Literal is Never so Literal
Dalton Vanhooser - Tuesday, September 01, 2009
In today’s postmodern music, literal lyrics are never
quite so literal. Often times when a
lyricist is praising something that the band does not represent, he is often
being satirical and critical. Of course
I am referring to a particular band and song for this topic, and that band
would be Alexisonfire, and the song, “The Northern” off their newest album “Old
Crows and Young Cardinals”. The lyrics
seem quite heavy on the side of Christian beliefs, yet most of their songs on
the CD seem dark and critical.
For example, the song “Sons of Privilege”, track three on the album, quite literally attacks the culture of America from an outside perspective (the band is from Canada). Several songs later, the band plays “The Northern”, a song representing several strong elements of Christian or Biblical culture, also, the dominant religion in America that is often misconstrued as directly linked with the actions of the country’s leaders and popular faces. Several years before, bands like Green Day, A Perfect Circle, Straylight Run, and several others released their own critical songs that attacked the president (at that time George Bush) and his aggressive, conservative politics that were shamefully thrust upon the Christian culture.
As religious reputation has suffered since, Alexisonfire seems to be continuing its critique of the American culture and its dominant religion, for as you take the lyrics into context with the rest of their songs and previous music, it is unlikely the literal lyrics are meant to be considered so literal. Connotation and contextual reference can make words more powerful than they seem, but in the same way, beauty is in the eye of the beholder (or the ear of the listener), “to each their own” as the postmodern world would say, and may the meaning of any song inspire its own personal response to the listener.
For example, the song “Sons of Privilege”, track three on the album, quite literally attacks the culture of America from an outside perspective (the band is from Canada). Several songs later, the band plays “The Northern”, a song representing several strong elements of Christian or Biblical culture, also, the dominant religion in America that is often misconstrued as directly linked with the actions of the country’s leaders and popular faces. Several years before, bands like Green Day, A Perfect Circle, Straylight Run, and several others released their own critical songs that attacked the president (at that time George Bush) and his aggressive, conservative politics that were shamefully thrust upon the Christian culture.
As religious reputation has suffered since, Alexisonfire seems to be continuing its critique of the American culture and its dominant religion, for as you take the lyrics into context with the rest of their songs and previous music, it is unlikely the literal lyrics are meant to be considered so literal. Connotation and contextual reference can make words more powerful than they seem, but in the same way, beauty is in the eye of the beholder (or the ear of the listener), “to each their own” as the postmodern world would say, and may the meaning of any song inspire its own personal response to the listener.
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