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 song meanings
Hey, Everyone! Welcome to this week's episode of the Pop Song Professor podcast. I made this for you about "Million Reasons" by Lady Gaga because I think it's a fantastic song and that she's a fantastic artist with an interesting perspective on sincerity as an artist and as a person. This podcast goes over who she is, "Million Reasons," the music video thereof, and a little bit of the Super Bowl controversy caused by body shamers.
And we continue marching through Starboy by The Weeknd. It's my goal to explain the whole thing, and we'll see if that happens, but we're going to try. In the meantime, "Six Feet Under" is one of the more interesting songs on the Starboy album if you consider that it's one of the only songs that it isn't about him at all. Most of the other songs on the album, The Weeknd uses first person pronouns like "I" or "me." But in "Six Feet Under," he keeps purely to describing a character or person he has in mind.
My first introduction to The xx came years ago before I cared so much about the meanings behind song lyrics, back when I was still exploring what kinds of music were out there. I fellow who was a few years ahead of me educationally and certainly more well-listened gave me an eclectic playlist of indie bands like Fleet Foxes and Vampire Weeknd to listen to on GrooveShark (RIP).
What does the song "Me and Your Momma" mean to me? I think the song is smooth and slick and powerful. Childish Gambino is the stage name for Donald Glover, one of my favorite actors on Community--an amazingly hilarious show you NEED to check out but may only be able to find on Netflix if you're from Canada.
SONG MEANING: "Focus" by Ariana Grande is about acceptance and focusing on someone on a deeper level--finding out who they really are beyond the way they look or their preferences. Keep reading to find out more and to hear Ariana explain it herself.
Ariana Grande's new album Moonlight is set to come out in 2016 though a more specific time isn't set yet. In preparation, Ariana has released her first single from that upcoming album: "Focus." The music is sassy and energetic, which is perfect because the message is also sassy and energetic. The music video isn't quite appropriate for all ages, so I've found a concert video for you. Listen to it and then continue reading!
SONG MEANING: "Army" is about Ellie Goulding's best friend of ten years. It's a song to that friend, letting her know how much she means to Goulding. But my theory is that it's also to her fans. Keep reading to see why and to see Ellie Goulding's Instagram account post about this song.
Ellie Goulding's putting out a new album, and I couldn't be more excited. I love her music, and I'm a fan of the way she crowd-sourced "Lights" and other songs, allowing anyone to freely remix them. Her grass-roots tactics and awesome fresh pop sound have served her well, and now she's released "Army" on her route to releasing her album Delirium, which is coming out in four days!
SONG MEANING: "Hello" by Adele is a post-breakup song about going back over the past and seeking closure. Want to find out more? Keep reading!
Four years after her last album, Adele is finally back! She's releasing singles from her upcoming album 25, the follow up to 21 which she released last. About the distance and the changes in material between albums, she (according to Wikipedia) said, "My last record was a break-up record, and if I had to label this one, I would call it a make-up record. Making up for lost time. Making up for everything I ever did and never did. 25 is about getting to know who I've become without realising. And I'm sorry it took so long but, you know, life happened."
April and Clifford Stumme introduce themselves, the podcast, CliffordStumme.com, and Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again." Thanks for listening!
What's the most intense and scary song that I could find on the local top 40 station? Definitely "Take Me to Church" by Hozier. There's no question. This song is heavy and full of meaning. And it happens to be very culturally relevant. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYSVMgRr6pw
