Pop song discovery assignment

As we’ve discovered through listening to songs in class, there are a number of tunes that use a catchy melody or clever chorus, pop culture references  or jargon to conceal  to conceal certain (inappropriate?) messages.  Other musicians create situations where the song appears to incite one mood or action, but the lyrics suggest a different emotion or action.

Your challenge is to pick one of the songs in your collection and dissect the lyrics – explain the pop culture references, connotations, hidden meanings , or reveal the inconsistency between message of lyrics and tone set by music.

• Pick a song
• Collect a copy of the lyrics
• Note any questionable or unclear lyrics
• i.e –      Kingston

Lets Go
Hey, hey, hey
Red One1
Hey Hey
Shawty2 got that super thing
Hotter than the sun of south in Spain

• Identify the noted material on a separate piece of paper.
• i.e – 1 – Red One – a shout out toRedOne (A.K.A.Nadhir Kayat)  Kingston’s producer.
• 2 – “Shawty – originally slang for “shorty” – a short person, evolved to refer to a good looking lady.

• Identify any and all background stories that provides a context for the song (i.e. many songs are written from personal experience, some songs are written in response to work from other artists.

BACK