SONG ANALYSIS WEBQUEST
Introduction:
Poetry can be defined as "focused writing which communicates a mood and/or experience". The popular music we listen to today, be it Britney Spears or Metallica or Eminem, fits this definition just as surely as the works of Shakespeare, Poe, or Dickinson. Now, imagine your favorite song and consider how its lyrics might work as poetry.
Write a short essay analyzing the presence and effect of poetic devices in the lyrics of a song of your choice. How does your chosen song fit the definition and function of a poem/
1. Select a song. It must fit the following criteria:
2. Use the resources below to find the lyrics of the song online. 3. Copy and paste or retype a copy of the lyrics into a word processor.
- The song must have lyrics; no instrumentals.
- The song must be school appropriate; check with me if you have questions.
- Ideally, the song will have rich, diverse lyrics.
4. Print TWO copies of the lyrics. Save one copy and use the other for notes.
5. Analyze the lyrics for the presence of some/all of the following:
6. Write an essay covering the following:
- Imagery (note the sense being used)
- Poetic devices (metaphor, simile, allusion, conceit, etc.)
- Sound devices (alliteration, repetition, rhyme, etc.)
- The experience communicated by the song
- The mood communicated by the song
7. Attach the 2nd copy of the lyrics to the end of your essay.
- What are the experience and mood of the song?
- What imagery and devices are present?
- How do the images and devices create the experience and mood?
(All of the following are collections of song lyrics online)
Lyrics.com
Getlyrics.com
Worldwide Internet Music Resources
Google.com
(Search for: "song name" "artist name" "lyrics")
Now that you have analyzed your song lyrics, take some time to be aware of the poetry in the music you hear every day. The next time you turn on the radio, listen closely! You'll hear similes, metaphors, alliteration, and all of the devices we've been learning about during our unit. Imagine that!
Here are some good songs for analysis (lots of poetic devices). Check with me about your song choice.:
“Fire and Rain” – James Taylor
“Hey There Delilah” – Plain White T’s
“Ain’t No Sunshine” – Bill Withers
“Turn Turn Turn!” – The Byrds
“Einstein on the Beach” – Counting Crows
“I Say a Little Prayer” – Dionne Warwick
“Time” – Hootie and the Blowfish
“Carolina in my Mind” – James Taylor
“Love Song for No One” – John Mayer
“Highwayman” – The Highwaymen
“Brandy” – Looking Glass
“Walking in Memphis” – Mark Cohn
“In Your Eyes” – Peter Gabriel
“The Sound of Silence” – Simon and Garfunkel
“Come Sail Away” – Styx
“Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” – The 5th Dimension
“Just the Way You Are” – Billy Joel
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” – Billy Joel
“Allentown” – Billy Joel
“Candle in the Wind” – Elton John
“More than a Feeling” – Boston
“My Way” – Elvis Pressley
“Don’t Stop” – Fleetwood Mac
“I Will Survive” – Gloria Gaynor
“Annie’s Song” – John Denver
“Ring of Fire” – Johnny Cash
“I Walk the Line” – Johnny Cash
“50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” – Paul Simon
“Every Rose Has Its Thorn” – Poison
“Scarborough Fair” – Simon and Garfunkel
“On the Road Again” – Willie Nelson
“Sweet Caroline” – Neil Diamond
“Tragedy” – Bee Gees
“Midnight Train to Georgia” – Gladys Knight
“Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” – Gordon Lightfoot
More instructions:
1. Listen to your song choice several times. Pay attention to the lyrics. Write them down and make notations if it helps. Try to read between the lines. Look for literary devices such as simile, metaphor and parallelism. These devices are often used in well-written song lyrics. Consult a literary device guide to help you understand these literary elements (see Resources).
Look for poetic devices and poetic structure, such as internal and other rhyme schemes found in poetry. Search the lyrics for hyperbole, symbolism and beautiful language you would be more inclined to find in the works of noted poets. You can find more about poetic devices by referring to a guide as you analyze your song (see Resources).
Discuss the music of your song in terms of tone, mood, and how it works with the song lyrics to enhance the overall message of the song. You don't need to be able to read music to hear what's going on musically within a song.
