Top 10 Popular Songs: Let’s Judge Them Through Their Lyrics.
They sing of a common thing. What could that be?
I do not listen to popular music. In fact, these days I do not listen to any type of music whatsoever.
But that doesn’t mean I think I do not have a sense of what is going around. Popular music and songs tend to define what is going around the heads and hearts of general people. This is not because they are in any way mystical, it is so because these songs are a form of expression and by the fact that they are popular implies— what is expressed through them is relatable to most people.
So, what I have decided to do is go through the lyrics of the 10 most popular songs at the time of this writing.
While I haven’t listened to any of them and have no interest in doing so— I do have a preconceived conclusion that those songs will be either promoting: sensual life, material gains or some kind of displeasure.
I can conclude this way because this is what I see in our society today. People desperate for some kind of sensual pleasure, material owning or unfulfilled love.
I will go through the lyrics and at the end of it all, I will confess if I have been wrong and boast if I have been right.
The entire human society seems to be getting more morally and culturally perverse with each passing year. One way to perceive this perversion is through popular culture. As to whether the things general people are thinking and feeling are perverse or not, you judge for yourself. As for me, I have already judged and said that excess sensual, material and displeasure are signs of perversion.
I go to the Billboard Countdown and select the Hot 100. (The list name itself seems sensualist!)
10. That’s What I Want by Lil Nas X:
In this song, the artist sings about his need for a boy who can cuddle with him all night. His preferences regarding the boy are clear: he wants an afro boy with gold teeth. The artist is too lonely these days and needs someone to love him and need him. After expressing the want to be loved, he expresses how fucking much he wants it.
He confesses it is harder to find something these times but he has got nothing but love in his mind. He wants someone who will tell him it is alright when he is stressing at night. And finally he confesses he doesn’t want anything apart from someone’s loving, body and a little bit brain.
9. Shivers by Ed Sheeran:
This song begins with the artist saying that he has taken an arrow to his heart and that he has never kissed a mouth like of the one who he is singing to. Apparently, it tastes like strawberry and something ‘more’ and at this point the artist gets desperate and produces an ooh before saying he wants it all: lipstick on his guitar. And then he expresses his desire to go driving real far, dancing underneath the stars. (and ooh he wants it all — again!)
He wants to be the person who kisses in the eyes. He wants to be the person who drinks smile. He wants to feel as if his soul is on fire (believes in a soul?).
In the chorus, the artist loves when the other person does something and when that person is close, the artist has shivers.
In the second verse, he expresses his desire to be wrapped between legs and arms. After this he merely expresses how much he wants that kind of thing to happen.
In the bridge, his baby is burning ‘so’ hot that the artist is in shivers. He expresses more of his shivers:
AND THAT’S IT!
8. Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran
In the first verse, the artist expresses his inability to say no everytime someone comes around. He even lets that other person take control of him, when the sun goes down. He can feel the paradise before his world implodes (phew!). He then expresses that he had something beautiful that night.
In the chorus, he gets confessional and says how his bad habits are leading him to late nights ending alone, and at the same time having conversations with strangers he doesn’t even know. Everytime he swears it will be the last but at the same time he knows he won’t be so. He has got nothing left to lose, use or do. His bad habits are leading him to wide eyes staring at space. But after that he says how he loses control of the things he says, he was looking for a way out but now he can’t escape.
In the second verse, he provides us with a dose of wisdom by saying that every pure thing ends when good times start. After that he says how he falls over everything to get the initial spark back.
In the bridge, he says how they took the long way around and burned till their fun ran out. WOW!
7. Ghost by Justin Bieber
In this one, the artist begins with wisdom as to how youngblood thinks there’s always tomorrow. But just when you think what part of life this may be applicable to, the artist expresses that he misses someone’s touch some night when he is hollow. His person has crossed the bridge and he can no longer follow.
In the chorus, he says how he will settle for the ghost of his person if he can’t have him/her. He expresses how he misses that person ‘more than life’. If that person can’t be with the artist, the artist will use the memory as ecstasy.
In the second verse, he says he needs more time and time cannot be borrowed. And then contradicts himself and says how he would leave everything behind if he could follow.
6. Easy On Me by Adele
In the first verse, the artist says there isn’t any gold in the river in which (?) she has been washing her hands forever. But she still has hope on those waters. But of course, she can’t swim, and that is why she is drowning in silence.
In the chorus, she asks her baby to go easy on her as she still was a child who didn’t get the chance to feel the world around her. She had no time to choose what she did.
In the second verse, she says there is no room for things to change and they both are stuck in their own ways. She wants to let that person know that he/she cannot deny how hard she has tried. She has changed herself to put both of them first. But now she has given up.
In the bridge she says she had good intentions, highest hopes but she is hopeless now as it probably doesn’t show.
She wants them to go easy on her.
