research into lyrical representation of Depression, Loss and Bereavement
'17' By XXXTentacion
XXXtentacion released an album last year which was dedicated to helping others with dealing with depression, suicide and loss. XXXtentacion is an artist who has a very compelling relationship with depression, he speaks to his fans regularly about depression and coping with the loss of others. This album is a testament to how mine and X's generation can suffer with pain from a mental aspect there are many songs which reflect on many mental health aspects but the ones which relate most to loss and bereavement to me is the songs; 'Jocelyn Flores', 'Fuck Love' and 'Everybody Dies in their nightmares' (I've used the lyrical content website 'Genuis' to help me understand the lyrics better). Jocelyn flores is the most apparent one because it talks about X's struggle to carry on with his own life after the loss of a girl who was a massive fan of his music to who committed suicide. the song starts with a sample used to create this overwhelming sense of sadness. The first chorus of the song starts with "I know you so well, so well I've been trapped in my mind girl, just holding on I don't wanna pretend there's something, we're nothing, I've been stuck thinking 'bout her, I can't hold back" From my interpretation this is X talking about how when a person dies that they constantly stay in your mind and how the loss of that person can affect how you interpret the rest of your life without them (Interpretation of lyrics from the artist on side of screen') the first and only verse on the song has X talk about the pain which he currently feeling into great detail. "I'm in pain, wanna put ten shots in my brain, I've been tripped by some things I can't change, Suicidal, same time I maintain, fuck this thing, Get a phone call, Girl that you fuck with killed herself
How is it someone when nobody help, And ever since then, man, I hate myself
Wanna fucking end it, Pessimistic, All wanna see me with no pot to piss in, But n****s been excited 'bout the grave I'm digging, Having conversations about my haste decisions, Fucking sickening ,At the same time, memory surfaced through the grapevine
But my uncle playing with a slipknot Post traumatic stress got me fucked up
Been fucked up since a couple months they had a n locked up"
(No one knows me) Like The Piano by Sampha
(No one Knowns me) Like the piano is a song by Mercury award winner Sampha. The song is about when Sampha's mother was battling with cancer he moved back in with her to take care of her and he used the piano in her home as a form of escapism, Sampha sang these songs on the piano to relieve himself from the overwhelming sadness that was taking over his life but after the tragic passing of his mother that year he made this song in tribute to his late mother. The lyrics reveal to the listener that Sampha refers to the piano being his escape from reality when he sings "You would show me I had something some people call a soul" which from my interpretation this means that in dark times the piano still allowed Sampha realise that he had passion and soul still inside of him. Sampha refers to the piano again as his saviour in a way when he says "and you dropped from the sky when I was three years old" because when Sampha was young his father bought a piano from his neighbours and when he refers to the Piano dropping from the sky as if it is in some way a 'Guardian Angel' to him because it teaches him that he does have a 'soul' I think the most powerful part of the song is the chorus which is "You know I left, I flew the nest, and you know I won't be long and in my chest you know me best and you know i'll be back home" this is a very sad line because even though she isn't alive anymore Sampha realises even though he left home he knows his mother was not angry with him because he returned when it truly mattered, I really rate this song highly from a writing perspective because even though it only has 2 verses and 1 chorus it really brings up very strong emotions because it the lyrics detail a mans love for his mother and how putting his negative energy into his passion allowed him to better himself as an artist even though the pain he was dealing with at the time would usually brake most people. This song really shows from a strong perspective that even though you can loose the people who you love the most you can still use that energy to overcome your grief and better yourself as a person.
