I'm Clifford Stumme, and I use literary analysis and research to explain the deeper meanings of pop songs. Feel free to leave a comment or to email me at clifford@popsongprofessor.com with questions or ideas!
All in song lyrics meaning
Is the old Halsey back? Yes! And she is being angry about how she's treated as a woman, how she treats herself as a woman. So don’t tell her “Come on, little lady, give us a smile", or she’s going to be your nightmare. So let’s talk about this.
“Neon Gravestones“ is probably the hardest and the most controversial song on Trench; the thoughts and ideas in this song are worth considering, even if you find that you disagree in some way, you still need to consider what's being said here, because it is interesting, important, and dare I say it could even be life-changing.
“Smithereens”, the 6th song on the record Trench by twenty one pilots, a love song that isn’t like any other love song, and we love it. Let’s talk about it.
What?! Taylor Swift and Brendon Urie have actually collaborated on a new song, the music video for it just dropped out, and today we’re going to talk about it, and it’s nice message.
NF gets personal and vulnerable in “Lie”; and whether this song is based on a real relationship or not, it’s just too good and it’s worth talking about.
“Chlorine” is the fifth song in the album Trench by twenty one pilots, it is a beautiful song yet a confusing one, so let’s start breaking this one a bit, maybe we’ll get to know what is going on with Tyler Joseph, and Ned… Haven’t you seen Ned?!
NF’s “Mansion” is super deep, personal, and so worth talking about, and that’s what we’re going to do today.
“Apologize” by Grandson is one of his most famous songs in his newest album, he sees art and music a way to be political, unapologetic, and deep.
“My Blood” is the forth song in the album Trench, it’s about family; such a beautiful and catchy song, and it’s probably the most repetitive song in the album, but it works well, so let’s talk about this.
“Sincerity Is Scary” is a great song, it has a fantastic message about being true to yourself; and it gave me the opportunity to talk about one of my favourite controversial philosophical topics, and that’s Postmodernity.
“Morph” is probably the most intricate song in the record, it is well-put together, and just a beautiful song; but also perhaps one of the most confusing, in fact it's my most confusing song from the entire album.
AJR just released a new music video for their song “100 Bad Days”; the music video is completely trippy and cool, the music itself sounds so good, but there is a little bit of question when it comes to the value of the lyrics, are they worth saying?
Levitate is deep, and it’s has a lot of things yet it’s short. Tyler Joseph talks about music in this third and final part of a three-part story from twenty one pilots’ latest album Trench. And so, I am excited to go over this song in depth with you.
Nico And The Niners’ music video is insane; there is so much meaningful stuff. We get to see DEMA. And it looks like the bishops are in it, we also see the banditos, and Josh. There is a story to tell here, and I am excited to go over this in depth with you, guys.
Jumpsuit’s music video is insane; there is so much meaningful stuff. It looks like a bishop or Blurryface is in it, there is a cameo by Josh and Jenna in there, the allusions to movies. There is a story to tell here, and I am excited to go over this in depth with you, guys.
Billie Eilish put out a new music video and a song called ‘bury a friend’; and even though she has put out some creepy stuff in the past, this video might be taking the cake, which is appropriate since apparently this song is written from the perspective of the monster underneath her bed.
When “High Hopes” released today, Brendon Urie tweeted, “I spent too long not setting my expectations high enough, worried about how it felt to fail. I hit a point when I realized I had to aim high and fail, fail, fail in order to keep growing. This one is for all of you who helped me go for it all. I thank you.” Urie didn’t say indicate that his words had specifically to do with “High Hopes,” but this was the emotion he chose to share with his fans upon the song’s release, and that emotion certainly fits with the meaning of his lyrics.
While not all songs are autobiographical—in fact, one should never directly assume that they are—it is both a songwriter’s privilege and responsibility to allow him or her experience to influence the writing process in some way. In “Say Amen,” Brendon Urie uses much of the knowledge of the religious tradition that he grew up in to influence his lyrics. While this does not necessarily mean that Brendon Urie is the narrator of the song, it does make the notion of a narrator who is disenchanted with his religious upbringing to be far more powerful and affective.
I don't usually insert my opinion into my lyrics explaining blog posts, but I'll admit that "Dress" is one of the most interesting songs Taylor Swift has released to date. But it's not because the lyrics are deep or interesting or anything. It's the subject material. Never before has she gotten this sexy and this edgy, and if people are talking about anything controversial on Reputation, it's usually this song. But is this song really that sexual? Is it really that odd to hear from Taylor Swift? Yes, and, yes, but let's get into it anyway.
To be completely honest, you're not going to find out what celebrity this song is about by reading my blog. I could care less whether this song is about Joe Alwyn or Tom Hiddleston or Calvin Harris or whoever. The other blogs out there that write about that stuff do a fine job (when they're not shamelessly click-baiting people and wasting your valuable time). But what I do have for you is a near-literary breakdown of the lyrics themselves. I like finding out what Taylor means and what story she's telling, and "Dancing with Our Hands Tied" gives a great opportunity to learn a little bit more about her.
