Friday, January 9, 2009

"Fat Lip" - Sum 41

Storming through the party like my name was El NiƱo
When I'm hanging out drinking in the back of an El Camino
As a kid, I was a skid and no one knew me by name.
I trashed my own house party cause nobody came.

I know I'm not the one you thought you knew back in high school
Never going, never showing up when we had to.
attention that we crave don't tell us to behave,
I'm sick of always hearing act your age.

I don't want to waste my time
become another casualty of society.
I'll never fall in line
Become another victim of your conformity
And back down.

Because you don't
Know us at all we laugh when old people fall.
But what would you expect with a conscience so small.
Heavy metal and mullets it's how we were raised.
Maiden and Priest were the gods that we praised

Cause we like having fun at other peoples expense and,
Cutting people down is just a minor offense then,
It's none of your concern, I guess I'll never learn.
I'm sick of being told to wait my turn.

I don't want to waste my time
become another casualty of society.
I'll never fall in line
Become another victim of your conformity
And back down.

Don't count on me, to let you know when.
Don't count on me, I'll do it again.
Don't count on me, it's the point you're missing.
Don't count on me, cause I'm not listening.

Well I'm a no goodnick lower middle class brat,
Back packed and I don't give a s*** about nothing.
You be standing on the corner talking all that kufuffin.
But you don't make sense from all the gas you be huffing.
Cause if the egg don't stain you'll be ringing off the hook,
You're on the hit list wanted in the telephone book.
I like songs with distortion, to drink in proportion.
The doctor said my mom should have had an abortion.

I don't want to waste my time
become another casualty of society.
I'll never fall in line
Become another victim of your conformity
And back down.

Waste my time with them
Casualty of society.
Waste my time again,
Victim of your conformity
And back down.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

"Armed With A Mind" Analysis

Originating from New Bedford, Massachusetts, Have Heart took the stage by storm in 2004 with their first demo, What Counts, showing their energy and passion for hardcore punk music. These boys captured the hearts of thousands with their inspirational lyrics concerning friends, non-conformity, and various other morals. The band is comprised of vocalist Patrick Flynn, guitarists Kei Yasui and Ryan Hudon, bassist Ryan Briggs, and drummer Shawn Costa. In their song 'Armed With A Mind,' they bash stereotypes and criticize those who don't live their lives to their full potential. The song shows that Have Heart will not conform to the stereotypes that women have to be obsessed with the way they look and that men have to fight to prove their masculinity. They say they won't become a mindless machine because they'd rather voice their opinion and use their minds instead of dumbing themselves down to be seen as cool by others.

The beginning of the song starts out with the superficial girl who cares too much about she looks and not enough about how she presents herself. "She leads a hollow life void of insight." The song continues and explains that she is "vulnerable, susceptible to pain" which is a result of not using her head. The next verse is about the "spineless and mindless" boy who is considered a man, just because he knows how to throw a punch. He isn't judged by his brains or his kindness, but only his need to fight. The narrator asks what he's fighting for, because violence never solves anything. He says "boy, your true strength sleeps behind your eyes," rather than the show that he puts on for his friends. At the end, the narrator explains that we received a gift called our mind and that to not use it is a waste.

Literary terms are scattered throughout the song which adds to the overall message of the song. The use of metaphors, comparing two things without using like or as, is shown. Have Heart demonstrates this with "You're a garden of potential submerged in the rain" and "mind over matter is power over fists." They also use personification, giving humanistic traits to objects, effectively with "the fierce fists will do the talking" as well as "boy, your true strength sleeps behind your eyes."

Blink-182 - "Anthem Pt. 2"

Everything has fallen to pieces,
Earth is dying help me Jesus
We need guidance, we've been misled,
young and hostile, but not stupid.

Corporate leaders, politicians,
kids can't vote, adults elect them
Laws that rule the school and workplace,
signs that caution, sixteen's unsafe.

We really need to see this through,
we never wanted to be abused
We'll never give up, it's no use,
if we're fucked up you're to blame

Let this train wreck burn more slowly,
kids are victims in this story
Drown our youth with useless warnings,
teenage rules they're fucked and boring

We really need to see this through,
we never wanted to be abused
We'll never give up, it's no use,
if we're fucked up you're to blame

Everything has fallen to pieces,
Everything has fallen to pieces,
Everything has fallen to pieces,
Everything has fallen to ...

