to serve an over all purpose. She writes the song to describe the painful and contrasting emotions involved in her giving up her child. Mitchell intends for her song to be relative by distancing herself, the author, from herself, the speaker. She utilizes cryptic and mystical diction that involves deep thought and inference in order to attract a thoughtful audience. She intends to have her song listened to by an audience willing to hear and translate her underlying message, that it was herself, the author, who had to go through such a tragic experience. Once the audience discovers the truth, they can evaluate the song with a more educated intensity.