Hello Folks! These are the songs that bring special meaning to my life! In other words, they improve my sense of purpose. The first two songs are somewhat mainstream while the other songs are more obscure. Enjoy and plug in those ear buds!
This song is about a person who inspires someone else to live life through fresh eyes. The piano melody sounds like the blood that runs through your veins. When I heard this song during the summer of 2004, I felt energized and renewed every time. The song was both romantic and aromantic. Someone else gave someone the inspiration to change their ways and branch off in a new direction. At the same time, the song reads like a love letter because the speaker expresses their gratitude to someone who encouraged them to develop their individuality. Therefore, the song is romantic because it pays homage to inspiring and empowering people.
This song has a sugary sweet melody but the lyrics are very snarky. When I heard the opening of the song in which she says: "When you first left me/I was wanting more/But you were fucking that girl next door/What'd you do that for” I knew that I would be in for a tangy treat. Allen derides her ex-lover, when she says, “I couldn't stop laughing/No, I just couldn't help myself," and when she says, "You don't mean jack.” The verbal irony in this song is powerful. After all the crooning and the “la la’s” who would expect the chorus to be "At worst I feel bad for a while/but then I just smile.” After I heard this song, I was inspired to be a gentle but probing humanist. Instead of brooding during her breakup, she taunts her ex-boyfriend and revels in his misery and she realizes that she can lead a fulfilling future without him. The song even gained a sadistic edge when Allen punishes her boyfriend and smirks on at his agony and sings will a coy smile. Wearing sneakers, doorknocker earrings and a dress, she's a badass without being in your face--a complex person who made a complex song about rising from disappointment.
3. Janelle Monae- "Q.U.E.E.N." (featuring Erykah Badu)
This song is about the oppression that all minority groups face--this is an awesome confrontational song! She preaches about the shame that minority groups face for dancing. She slyly informs her audience about the oppression of curvy bodies and encourages bodily pride. She also slips in critiques about the inequalities that women face compared to men. Monae chirps about the religious shaming that people experience for their sexual orientations. She even points out the particular actions that people are shamed for when they wear sunglasses and dress in certain ways. The video for this song is cool because she has look-a-like sixties mod backup dancers that imitate her dance moves! This adds to the song's groovy beat and chant-like nature. The end of the song is particularly empowering where she talks about the action that the oppressed have to take when she says, "I'm tired of Marvin Asking Me What's Going On", and "They Keep Us Underground Working for The Greedy". At the song's conclusion, Monae acknowledges the fact that minority groups are gaining power over the majority and she calls for women in particular to voice the inequalities that they face. Monae suggests that she does not want minority groups to be passive in the face of oppression.
This song celebrates the transcendence of hip hop. Notably, Badu says, "it's bigger than religion hip hop/its bigger than my n*gger hip hop/it's bigger for the government/this one is for de la hip hop." Badu then hints at the underground quality of either the black community or hip-hop when she says, "we ain't dead yet...the children don't believe it/ we made ourselves invisible". Keeping in line with the mystical chant that is repeated throughout the song, Badu states, “we’ve been programmed, wake up we miss you/ they call you indigo we call you Africa/ go get baptized in the ocean of the people." This suggests that Badu wishes for indigenous African culture to become part of the mainstream as she thinks that the black public has become disillusioned. On another note, these lyrics could express the fact that Badu thinks that hip-hop has become too generic for her taste. In a general sense, Badu could be hinting that she wants authentic hip hop to be in the mainstream--hip-hop that portrays Black America in the most accurate light. Whatever Badu's subject matter is she calls for a fresh start and "new keys" to a metaphorical entrance. This song is interesting because of its ambiguous and cryptic but thought provoking references.
Although the video to this song was banned, this song is revolutionary and should be internalized. In this song M.I.A. obviously points out how man-made power oppresses individuality. Considering this, the speaker of the song suggests that she will face persecution if it means that she gets to hold onto her rights. Notably, the speaker says, "Yeah I don't wanna live for tomorrow/ I push my life today/ I throw this shit in ya face when I see you/ I got something to say.” This song encourages me to be assertive and to fight for my rights as a member of the lower class. The audience for this song is clearly the lower class because she says, "I bought myself a jacket for a dollar...and the car doesn't work so I'm stuck here.” Despite all of these odds the speaker feels empowered and empowers others to know their natural, unalienable rights in the face of oppressive world systems. This is a powerful and global message that bounces off the idea that we have to be persistent and bold to fight for what we want.
The list is up! I cannot get over the lyrical prowess that these songs have. These songs speak to my spirit, these songs speak to my soul! My Libra scales are balanced when I listen to these songs. I hope that your mental scales are also balanced after you peep these songs!
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