| Frank Ocean – Pyramids Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I see at least two possible double meanings and interpretations, both seem to have been touched on. One is a lament and call to action about the fall of Africans from being the pharaohs and queens of the ancient world to being little more than slaves and strippers and pimps in the modern world. This meaning is really well explored in rap genius so I'll leave it at that. The second is a sense of trying to regain a sense of the sacred and mystical in the modern world. I don't think the video throws all those odd spiritual and surreal images into the song by accident. We're all trying to drown ourselves in absinthe (known to cause hallucinations, but it's a myth) and sex and violence and fancy motorcycles and champagne and fancy jazz music and money but we're all still longing for more. We long to have crazy meaningful experiences like when the guitar solo comes on and Ocean sees the major symbol of Kabbalah, which has different meanings, but is almost always a type of Jewish mystical map of humanity's path up to the divine. Usually this includes some sort of trying to reunite the male and female aspects of God and oneself, again connecting with the evident male/female dichotomy of the song. Also see the alternately beautiful and disfigured faces of the strippers at the club. Ocean also looks to be alternately horrified at the scene and laughing with glee at the strippers shakin it. It also sounds sometimes like the chorus is saying 'working up the pyramid tonight', possibly referencing Kabbalah again, i.e. working one's way up to the divine, the top of the pyramid. Pyramids in ancient Egypt were pointing skyward to the heavens, the divine, the sun. Of course this would be ironic since he's in a strip club most of the time and the pyramid could mean a cock, but maybe he's simply saying that the modern age is too materialistic and that its God is merely sex and possessions, or maybe he's saying that the divine can even be found in strip clubs and broke rundown pimps. Maybe he's saying both. Interestingly, this song could also be about the divine's relation to itself. It was united and glorious at one point, and now it's in this weird state of limbo, separated from its self. "Your love ain't free no more." Again, I think the video didn't accidentally just throw these last words into the song: "All we've got is each other. The truth is obsolete. Our sons and daughters are just candles in the sun, let them see the light..." Again, this is a common mystical theme: sparks trying to reunite with their source, the sun, etc. We're all workin at the pyramid tonight until we can leave... |
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| Interpol – Everything Is Wrong Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I see a couple possible interpretations for this song, especially with the music video. The first is simple and is just a moralistic story about not being an uncaring narcissistic douche. Kind of like Paul is in the video. Don't let striving for success or attaining it turn you into an unkind person, etc. Be true to yourself. The second is interesting in that it could be about a person with a mental illness, which would explain the song name and a lot of the lyrics. The song and video could be an attempt to humanize them more than just saying 'they're crazy'. The video feels like the three band members have completely different personalities. One is self-centered and an angry hustler, another is kind and cheery and high status, and the last is kind of paranoid yet nice and reflective. Yet at the end of the video they all unite to play some kick ass music. Also, there's one part in the video where all of them are eating the same ice cream. |
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