Rolling Stones: Beast of Burden

The Rolling Stones is probably one of the best rock and roll bands of all time. They can easily be put right up there with Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and even Van Halen. They have created some of the most memorable rock songs that will and have gone down in history forever such as; "Brown Sugar", "Paint It Black", and "Satisfaction". But in this entry I am going to tell you about one of their lesser known songs, because even the less popular songs by the Rolling Stones are worth a mention.

This is another one of those many songs that takes me back to one of those rare good childhood memories that I would have with my father when my father would take me out for a ride in the car and educate me on the importance of classic rock and to never let it go. There were some songs we would talk through, and occasionally sing along to, and then there were some that we would just sit in silence as the song played out. This song was one of those that was usually sat through with a relaxing hush stillness. This song was of course "Beast of Burden" by the Rolling Stones.

I don't know why this song just captured me, but I would listen to it over and over and feel all sorts of emotions I wouldn't even understand flow through me. I mean, I didn't even know the meaning of the song until I was sixteen years old! And when I learned that, even more emotion gushed over me, knowing the meaning and having it be one of the few rare good memories I had with my dad.

The song first starts out by saying "I'll never be your beast of burden, my back is broad but it's a hurting, all I want is for you to make love to me..". To me the singer is talking about how he is obsessed with a certain woman and is telling her he won't be her "beast of burden" which means he won't burden her with relationship or drama. And that all he wants is for her to "make love" to him. He is basically saying, all he wants from her is sex and nothing else.

He goes on by saying he wants to "go home and draw the curtains, music on the radio, come on baby make sweet love to me". Which is basically more referencing to how much he wants to take her home and have sex.

After that, he says " I'll tell ya, you can put me out on the street, put me out with no shoes on my feet, but put me out, put me out, put me out of misery." He is now showing how badly he wants her and is obsessed. He doesn't care if she takes everything from him and "puts him out on the street" as long as she "puts him out of misery" (has sex).

Finally he just keeps on going on saying that he'll never be her "beast of burden" and pleading her. This song is just a really good song and everyone should check it out.

Bohemian Rhapsody: Queen

Going back to Classic Rock, the song Bohemian Rhapsody really hits home. The first time I heard this song, I was in the car with my step-dad on one of our regular drives up down to Williamsburg to pick up my step-brother. It was kind of a tradition that we would listen to classic rock on the 45 minute drive there and back because it was our favorite kind of music to listen to together and if one of us didn’t know the lyrics we would eventually learn them because we only listen to rock.

This song starts as a kind of vague question, as the singer has found himself caught in an unescapable series of events and can't believe it's actually happening. He tries to kid himself that he doesn't really care.

Next we move to his prison cell where he's explaining to his distraught mother that he has killed someone and as a result, thrown his own young life away, as he is going to be executed within 24 hours.
He then explains that it's too late for any kind of reprieve, and that he feels physically sick at the thought of what is about to happen. He cries that he doesn’t want to die and wishes he'd never even been born.

Then he goes into a kind of daydream, reverie, whatever where a kind of operatic drama is taking place in his head between him, the poor boy who has got himself into a terrible situation in a moment of madness, the chorus who are pleading for mercy, and the authorities who are legally bound to execute him. There are lots of cod-Italian images, which I think is Freddie (the singer) having a really good time writing. 

At the end of this bit he pleads to be released as he feels that the devil, Beelzebub is going to punish him enough.

We then move into the hard rock bit where his mood changes and he starts to feel angry that anyone has the right to do this to him and is desperately looking around for a way to get out, no matter what.
This doesn't last long, however, and he soon runs out of energy and lapses into acceptance of the unchangeable situation.

I believe this is the greatest song ever written. It’s like the Mount Everest of popular music, as Beethoven 5 is the Everest of the classics. Mercury was known as a great showman, but people forget that he was a great musician and composer. Up there with Lennon McCartney, Buddy, Dylan, Hendrix, sting etc.

The role of the rest of the band is undeniable, notably Brain May's amazing guitar. Second only to Hendrix and the equal or better of Knoplfler, Clapton, Gilmour, Beck etc.

