amkirkpa

8

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Graduate student
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America – A Horse With No Name Lyrics 10 years ago
You know what? I heard for so long that this song was about drugs, but after reading the article of the inspiration of the song, where the writer Dewey Bunnell, said the song was composed to capture the hot, dry feeling of the desert. Bunnell said he remembered his childhood travels through the Arizona and New Mexico desert when his family lived at Vandenburg Air Force base.

And I can TOTALLY relate. This song has weirdly always been my favorite. I was just nine when we moved to the desert from the Northwest (I'm 24 now) and I always remember having the same experience as this song.

"On the first part of the journey,
I was looking at all the life,
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
There was sand and hills and rings"
^That's about as beautifully as you can describe living in the New Mexico or Arizona desert, especially after moving from somewhere completely different

After two days in the desert sun
My skin began to turn red
After three days in the desert fun
I was looking at a river bed
And the story it told of a river that flowed
Made me sad to think it was dead
^(HE was sunburned! That's why his skin turned red. And after looking at a river bed, obviously there is no rain to support the various river beds in the desert, so they dry up. Just a fact of life in the desert)

As far as a horse with no name goes, who knows what it is? It could be him riding an actual horse, it could be him walking by himself, it could be him traveling with family members or a loved one that he didn't relate to.

In the desert you can remember your name
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain
La, la
(Because it's often lonely in the desert, there aren't that many people around.)

After nine days I let the horse run free
'Cause the desert had turned to sea
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
there was sand and hills and rings
The ocean is a desert with it's life underground
And a perfect disguise above
Under the cities lies a heart made of ground
But the humans will give no love
^I think this is honestly about a woman who he met on his travels as he made his way West (most likely to San Diego) because the "desert had turned to sea" and the "ocean is a desert with it's life underground, and a perfect disguise above" (not far from the desert is the ocean, AKA san diego or another place close to san diego or las vegas)

Under the cities lies a heart made of ground
But the humans will give no love
(People do not appreciate the beauty that is before them).

This song is about his travels throughout the desert and what they mean to him. In no way do I see "drugs" as the primary theme.

submissions
Eagles – Hotel California Lyrics 10 years ago
Haha I hear that this song is one of the most "highly controversial and debated songs of all time." For me, it's SO simple.

On a dark desert highway,
Cool wind in my hair,
Warm smell of Colitas,
Rising up through the air
^Meaning that you are "living the life," i.e. smoking marijuana

Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
^They were driving intoxicated when they were not supposed to. Maybe something bad happened, or maybe they were able to "stop for the night"

There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
"This could be Heaven or this could be Hell"
^Addiction.

Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...
^When they say "she" they mean someone who participated in smoking with them, and who they might have possibly fallen for

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here
^At the beginning I feel like they are talking about drugs, temptation, I.E. marijuana

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
^Some woman he knew (maybe the same one that offered him the drugs, who has it all on the outside, but on the inside she keeps getting abandoned by different men)


So I called up the Captain,
"Please bring me my wine"
He said, "We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine"
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...
^Now he has entered what I believe to be hell.

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise)
Bring your alibis
^The Hotel California is a trick. It looks great from the outside, but on the inside it is filled with dark secrets.

Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device"
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast
^Again, all about addiction and hell. It may look sweet from the outside, but on the inside, all they want to do is get out.

Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
"Relax, " said the night man,
"We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave! "
^Hell. A pessimistic view of never being able to kick your addiction, and always living in hell on earth, or ending up there.

This song is 100% about people living the high life on the outside, but on the inside, they are in hell.

submissions
Incubus – Talk Shows on Mute Lyrics 10 years ago
Come on people! After reading through the comments, I do not believe that ANYONE has hit the nail on the head yet (except for myself.) The only reason why I am sharing this is that I love this song. First, the song COULD have political implications, but I do not believe that it does. I do not think this song requires you to read too much into it.

Hint: TALK SHOWS on mute

(AKA, you can still see the makeup, and the implications of manipulation while you are watching it on mute).

PAY AN AUDIENCE TO CARE: Many talk shows offer free tickets to their shows if you agree to be a studio audience and clap when they say “applause”

1984 I do believe is a reference to George Orwell, but I think that is only a slight part of the song.

Lights, camera, transaction: You’re on TV, you’re on camera, you get paid.

Quick your time is almost up: Most talk show hosts only have a certain amount of time on air before they are replaced.

“Come one, come all”- It means that everyone is following what everyone else is doing
Hence the term “ELECTRIC SHEEP!” Have you ever heard the phrase “Sheep are followers?” Electric sheep is the abbreviation for “electronic sheep” AKA people all watch the same TV shows.

THIS SONG IS ALL ABOUT THE MANIPULATION OF MEDIA.

THERE. DONE.

YOU’RE WELCOME.

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