We really need to see this through,
we never wanted to be abused,
We'll never give up, it's no use,
if we're fucked up you're to blame!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

"Armed With A Mind" - Have Heart

caked up and faked up,
she's obsessed with the outside.
nothing earned, too afraid to fail.
so she leads a hollow life void of insight
loving what you see, but you fear what you think
because between your mind and your body
there's a missing f****** link
that leaves you vulnerable, susceptible to pain
you're a garden of potential submerged in the rain

i said true beauty, cant be seen, with the eyes

ARMED, armed with a mind
i'm gonna strengthen my action with thought
make use of the gift i got
and walk fearless because i'm armed-with-a-mind
a weak offense when you step to this
mind over matter is power over fists
i walk fearless because i'm armed with-a-mind

i walk fearless with a mind far greater than just a f****** fist.

spineless and mindless. you flex your muscles and not your f****** head
a deep man with a strong point made without one thoughtful word said?
"huff and puff", the fierce fists will do the talking
cant speak for yourself so your "crew"'s with you walking
tell me whats worth fighting for...
and it better be something greater than an evening of the score

boy, your true strength sleeps behind your eyes!

its the absent minded fool who's afraid to think,
to extend an open hand,
to dare to earn a thing.
its the gift inside our heads not to take for granted..
because an unexamined life is a seed unplanted.
as the animals, they cant reason
but as humans we can.
so are you just a wild animal or a rational man?
our bodies take us nowhere, might does NOT make right.
theres a gift inside your head called your mind

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Lyric Analysis

The song "Unchain My Heart," performed by Ray Charles and written by Bobby Sharp, is one of Ray's top ten hits that America fell in love with. Released in 1961, the songwriter describes his need to be free from a woman who cannot let him go or doesn't want him to fall out of love with her. It was also performed by later artists including The Rivingtons, Joe Crocker, and the Bobs. Throughout the lyrics, Ray uses many literary and poetic terms such as similes, allusion, and repition.
One example of a literary term is the lines "You've got me sewed up like a pillow case" and "I'm under your spell like a man in a trance." These are similes because they compare to unlike things using like or as. Another example is an allusion, "Why lead me through a life of misery, When you don't care a bag of beans for me." This makes reference to the story of Jack and the Beanstock, meaning that the narrator sees the relationship as meaningless because she doesn't really love him and only keeps around as means of entertainment. Ray also is repetitive when he sings "Please, let me free," signifying his desperate need to get out of the relationship.

Unchain My Heart Baby Lyrics

Unchain my heart, baby let me be
Unchain my heart 'cause you don't care about me
You've got me sewed up like a pillow case
But you let my love go to waste so
Unchain my heart, oh please, please set me free
Unchain my heart, baby let me go
Unchain my heart, 'cause you don't love me no more
Ev'ry time I call you on the phone
Some fella tells me that you're not at home so
Unchain my heart, oh please, please set me free
I'm under your spell like a man in a trance
But I know darn well, that I don't stand a chance so
Unchain my heart, let me go my way
Unchain my heart, you worry me night and day
Why lead me through a life of misery
When you don't care a bag of beans for me
So unchain my heart, oh please, please set me free
I'm under your spell like a man in a trance
But I know darn well, that I don't stand a chance so
Unchain my heart, let me go my way
Unchain my heart, you worry me night and day
Why lead me through a life of misery
When you don't care a bag of beans for me
So unchain my heart, please, please set me free (please set me free)
Oh won't you set me free (please set me free)
Woah, set me free (please set me free)
Woowow, set me free little darlin (please set me free)
Oh won't you set me free?

Timeline

"September 23, 1930 - Born Ray Charles Robinson in Albany, GA.

1937 - Living in Greenville, FL, is stricken with glaucoma, which results in blindness.

October, 1937 - Enrolls in Florida's State School for Deaf where he studies composition, classical piano, organ, trumpet, alto sax and clarinet.

1946 - Begins his professional career playing with local bands around Jacksonville, FL.

1948 - Moves to Seattle, WA and using the stage name R.C. Robinson, forms light jazz and blues combo The Maxim Trio.