5. Stay by The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber
In the chorus, the artist expresses how he cannot get a person as good as the person he is addressing and wants that person to stay.
In the first verse, he wakes up drunk and expresses his desperation for that person.
In the second verse, the second artist says how he misses the touch of the person when he is away from that person. He believes in love because of that person. He too then expresses how he cannot be without that person.
And apparently, both sing the same thing after that.
4. abcdefu by GAYLE
In the Intro, the artist tells someone to fuck his/hers mom, sister, job, car, art, him/herself, their friends, everyone — except that person’s dog!
In the first verse, she says she meant to mean the best when it ended and even controlled herself. But that person is now texting all her friends asking questions. And then she reveals how none of those friends had liked that person in the first place.
In the pre-chorus, she confesses how she was into that person, but is no more. She tried to be nice but it isn’t working. So, now she wants to spell it out for that person: abcdef you.
In the second verse, she explains to us the story. How that person has asked her for space in the beginning — which she gave. But that person went around and told everyone she was a bitch. And that is the reason why she has become one.
3. Super Gremlin by Kodak Black
In the Intro, the artist says they could have been superstars but all they do is wreck cars. And the artist says their time is up as they have fallen off their spinning tops.
In the first verse, he says he is going to kill someone. Nobody is going to play with that person when the artist is with him/her. He then uses weird words to say how he has been doing a lot of things: multitaskin’, rappin’, and spinning and all that — but the other person never helped the artist in the killing.
In the chorus, he expresses how they could have been superstars but his person switched like a ‘pussy’.
In the Post-Chorus, he says he is a gremlin.
In the remaining parts, he just says a lot of nonsense in his vernacular which I failed to understand.
In the Outro, he again says they could have been superstars. But he is Super Gremlin and finishes off my betting that person still sees him in his dreams.
2. We Don’t Talk About Bruno by Encanto Cast
This one is sung by a lot of people. It is apparently from a movie so would need context to be properly understood. I am in no mood to watch the movie. Yet, this is what I understood:
Pepa doesn’t talk about Bruno but it was his wedding day. Felix says it was their wedding day. They were getting ready and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky when Bruno walked in with mischievous grin. Bruno tells it looks like rain. Felix asks why Bruno told them of that. But they married in a hurricane.
After this, all of them share how Bruno told them how different things would happen to them and those things turned out to be true. But they don’t want to talk about Bruno.
1. Heat Waves by Glass Animals
In the Intro, the artist expresses how last night all he/she thought about was someone and talks about heat waves.
In the chorus, it is expressed how sometimes all the artist thinks about is the person, late nights in middle of June but that person cannot be made happy by our artist anymore.
In the first verse, the artist puts something on TV so that the artist doesn’t have to think about them. But one night the artist saw their reflections clearly in Hollywood screen. The artist says how his/hers person deserves a better life which the artist can never give.
In the second verse, the artist talks about letting that person go to someone else. But the artist doesn’t want to be alone.
In the bridge, the artist expresses honest desire to provide a good smile to the person. But again falls into the trap and sometimes all the artist can think about is that person.
And heat waves been fakin’ the artist out!!!
Judgement
I have been honest in this whole process. I mean, I started off with a preconceived judgement as to what these songs would be about and I haven’t edited a single word of it.
I had thought these songs would be about desperation of some kind of sensual pleasure, material owning or unfulfilled love.
And…. I have been correct!
Although I was surprised to not find a single song about millionairism and owning expensive cars and all that. This has meant desperation or hope about material owning hasn’t existed in these songs.
However, desperation for sensual pleasure is found in songs 9, 8, 7, 5 and desperation for unfulfilled (romantic) love is found in songs 10,8,7,6,5,4. Although I would have to say, 6 was meaningful and not bad for a popular song. №1, didn’t seem vulgarly desperate.
Song №3, was about friendship/brotherhood and ambition and how they could have achieved something special if only the artist’s person supported the artist in endeavors.
Song №2, I found to be relatively creative. This maybe because I have missed the context.
Displeasure cause of relationships is present in almost every song. I stand by my thought that excess sensual, material and displeasure are signs of perversion.
Let me conclude with Plato.
In Republic, talking about poetry, mythology and the need to censor them for the ‘guardians’ of the state, Socrates mentions the need to stop promoting mythological gods portrayed in a state of desperation — which results in this effect upon a young person:
…instead of having any shame or self-control, he will be always whining and lamenting on slight occasions.
Later, while describing the perfect type of music, Socrates mentions that there is no need for lyrics of lamentations and strains of sorrow — which should, in fact be banished. The reason being the same: It will weaken the soul of the guardians.
What these Top 10 songs are doing to the minds of young people of today and in people in general, is something I am curious to know. I would love to hear a professional psychologist or a neuroscientist describe it professionally so that I can shut up and drop this bias if I am wrong and disseminate it if I am right!
