Walls❤️
Week 13: Winter Abernathy - 23 March 2022 [5:23pm]
“We’re sleeping on our problems like we’ll solve them in our dreams
We wake up early morning and they’re still under the sheets”
”I hope that I’m not asking too much just want to be loved by you
And I’m too tired to be tough just want to be loved by you”
I am notorious in my friend groups for being self-sacrificial to a fault and the insecurity of not being able to allow yourself to have needs but also needing another person, the feeling of always being the strong one but needing someone to be the one to hold you when you fall is again made beautiful only by Louis. The album “Walls” as a whole is impeccable, lyrically it draws, paints, and varnishes every picture for you. The last song, Only The Brave, is another gem, a more ballad feeling with the depth of an anthem, as many members of the LGBTQIA+ community have claimed it as one.
“It’s a church of burnt romances
And I’m too far gone to pray”
This song is about love being “only for the brave” and it’s quite easy to get the message, what makes someone “too far gone” for a church of “burnt romances”? I’ll let you answer that question.
I think a lot of boy bands and their subsequent solo careers are scoffed at because their audience happens to be predominantly teenage girls. Although that’s a conversation for another time, I want to note it here because when I say that One Direction and the boys’ solo careers are incredibly successful, it’s because of those fans and also because their songs are incredible. Louis not only wrote a large portion of One Directions’ discography, his solo career, as I’ve demonstrated, is just as lyrically strong. Purely from a musical perspective; the production value, the lyrical quality, the story building of their music is not an effort to be undermined just because their fans happen to be younger and female. I could go on, pointing specifics of each member’s lyrics solo and together and dissecting the intricacies of their writing but for today I’ll leave it at this:
Hey Winter, this tendency to discredit these bands because their primary audience is young females is really limiting the musical diversity of those who follows such idea. I will admit that in the past, I had felt the same way towards these bands like One Direction, One Republic, Maroon 5, and the numerous others who has a similar primary audience. I saw their songs as cheesy love songs that are superficial and exists to purely attract their young audiences. However, upon hearing some of their new releases, their songs have seem to instead adopt a much more mature and deep lyrical styles, with many embodying the difficulties of maturing and growing up. These bands perfectly proves the concept of not judging a book by its cover; although they are bands consisting of boys, their songs are not superficial but instead can sometimes be very interesting and deep.
ReplyDeleteDefenseless sounds like a deep song, filled with double meanings and quotable lyrics. Relating to songs is also a unique experience to each person, and a productive one I believe as the cathartic experience of yelling Taylor Swift lyrics at 1AM is certainly not to be underestimated. On that note it is sad to see that so many of these artists are looked down upon purely because of their target demographic being teenage girls, who simply happen to be a large demographic on the song market. Many of their songs might simply be emotional, and they will still be labeled for teenage girls, even though in truth everyone can probably derive something from them.
ReplyDeleteHey Winter, I have always been one to not pay much attention to the lyrics of a song, instead focusing more on how the music sounds; however, after you shared these lyrics and your insights on them, I was able to better understand why people would focus on the lyrics and appreciate its value more. With how much the conveyed messages can resonate with people, I can see how it can elevate the value of a song by so much more. I agree that it is disappointing how great songs with such meaningful lyrics are often overlooked just because of who their audiences typically are. Hopefully more people can come to that realization that an artist or band's targeted demographic does not define the value of the song. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWinter, it was wonderful to read your analysis about Louis Tomlinson’s songs. I am willing to admit that when listening to music I used to not pay much attention to lyrics and mostly cared about the musical background. However, when my cousin came to visit us, she would always play Taylor Swift songs and rather than boasting about how great the music was she would boast about the lyrics and explain how meaningful they were. Her admiration for lyrics made me wonder what the lyrics of the songs I like really meant. Going down this rabbit hole made me change my perspective, from a background music lover to a lyric lover in songs. It was delightful to read your take on how these lyrics relate to you, personally which shows how songs unlock such memories within each person.
ReplyDeleteHi Winter, song lyrics have always been really powerful. Music is a really great channel for artists to express their feelings and outlooks on certain topics, and are often really relatable. There are a lot of amazing lyrics that have such artistry to them and are beautiful in their own way. Writing lyrics must be extremely difficult and requires talent, and I really appreciate all of the artists out there that are creating their music as an outlet for their creativity.
ReplyDeleteHi Winter! I have never heard the song Defenseless by Louis Tomlinson, but after reading your blog, I am eager to give it a listen. I agree that the lyrics of this song are extremely well-written and masterfully crafted. I like how the lyrics utilize things that are related to each other to encompass opposite meanings. For example, the words “sleeping” and “sheets” are related and offer amazing imagery. I am someone who focuses on the tone of music without looking at the meaning so I found your blog to be very fascinating and mind-opening. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey Winter! Lyrics do play a huge role in attracting a singer’s audience and creating meaning in a seemingly catchy tune. The language in songs gives them a purpose and can reach out to many individuals and deeply resonate with them. While I personally do not give too much attention to the lyrics, I know many of my friends do and oftentimes they’ll be analyzing a section from any one of Taylor Swift’s songs during lunch or in our group chat. I know my parents really love old Indian music because they find the cheesy lyrics beautiful and a symbol of their childhood. Music can convey a lot of emotions and is a powerful language. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Winter, I loved reading about One Direction’s member, Louis Tomlinson. I also relate to the flaws you have with the problems of needing and relying on others. Being the strong one all the time has made us tougher, but it has its drawbacks too. I envy those who are able to relax because they do not care as much as we may. It makes us moral people but also able to be taken advantage of or a pushover some may say. In the end, being the strong one is fine but once you realize that your friends will let you rely on them, being the strong one in the group is not as tiring as it makes us.
ReplyDeleteHi Winter! I loved reading your thoughts on these lyrics, and I agree that they are really beautiful and powerful. Many bands and music have really often been disregarded, like you mentioned, simply because of their audience, which is really sad. The lyrics of this song are very poetic, and I think I'd definitely like to listen to it. Music is such a great outlet for artists to express themselves, and lyrics can touch so many different emotions, creating deep meanings. I love listening to songs in different languages and searching for what the lyrics mean, because the meanings and purpose of a song transcend language barriers. There are many musicians out there who produce meaningful songs, and I love how they can touch everyone in different ways.
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