Top 10 Best/Top 10 Favorite Songs

Top 10 Best Songs

Mars Volta (2012). “Dyslexicon”. Noctourniquet. Aside from the band using every instrument to their full potential, along with the singing used as another instrument, the dyslexicon, a made up word combining lexicon and dyslexia, to speak about how definitions of words mean nothing as a “dictionary” burns down to nothingness.

Tool (2005). “Schism”. Lateralus. Tool utilizes allusions to metaphorically speak about past events that fell apart, specifically about churches as they “tumble down” to nothing, bringing others to blame one another for their mishapes.

Lynyrd Skynyrd (1973). “Free Bird”. Skynyrd’s Lnnyrds. An epic song from the 70’s that illustrates how one is “as free as a bird” and should embrace their inner dreams, alongside one of the longest guitar solos of all time that is still one of the best today.

Iron Maiden (1992). “Fear Of The Dark”. Fear of the Dark. Through 70’s metal, the phobia of thinking someone is always there, paranoia, or “fear of the dark” is revealed as a deepest, darkest fear from a nightmare.

Demon Hunter (2012). “Someone to Hate”. True Defiance. Alluding to Greek mythology and the crusades, one would “spit upon the idol for which you stand”, as if there is more than one “god”, as their weapons are “washed in blood” from all the fighting to spread the idea of one “god”.

Avenged Sevenfold (2005). “Beast and the Harlot”. City of Evil. Alluding to the fall of Babylon and how it was “destroyed in an hour,” With “sins piled to the sky,” the song further alludes to how modern day society may end up just as Babylon did.

Black Tide (2008). “Warrior’s of Time”. Light from Above. The song highly alludes to the Civil Rights movement, the Women’s Rights movement, and many other movements/battles where many fought for their “rights.” The instruments are like no others, making it stand out from all other songs.

Bullet For My Valentine (2008). “Scream Aim Fire”. Scream Aim Fire. War is where “death is creeping,” with complete and utter chaos as the instruments describe when being played in combination with the singing, giving an overall feeling and imaginative scene of being on a battlefield.

Joe Satriani (2004). “If I Could Fly”. Is There Love In Space? Although instrumental, the song depicts a scenario in which one is soaring through the sky, with a peaceful atmosphere, blue, cloudless skies, and achieving what everyone wants: pure freedom.

Motionless in White (2011). “Creatures”. 2011 Warped Tour Compilation Disc. Through hardcore metal, and a high range of vocals, the idea of having to “fake this smile” and hide the true emotions of one’s mind is told with deep sorrow, as “11 tracks is not enough to tell” how many have suffered from emotional pain.

Top 10 Favorite Songs

Bullet For My Valentine (2006). “The Poison”. The Poison. The intensity of the instruments and switching from screaming to singing through various parts of the song, Bullet incorporates the end of life, “another chapter’s ending,” and that “fear has no place,” or fear should not exist as death takes place.

Atreyu (2006). “Creature”. A Deathgrip on Yesterday. The idea that one hides their true person and creates a persona for themselves is presented throughout the song as they “Try To Hide/From What's Creeping And Crawling And Stabbing Within,” with their true personality trying to come out.

Atreyu (2004). “Demonology and Heartache”. The Curse. Love is a hot topic, but in this scenario, there is a comparison between two who have been hurt by love through metaphors of death and darkness, representing to show that many “share the same pain.”

A Skylit Drive (2008). All it Takes for your Dreams to come True”. Wires…And The Concept Of Breathing. Though the singer sounds like a girl, the band speaks to listeners about embracing dreams as “the fire rages” inside us to achieve these dreams, and that we “won’t be alone” when fighting for something that is worth every second.

Avenged Sevenfold (2005). “Sidewinder”. City Of Evil. “Cold blooded hate” is what murderers feel as they send the “venomous bite” to their victim and end them, Avenged Sevenfold explains, revealing that there is always a “fire that never dies” within the heart of a killer.