1949 - Changes his professional name to Ray Charles and releases his first single, the self-penned "Confession." Several singles follow on the Swingtime Record label.

1951 - Enters the R&B charts for the first time with "Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand."

1952 - New York-based Atlantic Records purchases Charles' Swingtime contract for $2,500. His Atlantic debut single, "Roll With Me Baby" is released.

1954 - Arranges and plays piano on Guitar Slim's R&B smash, "The Things I Used to Do".

1954 - Records his first hit, "It Should Have Been Me," the song reaches #7 on the R&B chart.

1957 - His debut album, Ray Charles is released. The single "Swanee River Rock (Talkin' 'Bout That River") becomes his first crossover hit, reaching #34 on the pop charts.

July, 1958 - Makes a triumphant appearance at the prestigious Newport Jazz Festival, cementing his reputation as an incendiary performer and rising star.

August, 1959 - Releases the revolutionary, mega-hit "What'd I Say" - It hits R&B #1 and #6 on the pop charts and becomes one his signature tunes.

November, 1959 - "Georgia on My Mind" lands at #1 on the singles chart and its accompanying concept album, The Genius Hits The Road becomes his first Top 10 pop album.

March, 1960 - Legendary album, The Genius of Ray Charles hits #17 on the album charts.

November, 1960 - "Georgia on My Mind" lands at #1 on the singles chart and its accompanying concept album, The Genius Hits The Road becomes his first Top 10 pop album.

April, 1961 - Takes home 4 Grammy Awards. Including two for "Georgia On My Mind," and one each for The Genius Of Ray Charles and "Let The Good Times Roll".

May, 1961 - The instrumental "One Mint Julep" showcases Charles' jazz chops and becomes another Top 10 hit. The groundbreaking soul-jazz album Genius + Soul = Jazz makes it to #4.

October, 1961 - One of his career-defining anthems, "Hit The Road Jack" zooms to #1 on the pop charts.

1962 - Forms Ray Charles Enterprises, which includes Tangerine Records, Tangerine Music and Racer Music Company.

1962 - Appears in the 20th Century Fox film, "Swingin' Along".

January, 1962 - The raucous single "Unchain My Heart" becomes another Top 10 smash.

June, 1962 - Breaks new ground with the crossover album Modern Sounds in Country And Western Music. Drawing on Country music material, it stays at #1 on the charts for 3 ½ months and includes the smashes "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "You Don't Know Me".

1963 - Opens his own business headquarters/recording studio, RPM International, in Los Angeles.

May, 1963 - "I Can't Stop Loving You," wins the Grammy for Best R&B Recording for 1962.

October, 1963 - Propelled by a brassy Big Band horn arrangement, "Busted" reaches #4 on the pop charts and grabs the Grammy for Best R&B Recording for 1963.
1965 - Stars as himself in the Paul Henreid-directed feature film Blues For Lovers (aka Ballad in Blue).

1966 - Feb - The moving ballad "Crying Time" peaks at #6 on the pop charts.

July, 1966 - "Let's Go Get Stoned" becomes another classic and is the first release on his own Tangerine Records/ABC imprint.

March, 1967 - "Crying Time" is selected Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance and Best R&B Recording for 1966.

September, 1967 - His soulful theme song to the classic film In The Heat Night becomes another memorable hit.

December, 1967 - His powerful cover-version of the Beatles' "Yesterday" reaches the U.S. Top 25.

1968 - Becomes the youngest member inducted into the Playboy Magazine Jazz Hall of Fame.

July, 1968 - "Eleanor Rigby" becomes his second successful Beatles cover.

June, 1969 - Performs alongside top artists such as Aretha Franklin and the Staple Singers, at the Soul Bowl '69 in Houston, the largest attended soul music concert yet staged.

July, 1971 - Bolstered by the single "Feel So Bad," the acclaimed hit album, Volcanic Action of Soul is released.

1973 -Tangerine Records breaks with ABC Records and it becomes Crossover Records.

1975 - Earns the Golden Plate Award given by the American Academy of Achievement for his outstanding artistic contributions.

1975 - Is presented with The National Association for Sickle Cell Disease's first "Man of Distinction" Award.

