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Analysis

Cover of “Umbrella”

Released in late March 2007, "Umbrella" topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart by May, rocketing 40 spots in one week to land at #1 and staying there for seven straight weeks. Rihanna has preformed several songs and is a very talented woman. The first thing that you need to know about the Umbrella song lyrics is that Rihanna sings the whole song but she actually takes on two roles. In opinion, during the first half of the song, she plays the role of evil that is trying to seduce her; we could call this the Devil. The second role she plays is herself; the song is a dialog between the Devil and Rihanna. “You’re part of my entity” is very relevant here because “entity” is not a word in the vocabulary used between loved ones. Nobody will say to his/her lover “You’re part of my entity”. An entity is not human. An entity is something that has a distinct, separate existence, though it is not a material existence. They band All Time Low was formed in the year 2003, in Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland. Umbrella," from the Umbrella album "Umbrella" , was covered on the All Time Low album "Punk Goes Crunk."

That brings us too the question, what does under my umbrella really mean throughout Rihanna’s song? Overall the song talks about a storm that's about to take place. This song, "You can stand under my umbrella" can have a sexual connotation but it mostly means "You can be under my protection". When you are under something's protection, this something has more power than you and your own security. You depend on it. It has control over you. IT possesses you. This leads us to think, it’s the devil that Rihanna is talking about. Furthermore there are several poetic devices to detect throughout the song; alliteration and consonance impact the song most. For example, “Maybe in Magazines but you’ll still be my star,” also “when the sun shines/we’ll shine together.” This is a form of alliteration because several of the words in these lines share the letters “m” then “s” at the beginning of the word. Consonance on the other hand is when the middle of the words shares the same letters, so it makes the song flow. For example, “Baby cause in the dark”/ “And that’s when you need me there”/ “If the hand is hard”/ “Together we’ll mend your heart”/ “Told you I’ll be here forever.” These few lines share common letters. The first line chosen shares the letters “a” following that line, the next letter shared is “e.” Continuing the consonance pattern the third line shares the letter “a” and lastly the fourth line contains the letter “e.” The usage of consonance and alliteration make the song livelier and the listener seems to enjoy the song 35% more according to statistics.

Although Rihanna gets a lot of credit for her works, the All Time Low's version cranks up the punk-pop. After doing research it seems that a lot more people like All Time Low’s version better. It pulls out the meaning when it’s less hip-hop and more acoustic sounding like Rihanna’s. The song lyrics share both alliteration and consonance. I think the thing that turns peoples heads would be the tone and the mood of the song. All Time Low’s version is defiantly better, it catches ones eye. The tone of the song is more upbeat, and the mood just seems to be more confident and happier with the way they express each individual line. Also, after doing more research I do not think that the reasoning of making this song is the same meaning. I believe that All Time Low’s version is more relationship related where as Rihanna’s version is about the devil. All Time Low set this a love song in their album. The lines “Baby cause in the dark”/ “And that’s when you need me there”/ “If the hand is hard”/ “Together we’ll mend your heart”/ “Told you I’ll be here forever,” express the way they feel about their girlfriend and how they will always be there to take their part in the relationship.

All in all I seem to like All Time Low’s version better, I like the punk-pop feeling and the way they expresses their feelings to the listeners. The song umbrella is a commonly covered song, several artist out there have covered this song. The only difference of the song is the meanings of the lyrics. Overall I think that the song is a good song, when it’s talking about relationship of a man and woman, not of someone and the devil.

Poem Revise

Life

is an adventure you dare to take
A beauty that should be praised
A challenge to be faced
A path to be followed
A love to cherish
A struggle worth fighting for
A promise to fulfill
A game to be played
A gift to be unwrapped and accepted
A journey to complete
A mystery that will unfold
A goal to accomplish
An opportunity to take
And most of all life is a puzzle left for us to solve.

