She Wouldn't be Gone Analysis

Blake Shelton, a wistful country star, is known for his southern drawl and soulful lyrics. His latest song, “She Wouldn’t be Gone” is a song about a broken heart. For those of you music lovers out there who don’t know Blake Shelton, he first broke out on to the music scene in 2001, and has been in many country fanatics hearts ever since. His influences include famous country stars, Travis Tritt and Hank Williams Jr. Shelton is ranked up there with other country singers like Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, and Keith Urban. Overall, both his sad and upbeat songs are equally eloquent and meaningful.

Opening his first verse with a line of imagery, Shelton vividly creates a picture in his listener’s head, when he says, “Red roadside wild flower if I’d only picked you.” This creates an image of red wild flowers. Shelton sings the first verse as if he is singing to the flowers; they could have been symbols of his adoration. The next verse says, “Yellow sunset slowly dipping down in the rear view” this also is imagery and partially personification. He is reminiscing about his ex-love and thinking about all the things she liked to do, “Oh, how she’d love to sit and watch you.” He also regrets being selfish and not making her happier when she was in his life. In the chorus he says “wouldn’t be driving like hell flying like crazy down the highway,” this is an example of similes, general comparisons. “Screaming out her name at the windshield tears soaking up my face,” this is also an example of personification of his tears. It also helps develop an image for his listener. In the third verse, he sings about how his ex-love warned him that if he didn’t change then she would leave, but he didn’t believe her until it was too late. In the last line of the verse he says, “Called her mama, cried like a baby to her best friend,” this is an example of a simile as well. In the following verse he explains that no one is helping him find her, “Now I’m, cursing like a fool, praying it ain’t too late” this is another perfect example of a simile where he compares himself to cursing like a fool. The chorus then repeats as well as part of the verse before. He then repeats the first verse to emphasis his sadness and close out the song the same way it started, he’s still in the same position... alone and regretful.

Shelton’s lyrics and deep voice come together to create vivid representation in the listener’s minds of his emotions. He combines his guitar and great writing ability to reel in his audience. He’s a great contributor to country music and song writing as a whole, “She Wouldn’t be Gone” is a perfect example of his masterful skills. His examples of imagery, personification and similes, all help emphasis his lyric writing style.

Back Masking

1.) Artist: B 52’s
Song: “Detour through my Mind”
Message: "I buried my parakeet in the backyard. Oh no, you're playing the record backwards. Watch out, you might ruin your needle."
I believe that this particular song is an example of back masking. You can understand much more clearly what they say when the song is played backwards, much more than others.

2.) Artist: Led Zeppelin
Song: “Stairway to Heaven”
Message: “Oh here’s it my sweet Satan. The one whose little path would make me sad, whose power is Satan. He’ll give you give you 666. There was a little tool shed where he made us suffer, sad Satan.”
I believe that this song is also an example of back masking. Some songs the listener cannot understand the backwards message at all, but this one, if played slow enough can be understood.

3.) Artist: The Beatles
Song: “I’m so Tired”
Message: “Paul is a dead man, miss him, miss him, miss him"
I believe that this song is another example of back masking. John Lennon is quoted saying, after smoking marijuana that he experimented with back masking.

4.) Artist: Queen
Song: “Another one Bites the Dust”
Message: "it's fun to smoke marijuana"
I believe that this example is just a coincidence. All members of Queen have denied the claims. Also when it is played it is very hard to understand.

5.) Artist: The Eagles
Song: “Hotel California”
Message: “Yeah Satan, he organized, oh, he organized his own religion. Yeah, when he knows he should, how nice it was delicious, he puts it in a bet he fixes it for his son which he gives away”
I believe that there is too much coincidence between, the history and background of the song, as well as the CD cover for this to be anything but back masking.

6.) Artist: The Electric Light Orchestra
Song: “Fire on High”
Message: “The music is reversible, but time isn't. Turn back! Turn back! Turn back! Turn back!"
When the song is played forwards it is jumbled words that no one can really understand. I believe this is also an example of back masking, Not to mention the message itself seems way to obvious to be anything else.

7.) Artist: Mindless Self Indulgence
Song: “Backmask”
Message: “Respect your parents." / "Clean your room." / "Do your homework." / "Don't stay out too late." / "Eat your vegetables." / "Put away your toys." / "Don't sit too close to the TV." / "Take the dog for a nice walk." / "Hurry up! Get dressed for church."
Clearly, by just looking at the title, one can tell this is an intentional back masking example, especially with the message. It is ironic and makes fun of the general idea of back masking.

8.) Artist: Petra
Song: “Judas Kiss”
Message: “What are you looking for the devil for, when you ought to be looking for the Lord?"
It is said that many Christian rock bands in the 1980s put messages in their songs. If one listens to the message, and looks at the message it is clear that this is an intentional example of back masking.

