I bet you all thought I'd be writing about metal and stuff forever... but NOPE! I actually just heard this song this weekend and it's really speaking to me. This is off of Katy Perry's new album, Prism, and the song is "Unconditionally".
Katy has actually talked about her inspiration for this song and a lot of it is for her boyfriend, John Mayer (yes, they are still together). He has a bad reputation but if she can learn to love him despite all that then I'm all for it. Her other inspiration for this was a trip she took to Africa.
‘Unconditionally’ was influenced by my boyfriend and also really influenced by Africa. I went to Madagascar and did a UNICEF trip that changed my life and gave me this song. It’s just a simple message about loving someone and accepting them and kind of driving at you don’t have to be so self-conscious, you don’t have to fear, because essentially, everybody has their stuff. Nobody comes stuff-free. Everybody has their things and you’re never going to be perfect, and accepting that and understanding that, especially in a relationship, it makes room for a real, genuine kind of love.”
So now that you have an idea of where Katy is coming from on this song, let's go look at the lyrics, which you can find here.
So in this first verse she talks about how her relationship is progressing to the point where all of his insecurities and faults and past mistakes are coming out but how that doesn't really faze her .For right now I'm going to just skip on to the next verse, which talks more about how she just accepts him for who he is in this moment. I think in any relationship this is something that's really important. I mean, it's important to talk about the past but it's also important to not judge or be judged for it. And she knows that in any relationship there are good days and bad days and you just have to roll with those. And then she lets him know that she'd do anything for him because she loves him.
And then in the bridge she tells him go just let go of his past and open up his heart and just love her and let her love him. For some people it's really hard to let another person in because they've been hurt a lot and let down a lot. And then she says that "Acceptance is the key to be, to be truly free" and I think this is a really profound statement because it is a key component to a successful relationship but at the same time, you can't be too accepting. You can't just let someone get away with whatever they want, but at the same time, you don't want to be one of those people who can never forgive anyone for anything. But the main message of this song is just to love unconditionally and that that is the only way to truly have a successful relationship- one that will last for a lifetime. It's the kind of love a parent has to a child, where no matter what you do, though it can cause tension and make you mad, you will always love that person. It's the message that no matter what, nothing will change how you feel about that person. And that, my friends, is true and genuine and 100% real love.
So accept one another and don't worry about what has happened in the past. Focus on now and learn to love unconditionally. Because that is real love and there is a freedom in that that you can't find anywhere else.
Love to you all,
-Autumn the Music Girl
So this is kind of depressing, but we sometimes have to talk about depressing things because it is a part of life. This week I'm going to talk about the song "Missing" by Evanescence. This was released to radio as a single in 2004 though it was originally recorded in 2001-02, and originally released with "Bring Me to Life" on the commercial single but only in Australia and then it was included on the album "Anywhere But Home". Now the lead singer, Amy Lee, has voiced what this song's meaning is to her, saying:
"As far as if she got it right, I would say you always get it right. When it comes to music and art it’s always about how each individual interprets it. Some of our songs are self reflective but some of them are also story telling. For me that song was all about running away, but its poetry so please do take from it what you can."
but since this song is open to interpretation, I'm going to interpret it.
So look at the lyrics here. I guess it makes sense for this song to be about running away but to me it screams "suicide". It tells the story of a girl whose home life is pretty awful. Maybe she tries running away but is always brought back home. Her parents are either drunk or on drugs all the time and they don't take care of her or pay any attention to her and she just feels totally abandoned. The way the song is written it seems as though she is telling her story from beyond the grave- as though she has just ended her life and her parents haven't even noticed yet. And she wonders if maybe someday someone will miss her and realize what they are missing in their lives without her.She feels like they won't though- she is so depressed and hopeless and feels so rejected by the people who are supposed to love her that she thinks she is worthless and no one will miss her. And in the chorus she talks about her own sacrifice and how all she wanted was to know that she was loved, but she never ended up feeling that way. And in the second verse it repeats a lot but it also brings up this idea that who this song is talking about is some kind of self-medicated person. This means that they probably have some sort of trauma in their life and they don't know how to deal with it so in order to cope they turn to things like drugs or alcohol or even self harm. And she feels like she is lost and no matter how much she is hurting no one hears her and no one notices. And so she spent years perhaps harming herself because she too didn't know how to deal with feeling so abandoned and finally she ended her life, going to sleep for the last time and waking with no one, hence the last little verse.