Analysis II : "So Sick"

"So Sick"

The song “So Sick" is an R&B–pop song by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. The track was produced by Norwegian production team Stargate for Ne-Yo's debut album In My Own Words. This song was released as the second single from the album. It was successful on charts worldwide. It reached number 1 in the United States and the United Kingdom. It's also Ne-Yo's biggest hit so far. It won the race to the UK number 1 spot, beating "Nature's Law" by Embrace. Throughout the song “So Sick” Ne-Yo uses alliteration and characterization to help the listener capture the feelings of a breakup. Throughout the song Ne-Yo is letting the listener know that he and his girlfriend broke up and it is very hard for him to cope. He expresses the use of alliteration through his usage of characterization. In the chorus of the song the artist sings “And I’m so sick of love songs/So tired of tears/So done with wishing you were still here/Said I’m so sick of love songs so sad and slow/So why can’t I turn off the radio.” As we see the usage of alliteration become very important because it helps strongly address the point Ne-Yo is trying to get across.

The use of alliteration shown is “And I’m so sick of love songs. “ This is the poetic device alliteration because they have a repetition of sounds in the beginning of the word. This is also characterization because the artist, Ne-Yo is telling his feelings. This line is saying how he is so tired of listening to all these happy love songs on the radio, because he doesn’t have any love to compare it with. Another use of alliteration may be in the line “So tired of tears.” There is a repetition of the sound “t” at the beginning of each invaluable word. Ne-Yo here, is also sharing with the listener that he isn’t emotionally fit for this breakup. He helps us see his character and how emotional he has become during the breakup. Another verse “So done with wishing you were still here,” is characterization. I have chosen characterization as the best poetic device to use because he is saying that mentally he is done wishing and hoping because he knows that there is no point in wishing when his girlfriend is already gone. The biggest and strongest verse that expresses alliteration and characterization is when NeYo says “I’m so sick of love songs so sad and slow/So why can’t I turn off the radio.” I feel that this is the strongest line because it is when Ne-Yo just breaks down with a strong voice to say that he is so sick of love songs because all they do is make him sad. Yet again he doesn’t understand why he can’t turn off the radio and resist all the love songs that are being played. It might have been a challenge for Ne-Yo to face the fact that he and his girlfriend broke up but because he wants love so bad he just wants to feel like its apart of him so it helps to listen to love songs.

Ne-Yo’s lyrics are important to not only teenagers but adults as well. There is always going to be a day within your life time that a relationship is not going to work out. It may vary and some may be lucky, but if they don’t break up there are still struggles in love. But most likely eventually it will happen to one of you.

Consonance and Alliteration in "Make Me Better"

“Make Me Better”
Song Analysis

New Yorker John Jackson, better known as the rapper Fabolous has released several top singles. One is "Can't Deny It", which helped to promote his debut album Ghetto Fabolous to platinum sales. His two follow-up albums sold well, but it was From Nothin' to Somethin' that has been his best performer to date. This album included the song “Make Me Better.” The album itself whet to Number 1 in the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop albums and Top Rap Albums charts at Number 2 on the Billboard 200 and has gone on to gold sales by April of 2007. Throughout the song “Make Me Better” he is focusing on the “ladies.” Fabulous features Ne-yo, both saying that their ladies are upgrading them, they’re currently much better. The song “Make Me Better,” contains several poetic devices. Before writing this song they explain that they want a lady that completes them and makes them better, you don’t want a lady who brings more arguments and bills into your life. Fabulous says, “You want a girl who, when you’re walking around with your tie crooked, she fixes your tie. That’s the kind of girl I am looking for.” Basically within the song they are saying how they want someone they can connects with, celebrity or non-celebrity, it really doesn’t matter. Throughout the song, “Make Me Better” there is two main poetic devices.
Within the song “Make Me Better” Fabolous uses many poetic devices.

The first device that was strongly used was consonance. This device is important to a reader and listener because it helps the rhythm of the song flow better. Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in a short sequence of words. The first example of consonance is directed in the first line of Fabolous’ solo, “Ya boy a good look by, she my better half.” This is a form of consonance because the words good and look share the same sound of “oo” within themselves. This line is saying that she is his better half that he needs her in his life. This shows the love that he has for her. Fabolous is focusing on showing the listener that he is better now than when he was before he met her, for instance, “I’m already bossin’, already flossin’.” This can also been seen as an example of consonance because they share the same consonant sound “oss” within the word. Lastly, the line “The sag in my swag, pep in my step.” The two words sag and swag share the sound of “a.” Then in the words pep and step, they share the sound “e,” which is a form of consonance as well. Fabolous is stressing upon how she makes him walk the way he walks, she herself makes him, Fabolous. These examples show the usage of consonance throughout Fabolous’ and Ne-Yo’s song “Make Me Better.”