Iron Maiden (2003). “New Frontier”. Dance Of Death. Through allusions to religion, Iron Maiden metaphorically compares a brainless “frankenstein” created by god that is always looking for who he truly is to those under the government in many countries as they are “made [of] man without a soul,” stating that governments create soulless people full of greed, want, and sin.

Children of Bodom (2005). “Are You Dead Yet?” Are You Dead Yet? This song speaks about one wanting to kill themselves, as they see themselves as an enemy, which reveals that people can have hatred towards themselves.

Devildriver (2007). “Horn Of Betrayal”. The Last Kind Words. Devildriver communicates the idea of love gone wrong where many are “ungrateful,” to tell listeners that relationships can be very painful if one is not careful.

Demon Hunter (2005). “The Science Of Lies”. The Triptych. This song specifically alludes to the Catholic churches that would accept money to have one’s sins forgiven, to show “this digression of surrender is the science of lies,” revealing that the “god of cash” was just stupidity towards what the churches were preaching, saying that people are very gullible in terms of religion and worship.

Motionless In White (2011). “Creatures”. 2011 Warped Tour Compilation Disc. This song is a favorite because it speaks about how people bury their true emotions, and show false happiness, to get by each day. This song reveals to listeners that there is “so much more” inside of everybody, despite what they portray to the public.

Frontline

Chris Robinson

Poetry of Song G

                                                            Frontline

I step out from the clay house into the hot, morning sun of the desert. Dressed in desert camies, a warrior pack on my back, and a M4 semi-auto rifle by my side, I continue the mission I was assigned to carry out by the platoon’s commanding officer, although some of those with me complain about another hot day coming up. Although the hike is only 10 miles, it feels like 20 under this damn sun. There is hardly any shade around to give us a sanctuary from the blistering 120 degree weather. We’re lucky that it’s cooler than most days today. But, I forge ahead anyways because I know that there are lives at stake if I dare not to. I can’t let that happen.

            As I scoot around the corner of the next house my team passes by, what frightens me are my deepest, darkest nightmares. There are heads, arms, legs, anything from the human body you can imagine scattered in the streets in front me in bloody heaps. Some are stacked, some aren’t, but it doesn’t make a difference to me as I puke a little bit in my mouth at the rank smell that is the most horrid thing I have ever smelled in my life. Something catches my eye, and I look up.  I realize that we just walked into an ambush and I yell “Take cover!” just as the first shots come launching from almost seemingly every direction. Instinct takes over as I try to think of how to counter-act the situation.

             As we’re waiting in cover, we all wait for the lieutenant’s command. We are told to open fire, and do so gladly. I don’t want to die just yet. I try to sink some bullets into the enemy, but it is very tough since they have higher ground on the rooftops of the houses above. The lieutenant tries to think of a way to move around the enemy and get to their flanks, but realizes that we can’t because we’re blocked in completely. This is just what the enemy wanted, except we’re not going to give up. One of the grunts next to me spots a door about 25 yards to our left flank. The officer decisively sizes up the situation while I provide suppressing fire, and I happen to land two rounds into the insurgents, one between the eyes, and another in the neck. And, I yell “Head shot!” as I go back for cover to reload my weapon. The officer then decides that door is our only exit, and our only chance at killing the sons of bitches above us.

            The rifleman next to me takes the chance of crossing the open street first. He sprints as fast as he ever has in his life, and makes it as he dives right in front of the door. He begins to provide suppressing fire for the ones that are crossing, as those who are waiting to go do so as well. The next man starts going, but is taken down as a large round splits his chest open. I scream in agony as I witness this but I know I must keep moving. It’s my turn to go. I run as fast as I can, my adrenaline is rushing, everything slows down. I feel like I’m never going to make it, that I’m going to die, die in a gruesome, agonizing death. Cover is only 5 feet away. I dive with all the strength I can muster and just make it as a bullet breezes by the back of my head. Without thinking, I get up and continue the suppressing fire to aid the rest in getting across. The rest of the team makes it across in one piece.