1976 - He teams with jazz singer Cleo Laine for a triumphant double album interpretation of Gershwin's Porgy And Bess.

1976 - Is named "Man of the Year" by the Beverly Hills Lodge of the B'nai B'rith.

1976 - Is inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.

1976 - "I Got A Woman" is nominated for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.

1978 - His autobiography "Brother Ray" (written with David Ritz) is published by Dial Press and quickly becomes a national bestseller.

1979 - His legendary rendition of "Georgia On My Mind" is adopted as the official Song of the State of Georgia. The same year he is inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

1980 - Turns in a memorable acting and singing performance in the hit comedy/musical film, "The Blues Brothers."

December, 1981 - Receives a Star on Hollywood Boulevard's "Walk of Fame", honoring both his artistic and humanitarian achievements.

1983 - Is bestowed with the "Hall of Fame Award" at the 1983 NAACP's Image Awards.

1983 - Signs with the Nashville division of CBS/Columbia Records in an effort to focus on country-soul based music.

January, 1985 - Makes a major vocal contribution to USA For Africa's star-studded hungry-relief charity single, "We Are The World."

March, 1985 - Records the ambitious Friendship, an album featuring duets with country music luminaries such as Merle Haggard, George Jones and Willie Nelson.

April, 1985 - "We Are The World" reaches #1 on music charts around the globe, raising millions of dollars to aid African famine.

January, 1986 - Is distinguished as one of the original inductees into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

November, 1986 - Is made a highly prestigious Commander of Fine Arts and Letters, by the French government.

December, 1986 - Becomes the second youngest recipient of the coveted Kennedy Center lifetime achievement award in Washington, D.C.

April, 1987 - Announces the formation of the (Ray Charles) Robinson Foundation for Hearing Disorders, with a personal endowment of $1 million.

1988 - Is nominated for an Emmy Award by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his performance on a TV special honoring Irving Berlin's 100th birthday.

1988 - Appears with the New York City Ballet, (which choreographs dances to some of his classics,) baked by members of his original band including Hank Crawford, Leroy Cooper and David "Fat Head" Newman.

1988 - Lends a voice-over as "Raisin Ray," the first celebrity raisin in the California Raisin Advisory Board's popular series of claymation TV commercials.

1989 - The single "Ellie My Love" reaches #1 in Japan.

1989 - Teams with Chaka Khan on the hit "I'll be Good to You".

1990 - Begins appearing in a series of successful commercials for Diet Pepsi. As a result, Advertising Age names him as its Star Presenter of 1990. He also earns a 1990 Clio Award as Best Male Performer.

April, 1990 - Receives an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the University of South Florida in Tampa.

1991 - Fox Television Network airs "50 Years of Music Making: A Tribute to Ray Charles", featuring performers such as Willie Nelson, and Stevie Wonder.

1991 - The acclaimed documentary, "Ray Charles: The Genius of Soul", airs on public television as part of the American Masters series.

1992 - February - Is honored by the County Board of Supervisors as the 1992 Black History Month honoree, and is presented with Los Angeles County's Distinguished Service Medal in recognition of his "outstanding contributions."

February, 1992 - Is inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

March, 1993 - Releases the hit album My World, featuring an inspired take Leon Russell's ballad "A Song For You".

October, 1993 - Receives the National Medal of Arts presented by ardent admirer, President Bill Clinton in Washington, D.C.

March, 1994 - Wins his 12th Grammy Award in "The Best R&B Vocal by a Male Performer" category for "A Song For You".

March, 1994 - Earns a Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the Black Achievement Awards television show.

May, 1994 - Receives the Helen Keller Personal Achievement Award from the American Foundation for the Blind.

June, 1995 - Is honored with the Horatio Alger Award given to distinguished American citizens who have succeeded despite adversity.

October, 1995 - Is given the Governor's Performing Arts Award.

May, 1996 - Receives an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Performing Arts from Occidental College.

April, 2004 - RPM Studios is dedicated as an historic Los Angeles landmark.

June 10, 2004 - Passes away at age 73 in Beverly Hills, CA.

August, 2004 - The posthumous Genius Loves Company, an album of duets with superstars including Elton John, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones, Johnny Mathis and Van Morrison is released. It peaks at #2 on the album charts and quickly goes platinum."

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