So as you can see this song is really dark. And as sad as it is, I just want to say that suicide is never the answer. Even when you are in your darkest moments and you see no hope try to think of one thing to look forward to and if you can, there's still hope. It doesn't have to be big it just has to be something. Believe me, I have been in that place. Even when it seems like it will never get better, it will, I promise. If you have problems with your parents, know that it won't last forever because someday you won't have to live there anymore. If you have problems in a relationship and can't end it, believe in your own strength because you are strong. Nothing lasts forever and eventually whatever situation is causing you to have these thoughts will end and things will get better. And know that your life is worth more than whatever person or thing is making you want to end it. Everyone is unique and you will accomplish greatness. When someone is telling you (directly or indirectly) that you're worthless, you just need to shut them out because those are lies specifically designed to destroy you, so don't let them! Let it make you stronger and even more determined to prove them wrong. Because you're a star and you WILL prove them wrong.
So have hope and don't give up just yet. And know that you are not alone- because so many people have been exactly where you are and we have made it through. So will you. The storm will pass and the sun will come out, I promise.
So, yes I am doing another Motionless In White song and this is a tribute to my English class and my wonderful English teacher, Mr. Elkin! In class, we just finished reading Arthur Miller's "The Crucible". Fitting enough, this song is based off of that play. The song is off of the "Creatures" album and it's called "Abigail". For those of you who don't know, "The Crucible" is about the Salem witch trials and Abigail is a conniving seventeen year old girl who had sex with a married man who was about twice her age. And she's pretty much the first person who went around pointing fingers at "witches". So she started the whole thing. Now that you all know that, you will better understand the lyrics of this song and their references to this play.
So you can look at said lyrics here and follow along with me! This song is from the perspective of John Proctor who is the aforementioned adulterer. He is saying that she who in the play becomes revered as a saint is the only real witch, especially considering the fact that she drank blood as a charm to kill John Proctor's wife. And he is now being seen as a heretic because he hates Salem's pastor and therefore he doesn't go to church very often and when he is being accused of working with the devil he says (because of the corruption occurring in Salem) that "God is dead!". So in the first verse he wonders how Abigail could be so cruel as to sentence thirty-something people including him to death. Then he talks about how she is a "product of lust". I am of the mind that if John had never had his affair with Abigail, none of the deaths in the play would have occurred so that's what I think he is saying by her being a "product of lust"- everything she is doing is, as is said in the play, "A whore's vengence". Then he goes to mention the fact that John Proctor is eventually hung as the people of Salem watch and even cheer. And John had been a pretty upstanding citizen and hoped perhaps that the people would see the corruption happening when he was actually hung.
Then the second verse talks about how Abigail is truly the guilty one and makes reference to the death of another character in the play who was killed while the court officials tried to get him to give the name of someone who accused someone else. This murdered man was really old and refused to give up his loyalty and was killed by the crushing weight of stones that were placed upon his chest. He is telling Abigail in this verse that she is guilty and must confess her sins and that she will be condemned to hell for what she has caused. And then it has a few lines that John Proctor says in the play and talks about how they'll meet again in hell.
So I don't really know of a good moral here- maybe don't send a bunch of people to their death? That's never really a good thing. And don't lie because it gets you into a whole bunch of trouble even of you seem cool or something like that for whatever lie you tell because it won't end well. I hope you all enjoyed this and enjoy the song!
Love to all,
-Autumn the Music Girl
So I thought I'd take a moment to write about a song that talks about the state of our beloved country. Some people may be upset with me about this but I feel like I need to write about it. So I'm going to talk about another Motionless In White song, "America".
"A-M-E-R-I-C-A" was the third single to be released from the "Infamous" album on April 23, 2013. The music video was released on June 3rd and was directed by Shawn "Clown" Crahan of Slipknot, which I think is really cool. So let's just get started on the lyrics!
You can follow along here but for the most part I'll be taking this line by line so you may not have to. The very first line is sort of a dig at our healthcare- it seems these days that people think taking some pill is going to solve all of your problems in life. Let me tell you right now that this is NOT TRUE. And I'm talking about taking pills for all sorts of things- weight loss, hair growth, or any actual medication. Now I understand that sometimes you can't get better without taking some sort of medication but most often with things like mental disorders (depression, anxiety, etc.) you can just work that stuff out without being hooked on some sort of pill for the rest of your life. These things change who you are so instead of trying to be someone else, why can't we just love we are with all of our faults?