Only One by Kanye West
'Only one' which is 'Kanye' in Swahili is a song by Kanye West which is about Kanye singing from the perspective of him and his mother. the song starts with the words"As I lay me down to sleep, I hear her speak to me, Hello mari how you doing, I think the storm rarn out of rain, the clouds are moving and I know you're, cause I can see it, so tell the voice inside your head to believe it" this is Kanye singing from the perspective of his late mother Donda west who is telling him that even though she isn't there anymore she is telling him that she is happy with the person who he has become, the reference also to the 'the voice inside your head' refers to Kanye's mental health issues after his mothers passing. A very good line about the loss of another person in this song would be "You know I never left you, cause every road that leads to heaven's right inside you"this is Kanye's mother telling him that even though after her death in 2007, she never really left him they are currently just separated and they will be together soon in the after life. The Hook "hello my only one, just like the morning sun you'll keep on risin 'till the sky knows your name, hello my only one, remember who you are, no you're not perfect but your not your mistakes."this to me is Kanye's mother telling him that she is looking over him and she knows that mistakes (that Kanye is so famous for making) do not disappoint her. Another line in the song which relates to bereavement is the bridge which refers to giving advice from your loved ones in heaven "so hear me out, I won't go, No Goodbyes, No goodbyes, Just hello, Just hello and when yiu cry, I will cry, I will smile and next time when I look in your eyes we'll have wings and we'll fly" I love this part of the song because it describes how even though Kanye lost his mother a very long time ago she is still beside him and willing to be beside him all the way and one day they will finally meet again and that is very good writting in my opinion because not many media outlets still like to refer that even when people we know die, they aren't actually gone, they are just absent and in one way or another we will find them again in whatever reality eventually comes to us. This song has helped me understand very much from a perspective that people do not always just vanish from the us after they die, they live inside of us and that allows me to put some different ideologies and meanings into my writing.
XXXtentacion released an album last year which was dedicated to helping others with dealing with depression, suicide and loss. XXXtentacion is an artist who has a very compelling relationship with depression, he speaks to his fans regularly about depression and coping with the loss of others. This album is a testament to how mine and X's generation can suffer with pain from a mental aspect there are many songs which reflect on many mental health aspects but the ones which relate most to loss and bereavement to me is the songs; 'Jocelyn Flores', 'Fuck Love' and 'Everybody Dies in their nightmares' (I've used the lyrical content website 'Genuis' to help me understand the lyrics better). Jocelyn flores is the most apparent one because it talks about X's struggle to carry on with his own life after the loss of a girl who was a massive fan of his music to who committed suicide. the song starts with a sample used to create this overwhelming sense of sadness. The first chorus of the song starts with "I know you so well, so well I've been trapped in my mind girl, just holding on I don't wanna pretend there's something, we're nothing, I've been stuck thinking 'bout her, I can't hold back" From my interpretation this is X talking about how when a person dies that they constantly stay in your mind and how the loss of that person can affect how you interpret the rest of your life without them (Interpretation of lyrics from the artist on side of screen') the first and only verse on the song has X talk about the pain which he currently feeling into great detail. "I'm in pain, wanna put ten shots in my brain, I've been tripped by some things I can't change, Suicidal, same time I maintain, fuck this thing, Get a phone call, Girl that you fuck with killed herselfWanna fucking end it, Pessimistic, All wanna see me with no pot to piss in, But n****s been excited 'bout the grave I'm digging, Having conversations about my haste decisions, Fucking sickening ,At the same time, memory surfaced through the grapevine
But my uncle playing with a slipknot Post traumatic stress got me fucked up
Been fucked up since a couple months they had a n locked up"
I find these lyrics are talking about x's dark past and how this suicide has made him feel like he's lost his momentum that he can't carry on trying to battle with his depression.
I think that when reading lyrics from his album I find that XXXtentacion can create music which really speaks to my generation and to do it with such a complex issue like loss and depression is very inspiring to me as a writer because it shows that looking into personal experiences can allow your writing to be more real and creative.
XO Tour Lif3 by Lil Uzi Vert
Lil Uzi vert released a song last summer called XO tour lif3 it was one of the most popular songs of 2017 but it was different to any usual song that we be charted so highly. The song detailed about a failing relationship which Lil uzi was apart of before the release of this song and how the loss of your loved ones can make your existence futile.The songs most powerful lyrics come from the chorus "I don't really care if you cry, on the real you should of never lied, she said baby i'm not afraid to die, All my friends are dead push me to the edge, all my friends are dead push me to the edge" From my interpretation these lyrics describe a relationship that is falling apart but one person in the relationship (it isn't clear who) does not care weather they live or die because they have lost all the people they care about, this doesn't directly relate to bereavement but it relates to the feeling of loneliness and pain from loosing loved ones weather they are alive or dead. I feel that this type of writing is very appealing to me because the lyrics aren't exactly obvious, the writing relates to a large amount of grief and sadness especially in the way it is sung.
I think that when reading lyrics from his album I find that XXXtentacion can create music which really speaks to my generation and to do it with such a complex issue like loss and depression is very inspiring to me as a writer because it shows that looking into personal experiences can allow your writing to be more real and creative.
