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 tagged explain song
The drum beat at the beginning of "Wilder Mind" from the new Mumford & Sons album Wilder Mind had me confused. It's upbeat and happy-sounding and fairly fast. The previous songs released had been moody and heavy, but this song was so much lighter, suggesting far lighter tone and subject matter. However, the difference didn't last; the music thickened quickly and the lyrics in "Wilder Mind" are still intense and near-brooding.
"Tompkins Square Park" is about a relationship that ends in Tompkins Square Park in New York City, the site, according to Wikipedia, of numerous riots over the past 150 years. The park served as a gathering place for artists (Allen Ginsberg lived nearby during the 1988 riots), bohemians, and the homeless. Due to gentrification, the park has lost some of its artsy vibe, but its legacy serves well as a backdrop for the difficult subject of Mumford & Sons's new song.
Think theology has no place in pop music? "Prayer in C" by Lilly Wood & The Prick has got a lot of theological argument in its lyrics, and it's mainly anti-theological.
Mumford and Sons just released the next installment from their soon-to-come album, Wilder Mind. The song is called "The Wolf," and it's a departure from their earlier music. Gone are the days of hipster alternative blends of folk instruments and crooning, soulful harmonies. "The Wolf" retains some of the familiar harmonizing, but everything is more intense. While his voice stays recognizable, the music surrounding Marcus Mumford's vocals is much grittier and much more rockin' & rollin'.