To Build a Home: The Cinematic Orchestra

The first time I heard this song, all I was doing was scrolling through itunes in the Alternative music (which I do probably way to often) and I saw the name and who it was by so I clicked on it and when it started playing, I immediately fell in love. “To Build a Home” by the Cinematic Orchestra has quickly found itself in my top 10 favorite songs right now.

This is a beautiful song, no doubt, but the second verse in particular is one of the most beautiful uses of imagery I've heard in a long time. The tree that it talks about is obviously representing the writer and, quite frankly, makes me want to plant a tree for my kids if and when I have them. The line "branches were sewn by the color green" indicates the tree/writer has grown into a healthy mature being.
 
With that said, the line where it says "cracks of the skin" with which the tree was climbed indicate that the growth experienced has not been without some difficulties/scars. The fact that the tree was climbed by these cracks is very touching in the sense that we typically learn/grow from our mistakes and, provided we actually learn/grow, this is what allows us to "rise" and see the world.
The last part of this verse almost brought me to tears when I first heard it simply because of the simplicity of the comparison... hanging on for dear life atop a tree blowing in the wind is very much like hanging on for dear life amidst a dying love. I think we've all been there and I'm not sure I need to say much more.
 
Ultimately I think this song stands for the idea that, no matter how solid or stable or satisfying something is (whether it be a house, your beliefs or a relationship), nothing is permanent and no matter how tightly we hold onto things or people, sometimes they disappear anyway. Although it is sad in a certain respect, I think it really speaks more to enjoying the moments we have when we have them without any expectations of permanence. In other words, we can either focus on the tragedy of the fleeting nature of these things; the difficulty of choice between a past life and a new one; or we can focus on the beauty of the moments in which we live and have lived and will continue to live with the knowledge that they too will pass.

Kryptonite: 3 Doors Down

3 Doors Down is probably one of my favorite current rock bands that has formed more recently. The band rose to international fame with their first single, "Kryptonite", which rose up to the top three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Kryptonite is also by far my favorite song by them. When I listen to this song it makes me think about pretty much the struggle of people realizing they are getting older.

It starts off by saying, "I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind; I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time". This man has been around; he's lived, he's aged and his body is old and frail now. He has now “left his body in the sands of time” which is saying he has grown so old he is just useless and he is giving up his body to time and aging.
It then says, "I watched the world float to the Dark side of the moon" It’s showing how he's seen life and how the state of the world has been getting worse. The constant wars, terrible poverty, and the overall violence in the world.
The song then goes on about the consequences of getting older and his relationships with those around him. His friends and other people he trusts. He then questions them:
"If I go crazy will you still call me Superman" He's older and if he ends up losing his mind. Will the friends who once used to call him Superman when he was young and fit and able to be of assistance to them STILL care and respect him? "If I’m alive and well, will you be there holding my hand."
The third verse in the song is sort of a filler, a detail of the past. He's been there for people and supported them, got them through rough times. "If Not for me then you would be
dead/ I picked you up and put you back On solid ground". That's why he's calls himself a "Superman" in the song.
To me Kryptonite, being the title of the song in this case is a metaphor for the world/life/time over aging. It was Superman's great weakness and in this case, it's the aging process of life that will eventually turn this once young and fit guy into a weak and frail human being.

How to Save a Life: The Fray

The song “How to Save a Life” by the Fray is one of the deepest and most emotional songs I have heard. The song is very much widely known by almost all generations. Just the other day I heard this song on the radio and then bought it on itunes later. I had my mom listen to it and also my grandpa and they both had said they had heard it before and I quote, they said,”everyones’” heard that song before.

When The Fray performs this song they put a lot of passion into it and a lot of meaning. I've always thought this song was about someone who blames themselves for their loved one's suicide. This is just my interpretation of what this song really means.
First, the song  start’s off by saying, "Step one, you say, "We need to talk"/He walks, you say, "Sit down, it's just a talk"" This makes me think of when you are like trying to talk to someone about their health when they're obviously mentally ill or hurt in some way emotionally. They don't want to talk about it. They just want to curl up in themselves, and whenever you confront them about their well-being, they try to walk away.
Then the song goes on to say, "Let him know that you know best/'cuz after all, you do know best"
Its showing that you try to convince your loved one to get help or get better. To me, this line always sounded a little sarcastic. Maybe they didn't know what was best, maybe their advice actually made their friend even more depressed, or, if they weren't already, suicidal.
Then it says, "And I would have stayed up with you all night/had I known how to save a life"
Its showing that if they had only known what their friend had been attempting (suicide), they would have stayed up and talked them out of it, or at least tried to. Instead, they either didn't know what was happening, or didn't know how to deal with it and let their friend slip away.
It goes on by saying, "As he begins to raise his voice/You lower yours and grant him one last choice"
The loved one gets angry and defensive, and an argument begins. The two choices they give him--"driving until he loses the road" or "breaking the ones he's followed"--may have been taken wrong and the loved one was driven to suicide.
This is just is my take on it, it's probably actually about drug use because that’s what most people think it is. But with my past, this is how I've always interpreted the song. Suicide has always been an unfortunate factor in my life, and this is all I can think about when I hear this song.

