What Beyoncé delivers here is a theme that can be found in another works related to poetry: it is a praise to enjoy life and love while it's here. It can be clearly seen in the following stanza, which pretty much sums it up:
"We don't have forever
Baby, daylight's wasting
You better kiss me
Before our time is run out"
Actually, the song reminded of a Latin poet, Catullus, who lived in the first century before Christ and writes some very famous poem to his lover, named Lesbia. He has a very complicated relationship with her, and one sometimes find poems that are a pure delight in their loveliness, but also poems that are very violent, due to Lesbia's disrespectful behaviour.
The poem I'm mentioning here is poem number 5, which basically states the same as XO: Catullus urges Lesbia to kiss him because they do not have that much time to enjoy their lives and what goes with it. The poem uses a lot of the same images as XO. The poem starts with the line "Let us live and love, Lesbia," and soon moves to the central image of the poem:
"Suns may set and yet rise again, but
Us, with our brief light, can set but once.
One never-ending night must be slept."
I clearly think that this idea is visible in Beyoncé's song. Moreover, Catullus, in the extract above, also plays with the idea of night/day, darkness/light, exactly as Beyoncé does ("the darknest night", "turn my lights out", "glowing", "daylight", etc. etc.).
I'm obviously not saying that Beyoncé copied Catullus, nor even knows Catullus (although she may know him, of course!), but I'd just like to highlight the true power of poetry here: after all, we are all human beings, feeling the same things and sometimes having the same reactions to the same situations. Art is a way of expressing it and no matter when you lived nor where, you may find some similarities about it everywhere - and I truly think this is fascinating! :)
That is a good connection you've made twoplanets.
And after listening to the song, reading the piece you mentioned and your response coupled with the actual transmission from one of the communication between the Challenger disaster and NASA, I have to admit, you are spot on.
But because of what people know or perceive from the singer's image, they cannot reconcile artist, song and disaster, which is why the mood of the song is also amazingly appropriate.
Lightsout!
That is a good connection you've made twoplanets.
And after listening to the song, reading the piece you mentioned and your response coupled with the actual transmission from one of the communication between the Challenger disaster and NASA, I have to admit, you are spot on.
But because of what people know or perceive from the singer's image, they cannot reconcile artist, song and disaster, which is why the mood of the song is also amazingly appropriate.
Lightsout!
@twoplanets Very nice points and comparisons made! Part of the reason as to why Beyoncé is so huge is that fans and listeners alike can easily hear that her lyrics are her real life experiences. She's even stated that "These aren't just fun pop songs and random ballads, this is my life (that I write about). Even better, you can hear the emotion whether it be sad, happy, gratefuñ, reminiscent, angry, pissed off, alone, matter of fact, etc. "XO" has all of that.
@twoplanets Very nice points and comparisons made! Part of the reason as to why Beyoncé is so huge is that fans and listeners alike can easily hear that her lyrics are her real life experiences. She's even stated that "These aren't just fun pop songs and random ballads, this is my life (that I write about). Even better, you can hear the emotion whether it be sad, happy, gratefuñ, reminiscent, angry, pissed off, alone, matter of fact, etc. "XO" has all of that.
As to the meaning, I agree with you. I dont think she...
As to the meaning, I agree with you. I dont think she copied the poet, but you are right about us being human and feeling emotion while in or after relationships. Some people are saying that this song is about death, and I just don't see or hear it. Even just reading the lyrics as if they were a poem or journal entry, I still say it has absolutely nothing to do with death. If it was, why would she make the music video all about her and her girls having so much fun at an amusement park?!? I think you've got it right as far as meaning. Nice job!
What Beyoncé delivers here is a theme that can be found in another works related to poetry: it is a praise to enjoy life and love while it's here. It can be clearly seen in the following stanza, which pretty much sums it up:
"We don't have forever Baby, daylight's wasting You better kiss me Before our time is run out"
Actually, the song reminded of a Latin poet, Catullus, who lived in the first century before Christ and writes some very famous poem to his lover, named Lesbia. He has a very complicated relationship with her, and one sometimes find poems that are a pure delight in their loveliness, but also poems that are very violent, due to Lesbia's disrespectful behaviour.
The poem I'm mentioning here is poem number 5, which basically states the same as XO: Catullus urges Lesbia to kiss him because they do not have that much time to enjoy their lives and what goes with it. The poem uses a lot of the same images as XO. The poem starts with the line "Let us live and love, Lesbia," and soon moves to the central image of the poem:
"Suns may set and yet rise again, but Us, with our brief light, can set but once. One never-ending night must be slept."
I clearly think that this idea is visible in Beyoncé's song. Moreover, Catullus, in the extract above, also plays with the idea of night/day, darkness/light, exactly as Beyoncé does ("the darknest night", "turn my lights out", "glowing", "daylight", etc. etc.).
I'm obviously not saying that Beyoncé copied Catullus, nor even knows Catullus (although she may know him, of course!), but I'd just like to highlight the true power of poetry here: after all, we are all human beings, feeling the same things and sometimes having the same reactions to the same situations. Art is a way of expressing it and no matter when you lived nor where, you may find some similarities about it everywhere - and I truly think this is fascinating! :)
That is a good connection you've made twoplanets. And after listening to the song, reading the piece you mentioned and your response coupled with the actual transmission from one of the communication between the Challenger disaster and NASA, I have to admit, you are spot on. But because of what people know or perceive from the singer's image, they cannot reconcile artist, song and disaster, which is why the mood of the song is also amazingly appropriate. Lightsout!
That is a good connection you've made twoplanets. And after listening to the song, reading the piece you mentioned and your response coupled with the actual transmission from one of the communication between the Challenger disaster and NASA, I have to admit, you are spot on. But because of what people know or perceive from the singer's image, they cannot reconcile artist, song and disaster, which is why the mood of the song is also amazingly appropriate. Lightsout!
@twoplanets Very nice points and comparisons made! Part of the reason as to why Beyoncé is so huge is that fans and listeners alike can easily hear that her lyrics are her real life experiences. She's even stated that "These aren't just fun pop songs and random ballads, this is my life (that I write about). Even better, you can hear the emotion whether it be sad, happy, gratefuñ, reminiscent, angry, pissed off, alone, matter of fact, etc. "XO" has all of that.
@twoplanets Very nice points and comparisons made! Part of the reason as to why Beyoncé is so huge is that fans and listeners alike can easily hear that her lyrics are her real life experiences. She's even stated that "These aren't just fun pop songs and random ballads, this is my life (that I write about). Even better, you can hear the emotion whether it be sad, happy, gratefuñ, reminiscent, angry, pissed off, alone, matter of fact, etc. "XO" has all of that.
As to the meaning, I agree with you. I dont think she...
As to the meaning, I agree with you. I dont think she copied the poet, but you are right about us being human and feeling emotion while in or after relationships. Some people are saying that this song is about death, and I just don't see or hear it. Even just reading the lyrics as if they were a poem or journal entry, I still say it has absolutely nothing to do with death. If it was, why would she make the music video all about her and her girls having so much fun at an amusement park?!? I think you've got it right as far as meaning. Nice job!