XO Tour Lif3 by Lil Uzi Vert
Lil Uzi vert released a song last summer called XO tour lif3 it was one of the most popular songs of 2017 but it was different to any usual song that we be charted so highly. The song detailed about a failing relationship which Lil uzi was apart of before the release of this song and how the loss of your loved ones can make your existence futile.The songs most powerful lyrics come from the chorus "I don't really care if you cry, on the real you should of never lied, she said baby i'm not afraid to die, All my friends are dead push me to the edge, all my friends are dead push me to the edge" From my interpretation these lyrics describe a relationship that is falling apart but one person in the relationship (it isn't clear who) does not care weather they live or die because they have lost all the people they care about, this doesn't directly relate to bereavement but it relates to the feeling of loneliness and pain from loosing loved ones weather they are alive or dead. I feel that this type of writing is very appealing to me because the lyrics aren't exactly obvious, the writing relates to a large amount of grief and sadness especially in the way it is sung.
(No one knows me) Like The Piano by Sampha
(No one Knowns me) Like the piano is a song by Mercury award winner Sampha. The song is about when Sampha's mother was battling with cancer he moved back in with her to take care of her and he used the piano in her home as a form of escapism, Sampha sang these songs on the piano to relieve himself from the overwhelming sadness that was taking over his life but after the tragic passing of his mother that year he made this song in tribute to his late mother. The lyrics reveal to the listener that Sampha refers to the piano being his escape from reality when he sings "You would show me I had something some people call a soul" which from my interpretation this means that in dark times the piano still allowed Sampha realise that he had passion and soul still inside of him. Sampha refers to the piano again as his saviour in a way when he says "and you dropped from the sky when I was three years old" because when Sampha was young his father bought a piano from his neighbours and when he refers to the Piano dropping from the sky as if it is in some way a 'Guardian Angel' to him because it teaches him that he does have a 'soul' I think the most powerful part of the song is the chorus which is "You know I left, I flew the nest, and you know I won't be long and in my chest you know me best and you know i'll be back home" this is a very sad line because even though she isn't alive anymore Sampha realises even though he left home he knows his mother was not angry with him because he returned when it truly mattered, I really rate this song highly from a writing perspective because even though it only has 2 verses and 1 chorus it really brings up very strong emotions because it the lyrics detail a mans love for his mother and how putting his negative energy into his passion allowed him to better himself as an artist even though the pain he was dealing with at the time would usually brake most people. This song really shows from a strong perspective that even though you can loose the people who you love the most you can still use that energy to overcome your grief and better yourself as a person.
Only One by Kanye West
'Only one' which is 'Kanye' in Swahili is a song by Kanye West which is about Kanye singing from the perspective of him and his mother. the song starts with the words"As I lay me down to sleep, I hear her speak to me, Hello mari how you doing, I think the storm rarn out of rain, the clouds are moving and I know you're, cause I can see it, so tell the voice inside your head to believe it" this is Kanye singing from the perspective of his late mother Donda west who is telling him that even though she isn't there anymore she is telling him that she is happy with the person who he has become, the reference also to the 'the voice inside your head' refers to Kanye's mental health issues after his mothers passing. A very good line about the loss of another person in this song would be "You know I never left you, cause every road that leads to heaven's right inside you"this is Kanye's mother telling him that even though after her death in 2007, she never really left him they are currently just separated and they will be together soon in the after life. The Hook "hello my only one, just like the morning sun you'll keep on risin 'till the sky knows your name, hello my only one, remember who you are, no you're not perfect but your not your mistakes."this to me is Kanye's mother telling him that she is looking over him and she knows that mistakes (that Kanye is so famous for making) do not disappoint her. Another line in the song which relates to bereavement is the bridge which refers to giving advice from your loved ones in heaven "so hear me out, I won't go, No Goodbyes, No goodbyes, Just hello, Just hello and when yiu cry, I will cry, I will smile and next time when I look in your eyes we'll have wings and we'll fly" I love this part of the song because it describes how even though Kanye lost his mother a very long time ago she is still beside him and willing to be beside him all the way and one day they will finally meet again and that is very good writting in my opinion because not many media outlets still like to refer that even when people we know die, they aren't actually gone, they are just absent and in one way or another we will find them again in whatever reality eventually comes to us. This song has helped me understand very much from a perspective that people do not always just vanish from the us after they die, they live inside of us and that allows me to put some different ideologies and meanings into my writing.
Comments
Post a Comment