The Lonely Island

The Lonely Island is probably the funniest comedic music group I have ever heard. Every time I hear their music I can't help but laugh. The first time I heard their one of their songs was when my friend and I were on the bus together to a soccer tournament for school about three years ago. It was their song "Threw It On the Ground". Oh my gosh, I literally laughed at this song for like two hours straight and we played it over and over again the whole way there.

The Lonely Island is a comedic group that was formed by Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and the most famous out of them all, Adam Samberg. The trio had met in high school in the 1990's. After graduating from college, they decided to regroup and moved to Los Angeles together. They struggled to find work and began making short films, combining absurd comedy and occasionally music. They involved themselves with a non-profit monthly short film festival on Channel 101. They were eventually lead to pilot deals with Fox and Comedy Central and even a writing job for the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. The show's host, Jimmy Fallon, recommended them to the creator of Saturday Night Live (otherwise known as "SNL"). They were hired in 2005 and Andy Samberg was naturally featured most out of the three. This was no big surprise, being that Samberg had been in several popular comedic movies such as "American Pie" and "That's My Boy" with Adam Sandler.

Almost Ignoring the traditional process of pitching in SNL, they recorded their own material independently and submitted it to the program. Their second sketch was to actually air, "Lazy Sunday", became an online sensation, the first of many viral videos they produced while at SNL. More included, "D*ck in a Box", "J**zed in my Pants", "I'm on a Boat", "Like a Boss", and my personal favorite "Jack Sparrow".

Their musical comedic work has comprised three full studio albums: Incredibad in 2009, Turtleneck & Chain in 2011, and The Wack Album in 2013. The three retired from SNL in the early 2010s, but occasionally make guest appearances.

Set Fire to the Rain: Adele

The song "Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele is an extremely emotional song and Adele sings it with such passion. This song is mostly about the hardships people go through in life and what she has gone through personally and getting through it.

In the beginning of the song, it seems as if she has just ended a relationship with someone she loved dearly. She is torn from that relationship and is in pieces shown in the line "I let it fall, my heart" and "It was dark and I was over".

She then comments on how this new relationship helped her pull herself together because in this line she says, "And as it fell, you rose to claim it"... "Until you kissed my lips and you saved me". She emphasizes how much influence this new relationship had on her and maybe how she didn't recognize her weaknesses in the new relationship by saying, "My hands, they were strong, but my knees were far too weak ... To stand in your arms without falling to your feet".  

The rest of the song is exploring this second partner and how she ended the second relationship.
It's obvious that this partner is two-sided, deceitful and manipulative because she says "But there's a side to you that I never knew, never knew... All the things you'd say, they were never true, never true... And the games you'd play, you would always win, always win".

Adele uses a very deep metaphor to describe how she ends the relationship when she says "But I set fire to the rain... Watched it pour as I touched your face... Well, it burned while I cried... 'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name." I think there are some basic things that she is trying to say. By "setting fire to the rain", I believe Adele is saying that had the courage to confront a situation that was draining her. I think she goes on to say that she was left hurt and deeply moved because she says "it burned while I cried" by the situation because all she could focus on was still her partner, "Cause I heard it screaming out your name".

She continues to explain the relationship by saying, "When laying with you I could stay there / Close my eyes, feel you here forever / You and me together, nothing is better". So emphasizing how much faith she had in this partner. 

She just keeps going on about her relationships with this guy and how it keeps burning and all these things. Obviously she has felt a big connection to these relationships to have written a song so passionate  and emotional about them.