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 twenty one pilots
‘Level of Concern’ by Twenty One Pilots was just released and if I’m not mistaken, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun are making a massive play on the charts; I think the song is going to go big, and I am here to talk about what I think about it and explain it.
“Cut My Lip”, the 10th song on the album Trench by twenty one pilots; it’s a sincere song, that addresses the skeleton clique, which is exciting. So let’s talk about that.
“The Hype”, the 8th song on the album Trench by twenty one pilots; it’s such a deep song, that has —as usual— some personal things, where Tyler Joseph speaks to someone —which is new to twenty one pilots— about something that he’s almost never spoke about before. 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.
“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?!
“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.
“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.
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.
So, when "Heathens" first came out, I put out a couple of blog posts explaining the lyrics. My first one explained that "Heathens" was largely about the Skeleton Clique and letting in outsiders, but my second one retracted that and said that "Heathens" was about Christian witnessing and what it meant to share your faith as a quick fix for people with real troubles. I still really like that explanation, and it fit in really well with Twenty One Pilots songs like "Clear," but I've just gotten new evidence that I HAD to share with you guys. In a radio interview, Tyler Joseph gives the TRUE meaning of "Heathens," and I have a lot to say about it.
A week ago, hundreds of Twenty One Pilots fans and I dared to ask the question "Which is the best Twenty One Pilots song?"
I don't know if the Clique could ever not want new music from Twenty One Pilots, but it's been two years since Blurryface was released, so we're all kind of itching to hear something new from the band. We did get "Heathens" last summer, but historically the band has released a new album every two years, and Blurryface came out in 2015, so 2017 should be the year of a new album, but it's April already, and we've heard nothing.
So, today's episode was a little different. You'll notice that I didn't input the song for the lyrics, and there're a lot of references to the fact that I recorded this live on Facebook! It was a super fun experiment, and I may do it again. I worry that my podcast listeners are the ones who will suffer, but we'll see. Let me know what you think about and whether I should do something differently.
When Twenty One Pilots released Blurryface, they designed their album cover to be very symbolic and very cryptic just as Tyler Joseph promised. In an interview with Alternative Press, he says, "There are so many layers-both literally and in the meaning of the album cover-that are so important to Josh & I. We've worked very hard on it. We can't wait for you guys to discover it once you get your hands on it. But every element was very thought-through, and very intentional."
After the small victory celebrated in "Not Today," it would seem that Twenty One Pilots frontman Tyler Joseph's Blurryface has come back. This last song on the band's new album Blurryface is a prayer to God. Tyler needs ultimately powerful help to rid himself of darkness and depression, and he's seeking it from a supernatural source.
Only two songs left on Twenty One Pilots' Blurryface, and this one's "Not Today." The song is clever and quick and engaging. Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun are forecasting the end of their album with a climactic fight against Tyler's alter-ego Blurryface, the darker part of him. The song is a powerful tell-off to a tendency that tries to compel him to recede into himself and to stay dark.
Twenty One Pilots released its album Blurryface a little early. They told everyone they planned to let it out on the 19th, but the Skeleton Clique woke up to Blurryfacefor sale this morning. The album had already been leaked last week, so some fans had it, but now everyone's purchasing and listening to it like mad. And for good reason. Blurryface is a strong album with an underlying theme threading its way through the entire thing, connecting song to song, developing conflicts and resolutions. One of the notable resolution songs is "Hometown."
Apparently, now it's time for Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun of Twenty-One Pilots to take on the entire music industry. In "Lane Boy," the two attempt to explain a musical style that seems to change with every Blurryface single that they release. The songs are intense and interesting, and this one, musically especially, is supercharged, a good match for the aggressive lyrics. The song describes the band's break from the direction of the music industry as well as a commitment to an entrepreneurship that doesn't focus on money.