            We all push through the door, and find our way upstairs. We find another door on the upper levels that leads back outside to the insurgents, where we can finally put them to rest. We step back outside into the once again blazing sun, unprotected by any shade. I swear the sun got hotter as we advanced. We all dive for cover as more rounds are sent flying at our bodies as a welcoming gift, so we decide to send some back as a decline to their offer of death. I stick my head up just so that my eyes are barely able to see over the wall I’m behind, allowing me to quickly scan the area for the location of the enemy. I see one poking his head out and within a split second, I draw my rifle up to my arms, aim, and pierce his heart without regret. We begin to take them down one by one, and eventually the insurgents begin to retreat, but we hunt them down to avenge our fallen brother. Just for safety, we place an extra round into every one of the dead enemy’s heads to make sure that they’re dead; we double tap ‘em.

            We quickly descend from the rooftops and tend to our now dead brother. We drag him to cover then wait for one of the humvees to take his lifeless body away. We continue on to our assigned destination, heading back out under the same damn sun, that is now setting, dreading for the next day to come where we will continue to suffer from its heat again.

Dual Analysis of "Rock n' Band" and "Have a Cigar"

Though both "Rock n' Roll Band" and "Have a Cigar" share the same idea of rise to fame, becoming the "sell-out," "Rock n' Roll Band" incorporates upbeat tone, and crazy imagery to remenisce upon the "streets of Hyannis," while "Have a Cigar" displays cynical tone, and hollow imagery to sarcastically mock the record industry and riding the "Gravy Train."

Boston incorporates tone into their song to represent how they feel about their past and how "people came alive" when they were playing gigs. They remenisce about sleeping in their "cars" and "playin' all the bars," in an upbeat manner, almost as if they're trying to say that their rise to success was "getting' crazy." However, Pink Floyd's approach to their tone is not only to explain the road they took to gain wealth, but to criticize record companies, as they are a "monster" that is "just green;" only made out of money. They prove their tone to be sarcastic and critical in the "most sincere" way possible, as that is "really what [they] think." Boston and Pink Floyd utilize tone to amplify the meaning of their rise to fame, but also to speak of their own smaller accounts.

Boston further provides meaning to their song through their "anticipating" imagery of their lives, aiding in explaing their pasts. Their description of the man who "smoked a big cigar" and "drove a Cadillac car" is a representation of wealth and success that they wanted, and the man gave it to them. Pink Floyd provides a smililar descriptive nature towards the "cigar" being symbolic of wealth, but also use it and the "chart" to say that the record company only wanted them for more money for themselves. They further state their definition as criticizing the company for "riding the Gravy Train," taking the easy way out and using others for their own dirty work of getting money. Although both songs are similar to one another in terms of what they display, they both have different, deeper meanings from what they experienced on their rise to fame.

"Funny the Way it is" by Dave Matthews Band

Transitioning between the many broad situations of life in "Funny the Way it is," Dave Matthews Band illuminates the idea of life being "funny the way it is" with the moments in time it provides us with, through daily irony, depressing paradoxes, and dark imagery.

The band utilizes irony in such a way that it describes every normal "beautiful day" and how someone's "house is burning down on a day" as such. During this beautiful day, the band also ironically states that somebody's "going hungry" while "someone else is eating out," serving to show the ironic poverty of today's world. Dave Matthews Band further indicates life's acts of irony through a kid who "walks 10 miles to school, while "another's dropping out," also saying that life isn't easy, but rather rigorous for some of us.The band also comes to say that the man will "never catch her, but he can't stop trying," pointing out that although he has a strong will to win this woman, his efforts are ironically in vain. The band comes to say that irony isn't magic, but rather a daily thing, whether it be literally or figurtively, which also leads into the use of another critical tool: paradox.