The second line of this song talks about our economy. Things are tight today- everyone knows that. So a lot of people have to do horrid things just to get by. Selling drugs, selling themselves, or any number of other things. A lot of people in this country are struggling to survive. Then he just mentions piracy which although it happens all the time and is stealing from really talented people (Like Motionless in White)who deserve to be paid for what they do, it's not really the biggest issue this country is facing. And for some reason it's become a huge deal to the government when their time could be spend working on so many other more important issues. Now let's talk about Hollywood. Have you ever noticed how much publicity a person gets for murdering a celebrity or something like that? Well even though it's they go to jail, now everyone knows their name and they'll probably even get a movie made about what they did! So even thought they get time in jail, they also get a lot of fame. So in a way it sort of evens out for them.
Chris goes on to talk about how he sees all of this and to him it's "one big nightmare". Then he talks about how "the ugly truth has a model face". When I think of this I think of fashion magazines or fashion shows.
This, my friends this the ugly truth. These "gorgeous models" don't eat! And yet our society pushes us to be like them. That skinny and tan and blonde. They think we should all look like these girls
and that there's something wrong with you if you don't! And we make just total saints out of people like Britney Spears and Ke$ha and Rhianna and what do they all sing about? Sex and getting drunk and partying. And that's almost ALL they sing about. And yet millions of little girls in this country worship them! Why can't we see through all the lies and the pressures of this society and just be who we are and accept one another? The second verse is all pretty obvious. We're all pretty much living paycheck to paycheck these days and as far as food is concerned most people just buy into cheap and fast food. Well you are what you eat... why do you think America has the highest obesity rate? And now with social media just about everyone wants everyone else to know everything that's going on in their lives. We spend so much time communicating electronically instead of building REAL relationships with REAL people face to face. And when all of us are struggling the people at the top are all living luxuriously and buying themselves new and fancier cars and such. Now how fair is that?
I think that when you really take a look at the state of this country you realize that our society is really pretty messed up. From the pressures of the press to the government, there is corruption everywhere. WE can stop it though. We can stand up to society and its pressures. WE can make a difference. You don't need some pills that will "change your life", YOU can change your life. You don't need to look like the people on the covers of magazines, you just need to look like YOU! Because no matter what, you're beautiful. So live life and be yourself and stand up for yourself and your beliefs. Because THAT is what America should be about.
Love to you all,
-Autumn the Music Girl
So I've decided that I am also obsessing over another wonderful band- Motionless in White! The band started in 2005 and has been going strong in the metalcore world ever since. They have two EP's and two full length albums so far.
The song that I'm going to talk about right now is "Devil's Night" and it was the first single to be released from the album "Infamous" on September 25, 2012. Well that's basically all I have to say about that, so let's go ahead and start on the lyrics!
First of all, I just want to say that I love Motionless in White's lyrics because they have such deep meaning to them and they are really about life and the problems in the world. This song is a prime example of that and you can look at the lyrics here. I love the second line of this song- "My life is not for sale". The whole first verse is about their music career. They first talk about the difference between them and most artists in the pop world. Lots of people in music are just doing it for the money- making pointless songs (*cough, cough*, Nicki Minaj and many others like her) with no value to them besides the fact that sex sells. But Motionless and people like them write lyrics to save lives. And a lot of people try to put them down for that- telling them that what they do isn't music. But they don't let things like that get to them. As they say in the chorus, they're "here to stay, forever and always."
Then the second verse is all about how he had to push past all his own obstacles and not let anything stand in his way to get to where he is today. But everything he has been through has made him who he is today and in the end really made him stronger. I also really like this second stanza of the verse which says "So loud, we are the ones that you pushed away for drowning your voice out. You’d like to think we've been defeated, but we’re here to stay- forever and always." I think that this is almost as powerful as the first one- if not more! It's saying that though they were once silenced for speaking about real life, they are now louder than ever and they're not just going to go away. And he continues with this- saying that he has been through a lot just like a lot of us have and that even though we are scarred and even broken by our experiences in life, that doesn't mean we are weak. And then he speaks some more words of truth about human nature- "people fear what they don't understand".
