| Tom Petty – Free Fallin' Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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I feel this is one of those very simple songs with profound meaning. I'm not a diehard Petty fan. His songs were a bit too simple for my tastes; I believe this song has 3 chords, the pattern of which does not change from chorus to verse, and there is not really a bridge or middle 8. Petty pretty much has a minimalist approach to song writing, which I suppose had its own merits. Anyway, "Free Fallin" is about two conflicting human desires: the desire for permanence and security (the desire for Love) and the desire for freedom and independence. This is explored in the verses, where symbols of freedom, our cars, drive down a 'freeway' which is built on top of our ultimate symbols of comfort and security: our homes. So, the clash plays out in front of our very eyes every day in real life. The "vampires" are simply a description of those who use their freedom at the expense of others, literally sucking the life out of those in their path. The use of the words "shadow" and "valley" is biblical ("yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow if death") as is the battle of good and bad. The setting: California. You have to look at this within the context of a lot of rock n roll songs (Hotel California, California Dreamin, Going to California, Californication). California is a symbol of dreams, ambitions, freedom.. but it always has a dark side. The scientific concept of a body in 'free fall' is an object unencumbered by external forces, yet completely under control of gravity (think "falling in love"). In this sense it is the unification of the two, like yin and yang. A wonderfully poetic concept. This is perhaps the crux of the song: "I want to glide down over mullholand I wanna write her name in the sky Gonna free fall out into nothing Gonna leave this world for a while" Leaving the world is transcendent. It's transcending the freedom and love conflict. This verse reads like a dream.. gliding and writing words in the sky. You can imagine a spirit doing this. Nothing. ie the void, is a concept of eastern meditation. |
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| The Summer Obsession – Free Fallin Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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I feel this is one of those very simple songs with profound meaning. I'm not a diehard Petty fan. His songs were a bit too simple for my tastes; I believe this song has 3 chords, the pattern of which does not change from chorus to verse, and there is not really a bridge or middle 8. Petty pretty much has a minimalist approach to song writing, which I suppose had its own merits. Anyway, "Free Fallin" is about two conflicting human desires: the desire for permanence and security (the desire for Love) and the desire for freedom and independence. This is explored in the verses, where symbols of freedom, our cars, drive down a 'freeway' which is built on top of our ultimate symbols of comfort and security: our homes. So, the clash plays out in front of our very eyes every day in real life. The "vampires" are simply a description of those who use their freedom at the expense of others, literally sucking the life out of those in their path. The use of the words "shadow" and "valley" is biblical ("yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow if death") as is the battle of good and bad. The setting: California. You have to look at this within the context of a lot of rock n roll songs (Hotel California, California Dreamin, Going to California, Californication). California is a symbol of dreams, ambitions, freedom.. but it always has a dark side. The scientific concept of a body in 'free fall' is an object unencumbered by external forces, yet completely under control of gravity (think "falling in love"). In this sense it is the unification of the two, like yin and yang. A wonderfully poetic concept. This is perhaps the crux of the song: "I want to glide down over mullholand I wanna write her name in the sky Gonna free fall out into nothing Gonna leave this world for a while" Leaving the world is transcendent. It's transcending the freedom and love conflict. This verse reads like a dream.. gliding and writing words in the sky. You can imagine a spirit doing this. Nothing. ie the void, is a concept of eastern meditation. |
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| King Crimson – The Court of the Crimson King Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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The Crimson King is not Satan, but rather 13th century Holy Roman Emporer Frederick II. I won't waste bandwidth here, but anyone interested in reading the lengthy exposition of these lyrics can do so at Pete Sinfield's website, songsouponsea.com. I will say I always felt that these lyrics are highly evocative. Take, for instance, all the colors: "purple piper," "yellow jester," "black queen," "evergreen," "gray mornings," and of course... "Crimson King." The verses are filled with sound and taste ("sweet and sour"). There's also a lot of crying, singing, juggling, etc.: the Crimson King = verbs & action. I think that Sinfield strives more toward poetry than he does lyric writing, but ultimately succeeds on both accounts. Few writers of rock lyrics have pulled this off successfully, IMO (Dylan comes to mind). |
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| Rush – Natural Science Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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It has been pointed out that the lyrics in this song summarize a lot of the ideas of political philosopher/economist Friedrich Hayek. Hayek saw a danger in using science in forming social models because of the complexity involved ("Our causes can't see their affects.") Many have used Hayek's ideas and theories as a defense for free-market capitalism and a rejection of socialism and collectivism. |
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| Porcupine Tree – Fear of a Blank Planet Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I like how the tone of the lyrics change with the verse and chorus. The verses paint a picture of a bored and angry kid, while the chorus digs deeper into his psyche to find fear and confusion. In the coda at the end, I read the lyrics as 3rd-person. An interesting song. I hope the rest of the album is at least this good. |
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| Rush – YYZ Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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At the start of the guitar solo, the tune slips into a harmonic minor-based scale. There is some breaking glass heard in the background. I used to think this was odd. Now I see it totally fits. This is what I love about Rush's music. It has so much depth and I discover new things everytime I listen. |
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| Rush – The Trees Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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Lyrically, one of Rush's best. It's up there with other greats such as "Free Will," "The Pass," and "Distant Early Warning." "all the trees are kept equal by hatchet, axe, and saw." This line stirs up a lot of debate. Is death the great equalizer? After all, material wealth and social status don't matter much when we're dead. Or maybe this is instead a sarcastic comment on the futility in making everyone "equal": the only way of doing so is to kill (or mutilate in some way) everyone. This would seem to lend itself more to Randian philosophy.. I think either interprestation is correct, even though they may seem contradictory. |
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| Rush – Distant Early Warning Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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The lyrics to this song are especially well-written, and I am surprised there are not more comments. As mentioned, the title refers to the Cold War era "D.E.W." lines, put in place to warn of a Russian nuclear attack. But this line is interesting: "the world weighs on my shoulders." I always read this as the Canadian perspective during the cold war (let's not forget Rush's home and native land). Geographically speaking, Russia is on Canada's shoulders, and "I worry about you," well, the "you" is the U.S. And the "tip of the iceberg," well, you can take this literally. Russia is an iceberg, right? But the reason this song is great is because it works on so many levels. This could be a simple song about a parent concerned for a child. Do a wiki for "Absalom" and you'll discover a treasure trove of info. My favorite line has to be "left and rights of passage..." Lyrically, it's one of Rush's best. |
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