The Dave Matthews Band's primary product of providing paradox is to prove that, along with irony, paradoxical situations occur everyday. Many of which is on a "soldier's last breath his baby's being born," serving not only as a paradox, but meaning that with death comes new life. The band also states when somebody's "heart is broken and it becomes your favorite song" as an everyday paradox, especially since someone's sorrow through a song is possibly another's favorite thing to listen to; complete contradiction that is reality. The band further utilizes paradox to say the "world is small," to figuratively speak the idea that the world seems so much more closed off, regardless of how connected each nation is to one another, and that there was so much more to Earth when it was just "mountains and oceans and rivers and stars." Dave Matthews Band illustrates to listeners the extent of paradoxes not only in everyday life, but through figurative use and thought. The effect of paradox also serves the prupose of merging into yet another crucial tool: imagery.

Dave Matthews Band portrays imagery through daily life activities, and serves the purpose of being the basis of ironic and paradoxical situations too. The "sunshine in the grass, and the children play" depicts that everything is as it should be in a normal day, yet a house is "burning down" on the beautiful day; the imagery serves to show that everything can completely go wrong on a perfect day. The imagery is further revealed as defining the means of paradox; as a soldier's breath reaches the end, "his baby's being born," saying that death brings new life, and life contradicts itself and defies intuition. Dave Matthews Band's utilization of imagery strictly defines the irony and paradoxes throughout the song, which is similar to an outer shell, protecting and hiding the more subtle and important pieces. Dave Matthews Band alludes to the idea that life is oddly ironic and paradoxical to those who live in it.

SA1: Critical Acclaim Analysis

Transitioning between multiple view points of what would be the American people in Critical Acclaim, Avenged Sevenfold explains that there's no need to "respect the words" that our government is speaking to us because they are "pompous asses" who "spend their days pointing fingers," feeding us lies, and doing nothing for our country, which is braced by infuriated imagery, antagonistic tone, and critical characterization.

Avenged Sevenfold depicts a hostile outlook on the American government. They say that the politics point "their fingers in every direction," looking for something to blame other than themselves for the problems in this country, also saying that everyone is pissed off and they're sick of them. The problems expand "all the way from the east to the west," meaning that politics haven't created something small, but rather nationwide, and is hurting the country. Avenged Sevenfold further promotes imagery by stating that the politics have had the "heartbeat of this country" and "antagonized [it] too long," leading to the revolting of not only Critical Acclaim, but of the American people too. However, the projected images not only describe what is going on with our politics, but lead to another important tool: tone.

The idea of a terrible government is amplified through Avenged Sevenfold’s tone. The band says that the government should be “Quiet” or they might “piss somebody off”. They come across with harsh language towards the subject, creating a hostile tone. This piece is meant to stick out like a sore thumb, especially with the way the lyrics are worded, really grasping the listener’s attention. The tone is further exploited by the way Avenged Sevenfold sings the song, placing more emphasis on the way the song is to be interpreted, which is proven when they say “I’ll be damned if you count me in” as a part of the “Generous hypocrisy,” in a cold, hard tone of voice. In conclusion, the tone plays the role of sending the seriousness of the song to the listeners, but also triggers another crucial element: characterization.

The song critically, yet indirectly characterizes the politics of the American government. The song specifically points out that they “never contributed a f***ing thing” to the aid of this country, but instead worried about themselves, characterizing these government officials as arrogant, prideful, and narcissistic. The politics are further characterized when they lie and tell the country their actions are “all for something real.” Avenged Sevenfold critically characterizes the government, and tell the people to “ignore the untrue” and read between the lines of the government’s false words they articulate.

In conclusion, Acclaim speaks about the government’s actions and how they lie; how they don’t do anything real for the country. To prove their point, Avenged Sevenfold utilizes imagery, tone, and characterization, aiding the deeper meaning of the song.

Critical Acclaim by Avenged Sevenfold

(Quiet, might piss somebody off)
Like me motherf***er you’ve been at it for too long
While you feed off all those insecurities
You stand in front of me and bite the hand that feeds

Self-righteousness is wearing thin
(Lies inside your head, your best friend)
I’ll bleed but not for fellow man
(Broken glass, your fake reflection)

Telling them it’s all for something real
Don’t respect the words you’re speaking
Gone too far, acclaim

So, how does it feel to know that
Someone’s kid in the heart of America has blood on their hands
Fighting to defend your rights so you can maintain the lifestyle
That insults his family’s existence?

