Lyrics and Meaning- Jessie Brown
Previously our blog has looked at Alanis Morrisette. I would like to use her song ‘Isn’t it ironic’ to analyse on the basis of the meaning of lyrics. It is clear that catchy lyrics do not necessarily need to make sense. For years Morissette’s song has been confusing individuals about what irony is with her absurd and incorrect lyrics.
For example:
“It’s like rain on your wedding day.”
This would only be ironic if you were the weather man and predicted the weather.
“It’s like a traffic jam when you are already late”
This would only be ironic if you were the town planner and on your way to a town planning meeting.
“He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
“Well isn’t this nice…”
And isn’t it ironic… don’t you think”
No this is not ironic either. Unless you were the person who serviced the plane’s and decided to take the week off so you could go on the vacation you were travelling to.
To view further lyrics of this song visit:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/alanismorissette/ironic.html
Below is a funny remake of the song so that the lyrics are actually ironic.
Inskip believes musicology of songs is what produces meaning rather then the lyrics (2008). For example, Blues is a genre of jazz which requires no lyrics and yet can produce the same sad emotions from its audience as a love ballad can with its strong empathetic lyrics. On the other hand lyrics can be the defining feature in a genre, such as country music which requires a story to be told throughout the song, or rap which relies completely on iys words being spoken. While lyrics can be ‘silly’ they often describe a point in time. For example a lot of 60s music was written while artists were under the influence of drugs. While the words may not make sense they are perfect examples of the point in time.
While Morissette clearly did not understand her lyrics, they can be an important factor in music depending on the genre of music and the audience.
Sources:
Inskip,C., A MacFarlane, P Rafferty, Meaning, communication, music: towards a revised communication model Journal of Documentation, V64 N5 2008 pp:687-706
female7 said,
June 2, 2009 at 7:05 am
Natalie Setz
Yeah it is really weird how we so often accept lyrics that don’t make sense, and often don’t even expect them too!!
Also, how many times do we sing along to a song that we’re really into and just completely make up the words?!
I know I do a lot more that I care to admit, which got me to thinking that one important function of the lyrics of song is they way they can actively involve the listener in the song. It doesn’t really matter what we are singing, just that we ARE singing (along with the song of course)! Therefore, the lyrics can be seen to serve as a connection point between the listener and the song, inviting the listener to actually participate in the experience of the song.
Just my thoughts anyway!