You would think that in our modern world, people would be more accepting of what they don't understand but in all honesty, I don't know if that will ever happen. It seems to just be our nature as humans to fear what is not understood, what is different from the norm. People are actually scared of this kind of music. It's the same reason that homophobia exists and why people are scared of people who dye their hair crazy colors and have tattoos and piercings and listen to hardcore music. And they get a bad reputation- because we are different from "normal people". But now I ask you- what defines normal? Because if normal music for example is pointless and has no real substance to it then I don't want to be normal. If being a normal person is keeping up with all sorts of fashion trends in magazines and trying to look like some Barbie doll then I'll pass. I am much happier just being myself. And that won't ever change. I think that's really what this song is about- being yourself no matter what the rest of society thinks. Do what you love and don't let anyone stop you and don't give up on what is important to you. Make a difference. All of these messages can be derived from this song- and that's what I think is so great about it. It has meaning! So if the "Devil's Night" is the night where everyone decides to stop falling under the pressures of society and just be who they are, then let tonight be the "Devil's Night"!
I hope you all like the song and take something from this.
Love to all,
-Autumn the Music Girl
So, to continue with my obsession over Bring Me the Horizon, I'm going to talk about a song off of the deluxe version of "Sempiternal"- "Deathbeads". Now, "Deathbeds" doesn't exactly sound like the name of a love song, but once you look at the lyrics, there is no doubt.
This song actually features the lead singer Oliver Sykes's girlfriend, Hannah Snowdon. I personally think that is adorable, and she actually has a really nice voice. I really think he wrote this song for her so having her sing on the track is like the ultimate tribute to their love and it's really sweet!
Okay lyric time- click here to follow along. The first verse is one that really stands out to me. The comparisons he uses are so unusual but so absolutely beautiful it's amazing. I mean, when was the last time you saw "eyes like a car crash" as a compliment... or even heard those words for that matter? But the second line goes on to explain what he means so beautifully- "I know I shouldn't look but I can't turn away". Have you ever had that feeling? Maybe when you really feel something for someone who's already taken or when you know someone's bad for you but you can't help but feel drawn to them? That's what he's conveying here. The feeling of having someone in your heart but not being able to have them in your arms. It's excruciating but you love that person so much that you just don't care about the pain. You hold onto hope because it's all you have. He expresses that no matter what he does he will never stop feeling the way he does about her. So he watches her... loves her from a distance. Then we find out that there was a time when they shared one kiss. A single kiss is all it takes sometimes though. And before he knew it he was in love. His heart was in her hands. I love the image he then shares of him being like a deer in the headlights. It shows that he's scared. Scared she doesn't feel the same way he does, scared she'll find someone better than him, but all he can do is sit and wait and let fate decide what will happen. You can't fight fate. If it's meant to be, then it will be. If you try to take matters into your own hands you'll just screw things up. But he ends the chorus letting her know that he will always be there for her, waiting for something that might not ever happen. Even when he dies his heart will belong to her.
I think that this song shows a lot of what true love really is. It's dedication to another person. It's knowing them- their fears, their insecurities, their secrets. Seeing their flaws and not judging them. Loving them with all your heart no matter what- even if they don't love you back. It's when you can truly be yourself with someone and not be embarrassed. And I think that this song really shows you that (as much as I would love to be in her place...) Oli and Hannah have found that love- they belong together. And it's really beautiful.
Don't worry, you'll find it too. You'll find the person who will keep your heart even after you die... the person who the tides of life will always bring you back to... the one with the eyes like a car crash and body like a whiplash. And then you, too will have true love. So don't lose hope, my friend.
Since I'm so obsessed with Bring Me The Horizon I decided to write about their awesome song, "Shadow Moses"! "Shadow Moses" is the sixth track on the album "Sempiternal" and the first single to be released from the album. It was released on January 4, 2013 on BBC Radio 1. It was released on iTunes on January 14th. This is currently one of my favorite songs on this album, but this album is really good so that's saying a lot.
So, as always, you can find the lyrics here. I always think that lyrics from hardcore bands are really deep- more so than pop songs. The first couple of verses sound like he is talking about a relationship that was never really a relationship ("what's dead can never die"). He thought he was over this girl but he realizes he still has feelings for her. Then in the rest of the song it seems like the focus changes a bit to being more about society and the way we live. I think in the first lines of the chorus, "Can you tell from the look in our eyes? We're going nowhere." that he is saying we are all already a little dead inside just from the struggles of life. And though we all try to run from it, none of us get out alive. But at the same time it feels like death is so far away and like it will never come to us but the truth is that it could be at any moment. That's why we "live our lives like we're ready to die" because truthfully, we could be dead within the next minute.
The music video for this song is really cool. It's mostly just images of the band playing this song in the snow and with flares and a girl walking alone in the snow and the band playing in front of the ocean on a beach. There's a lot of cool camera work for it, though. Enjoy!
So I guess my message here is live life and don't fear death because it's inevitable!
