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Songs that make you wonder

I've been taking long drives a lot lately, and listening to my cousins ipod and one of the things that you can do to fight falling asleep at night when driving is to have long discussions on what the current track means. :D

So the number one song that we've been listening to a lot - and singing along too is American Pie by Don McLean :
'Now for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin stone,
But thats not how it used to be.
When the jester sang for the king and queen,
In a coat he borrowed from james dean
And a voice that came from you and me,

Oh, and while the king was looking down,
The jester stole his thorny crown.
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned.
And while lennon read a book of marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died.'

The original one - not the poppfiyed one by Maddona. Its a great song to sing along to - that is until you start wondering what the hell he's talking about ...who is Miss American pie anyway? And what's with the jester and the king and the queen? And dont lets get started on the Father, the son and the holy ghost. It's almost near impossible for non-Americans to figure out this song I think. We couldn't anyway. It has so many references to American culture and rock and roll music scene! For instance, the jester is evidently (according to most people on the internet that is) Bob Dylan and the King is Elvis. And the song is basically about the death of innocence in Rock and Roll music. There's actually line by line explanations on the net...Try googling and see when you're bored :)

OK, so the next song is Fireflies by Owl City. I absolutely love this song :) This is different to American pie because IMHO it doesn't really reference anything. But sort of like abstract art...My take on it is, it's about a person who has a lot of dreams..maybe different paths that she could tread but doesn't know how to select one...And maybe has a hard time growing up

'But I'll know where several are
If my dreams get real bizarre
'Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar

I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems
When I fall asleep'

I have felt like this song so many times lately :D

Kissed by a Rose by Seal is another song that is really really intense but a bit puzzling all the same. Compared to the first two songs, this one is easy, but all the same I still don't get what ' a rose on the grave' (or is it rose on the grey??) means.

'There used to be a greying tower alone on the sea.
You became the light on the dark side of me.
Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill.

But did you know,
That when it snows,
My eyes become large and,
The light that you shine can be seen.
.'

...

And yet - I love them. I guess the fact that I can't figure out the meaning is one reason that I love them. Sometimes they seem to make no sense, and yet at other times they seem to tell me different things...I love puzzles anyway :D

Comments

  1. Yeah American Pie is a cool song, and one of my faves too. The song is actually a tribute to Buddy Holly, Richie Valenz and the Big Bopper who died in a plane crash. That is what is meant by the line "the day the music died". The rest, in Don's own words "They’re beyond analysis. They’re poetry". :)

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pie

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Music_Died

    Seals song is "Kiss from a Rose". I always thought that the Rose is woman, and the power of love can change even the darkest of men. It was used as a soundtrack for 'Batman Forever" movie.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Some songs actually have deeper meanings... others are just 'stream of consciousness' type rambling by the songwriter.

    But I love songs that 'make you wonder'! :)

    Dylan/Hendrix's 'All Along the Watchtower' is a good candidate. As is almost anything by Nirvana...

    The backstory to some songs can be really surprising. Have a browse through:

    http://www.songfacts.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. @Azrael:
    Oh yes the song title is actually Kiss from a Rose :) My bad.Thanks for pointing out! Yep, and the fact that it was used in a Batman movie is part of the attraction for me..hehe yes I love Batman movies!
    I also thought the 'rose' is a woman and although I agree with your take on the songs general theme, I don't understand what certain lines mean. This bit for instance:
    That when it snows,
    My eyes become large


    @seanhenricus
    Yeah I guess when people listen to the song, especially 'stream of consciousness type' songs, people give them their own meanings - make the song personal :)
    And thanks for the links!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Not exactly related, but since you've mentioned American Pie, you might find Wierd Als parody telling the story line of the first Star Wars prequel. :)

    I also like the Kiss from a Rose. And I'm pretty sure it's "on the grey". I like @Azraels interpretation. Also it could mean that everything else is/was grey.

    Speaking of heavy lyrics, I keep re-listening to Metallica's oldie, For Whom the Bell Tolls. The title and the song itself is referring to a Hemingway novel with of the same name, I hear. But even without that context, there are some powerful words. Track is still metal though. :)

    For a hill, men would kill
    Why? They do not know
    ...

    Take a look, to the sky
    Just before you die
    It's the last time you will
    ...

    Crack of dawn, all is gone
    Except the will to be

    I'm not a genre person. So I listen to a lot of music and songs. I usually like lyrics in System of a Down, Evanescence, Metallica, when it comes to Rock-related genres.

    And oh, if you can get your hands on these songs: The Platters - Twilight Time (a very old song), Eimear Quinn - The Voice, Annie Lennox - Into the West (LotR - RotK OST), Carlos Varela - Una Palabra (Man on Fire Sound Track), you might like those too. Have a calming quality. :)

    ReplyDelete

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