Well, where I'm from we have a special salute
We wave high in the air towards all those pompous asses
Who spend their days pointing fingers
(f*** you)

(Quiet, might piss somebody off)
Like the heartbeat of this country when antagonized too long
I’ll be damned if you count me in as part of your
Generous hypocrisy, collected in a maze

Tabloid gossip we want less real
(There’s no need for us to bury you)
Selfish agenda once again
(Right this way, you dug your own grave)

Telling them it’s all for something real
Don’t respect the words you’re speaking
Gone too far, acclaim

All the way from the east to the west
We got this high society looking down on their very foundation
Constantly reminding us that our actions
Are the cause of all their problems

Pointing their fingers in every direction
Blaming their own nation for who wins elections
They never contributed a f***ing thing
To the country they love to criticize

Excuse the obscene, ignore the untrue
Depictions we see, try and get through
And many mistakes can hurt
I’m not the last but I sure ain’t the first
(Quiet, might piss somebody off)

Self righteousness is wearing thin
(Lies inside your head, your best friend)
I’ll bleed but not for fellow man
(Broken glass, your fake reflection)

Telling them it’s all for something real
Don’t respect the words you're speaking
Gone too far, acclaim

Little Green by Joni Mitchell

'Little Green' by Joni Mitchell
Aside from the lullaby-like melody in ‘Little Green’, Mitchell displays her idea that “there’ll be sorrow”, but with good memories, in life, through illuminating subtle characterization, seasonal symbolism, and a depressing atmosphere.

            Mitchell characterizes the characters in ‘Little Green’ in a less obvious way than most artists would do. She begins with Little Green, a character who is characterized of the “Northern lights” of Canada, serving to mean that there will always be beauty in the child. Mitchell further amplifies the characterization of Little Green by symbolically comparing her “the color of when spring is born” suggesting her innocence and the good that comes out in spring. Though there are bad times in life, there will always be “a little green” to represent the good times. Mitchell furthers her idea through the use of another equally important tool: symbolism.

            Mitchell brings about her idea through symbolism when she symbolizes Little Green “Like the nights” when the Northern lights perform, serving to show the good times of life. She also characterized symbolically as though “everything’s warmer” when she’s around. Little Green is further symbolized as the color of spring of which “winters cannot fade her”. Mitchell symbolizes Little Green as a positive piece of life like spring is when it comes around, even though life may be harsh. However, Mitchell couldn’t completely embrace her idea without the atmosphere she places upon the song.

            A depressing atmosphere lurks over the song, which sets the scenario of the piece. Mitchell explains how Little Green’s father was “a non-conformer” and left her alone with her mother. That alone serves to set a darker atmosphere, but moreover towards sadness. The atmosphere also plays a subtle role in defining the least favorite times of Little Green's life, while she is symbolically compared to the warmth and radiance that spring illuminates. The depressing atmosphere is like a different side to the girl. Mitchell represents the good times, but she also covers the bad times through her use of atmosphere in 'Little Green'.

            Mitchell's distribution of the tools characterization, symbolism, and atmosphere guide the reader to the deeper meaning of her song. There will always be good times, but there will be sorrow as well.

My Theme and Genre of Choice

My theme is war/ government because it is a part of the basis of what I listen to in my music. The genre I chose was metal because that's where A7X falls under, one of my favorite bands who talks about war. My decision of these two was based upon the fact that I love metal, and Avenged Sevenfold is my favorite band out there. One song of theirs that caught my attention was M.I.A. It talks about going over to fight, and the killing of others. "Fight for your life" is one of the lines that sticks out about war, because that is how war is looked upon. This song also came out right around when war broke out in Iraq. Critical Acclaim also caught my attention because it talks about how the government is nothing but full of people who don't do anything for this country, while sending our troops out for nothing but death.