Finally, as the listener you hear how Fabulous and Ne-Yo use alliteration. Alliteration took a big part in their song “Make Me Better.” Alliteration is the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables. When writers want to emphasize certain words, they may use alliteration. The first example is within the first few lines of Ne-Yo’s solo “But if I’m a star, she is the sky.” These lines from “Make Me Better” is a way to show love and importance because Ne-Yo is saying that if he is just considered a star then she must be the sky because she is very important and has all kinds of things in store, she is no typical woman. Another source of alliteration is “The caked up cut, the cleaned up ice.” This is alliteration because the words caked, cut and cleaned up share the same “c” sounds in the beginning of each word. Fabulous also speaks “Top- notch Tim. /Nice-look, Ne-yo. /Livin’ good Lo-so.” Fabolous at his ending point is saying how he is living good because of the person this woman makes him.

Fabolous is an artist that writes about personal experience as well as fantasies, and things he wants. Whether these are faced circumstances he has gone through and had to overcome. “Make Me Better” is a good song to show how Fabolous feels toward this particular woman. Going through different relationships he shows how this relationship and woman has impacted him. Within this song, he seems to sound quite needy because he wants to share his life with her because she makes him better.

Lyrics containing Consonance

POP PUNK
All Time Low : "Dear Maria, count me in"
Dear Maria, count me in/ There's a story at the bottom of this bottle

ELECTRO POP
Owl City : "Dental Care"
And rather than flaunt my style/ I'd flash you a smile of clean pearly whites

HIP HOP
JaRule : "Never Again"
When I got guns to bust and drugs to sell

COUNTRY
Jason Aldean : "Shes Cuntry"
She's a Kansas princess, crazy mother trucker, undercover lover/Thick southern drawl, sexy swing and walk

RAP
Eminem : "We Made You"
Well look at all the massive masses in the stands/Shady man, no, don't massacre the fans

R&B
R Kelly : "Dollar Bill"
Skin copper, na-na stay proper, who could stop her?/Nuthin'. Hey, do a somersault/All that platinum shit you bought?

REGGAE
Bob Marley: "Misty Morning"
The power of philosophy - yea-ea-eah - floats through my head/Light like a feather, heavy as lead

• Within the lyrics of “Dear Maria, Count Me In,” by All Time Low, the line “There’s a story at the bottom of this bottle” would be an example of consonance. The words bottom and bottle share the same sound and consonant in the middle of the word.
• Throughout the lyrics of “Dental Care,” by Owl City the line that caught my eye was “And rather than flaunt my style.” This is an example of consonance because the middle of rather, than, and flaunt share the same sound.
• Listening to the lyrics of “Never Again,” by Ja Rule I found an example of consonance. The words guns, bust and drugs share the same sound as you say them. This would make them be a fine example of consonance in song lyrics.
• Throughout the song "She's Country" by Jason Aldean there was an example of consonance. The words Aldean used were undercover lover. These words are an example of consonance because they share the same "ov" sound in the center of the word.
• In the song “We Made You,” by the artist Eminem there was an example of consonance. For example, the line consisted of the words massive, masses, and massacre; these three words share the same sound of “ass” in the middle of the word just as the definition of consonance states.
• The song “Dollar Bill,” by R. Kelly applies to the rules of consonance. In the lyrics above the words are proper and stop, they both share the same sound of “op” that is made in the middle of the words.
• “Misty Morning,” by Bob Marley is a great example of consonance. I chose this song because his lyrics that contained the worlds feather, heavy and lead within one line of his song. These words have the same sound expressing the sound of “ea”.

Theme/ Genre

Romance and Love in R&B and Hip Hop

I chose Romance and Love in R&B and Hip Hop as my theme genre for the rest of the year. Choosing this theme genre was very difficult for me because I wanted to analyze Country songs because Country is what I listen to most. I changed my mind last minute to Romance and Love in R&B and Hip hop because I figured it would be the most current and realistic. I felt that I would be able to make a lot of connections to my life. Several of the songs I want to look at throughout the year are real life situations that these artists have decided to write, I think I will enjoy reading and analyzing all these songs.