9.) Artist: Pink Floyd
Song: “Empty Spaces”
Message: “congratulations. You've just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the funny farm, Chalfont”
Once again, this is an example of back masking because of its blatant message, it may be hard to understand at first but it is there.

10.) Artist: Tool
Song: “Intension”
Message: “Work hard. Stay in school. Listen to your Mother. Your Father is right."
Lastly, this is an example of back masking because of the clear message. It is said to be the bands non-official response to claims of hidden messages.

Overall I do not believe in reverse speech. I do however believe in back masking-the intentional hidden messages. Some songs, however I believe people try and stretch as an example of back masking.

One More Day song analysis

Last night I had a crazy dream
A wish was granted just for me
It could be for anything
I didn’t ask for money
Or a mansion in Malibu
I simply wished, for one more day with you

Chorus
One more day
One more time
One more sunset, maybe I’d be satisfied
But then againI know what it would do
Leave me wishing still, for one more day with you

First thing I’d do, is pray for time to crawl
Then Id unplug the telephone
And keep the TV off
I'd hold you every second
Say a million I love yous
That’s what I’d do, with one more day with you

Chorus

Leave me wishing still, for one more day
Leave me wishing still, for one more day

Diamond Rio has been around the country block quite a few times. Stepping into the spotlight in the early 1990’s, their soothing lyrics lull any audience. Diamond Rio uses their tranquil lyric writing abilities to create “One More Day”, which is about the heartache in losing the woman of one’s dreams. They bring together their soothing lyrics and guitar strumming to erect a broken-hearted love song.

Within the first verse they sing about having a dream where, "A wish was granted just for me/it could be for anything." They go on to sing about how they didn't ask for anything special, like a mansion or a million dollars, they just wanted one more day with the woman that left. This song could be interpreted to mean many different losses of love. It could be a dead relative, or a significant other that has left, it is up to the interpretation of the listener to decide that. In the chorus they use some imagery in the line, "one more sunset maybe I'd be satisfied." But in the next lines, the speaker realizes that no matter what, one day would never be enough; he'd always want another day with her. In the second verse the speaker describes what he would do if he did get his wish. He sings, "first thing I'd do is pray for time to crawl," which is also personification. He then goes on to say that he would unplug the telephone and "keep the TV off" which is also more imagery. He'd "say a million I love you’s" which is a hyperbole as well as so sweet. The chorus then repeats itself and the song ends with the line, "leave me wishing still for one more day with you."

All of the members of Diamond Rio have the smooth voices to woo any woman into loving them. Diamond Rio have become a huge influence in country writing lyrics. Being part of the "young" country movement, they paved the way for future song writers of today to take a piece of the fame for themselves. Diamond Rio still tours and still makes hits that drive their fans wild.

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Tim Mcgraw Diction Essay

Tim McGraw is a stellar country star in many ways. He is best known for his moving lyrics that are rich with emotion. Many of his songs use contrasting dictions, such as “She’s My kind of Rain” and “Indian Outlaw.” Some are very elegantly written, like “She’s My Kind of Rain”, or on the other hand is the deep southern twang of “Indian Outlaw.” The first has imagery and metaphors flowing through it, while the latter has a “hillbilly” slang vibrating through the words.
“She’s My Kind of Rain” is a love song where they have their secrets but are willing to forgive and love each other still. In the first verse says, “She’s my kind of rain, like love in a drunken sky, confetti falling down all night.” Within these first three lines there are two metaphors and a simile. In the next verse there’s another simile, “she sits quietly there, like water in a jar.” Many of his metaphors and simile add to the imagery that McGraw expresses throughout the song. His diction is moving and loving throughout. In the main chorus McGraw uses many metaphors such as, “She's the sun set shadows she's like Rembrandt's light, she's the history that's made at night.” The reference to Rembrandt’s light is also an allusion to the famous painter. “Together in this brief eternity summer days, winter snows, she's all things to behold”, these lines express an oxymoron (the brief eternity). The diction is sophisticated and endearing. He continues to reiterate previous lines. The last lines, “She's my kind of rain, oh, rain on me, she's my kind of rain” convey his love. Rain can sometimes be viewed as a negative thing or positive thing, this woman that he is singing about clearly makes him happy, and she is his kind of rain.
On the opposite end of the McGraw lyrics scale is “Indian Outlaw” which is very divergent to the graceful “She’s My Kind of Rain”. “Indian Outlaw” is McGraw taking on the point of view of a Native American proud of his heritage. The first lines clearly state, “I’m an Indian outlaw, half Cherokee and Choctaw, my baby she’s a Chippewa.” The lyrics are very straight forward, the way he sings them make them sound full of twang. In the following lines state, “All my friends call me bear claw, the village cheaftin is my paw-paw, he gets his orders from my maw-maw,” “paw-paw” and “maw-maw” are the equivalent to dad and mom. There are few literary devices throughout the song, just the strong diction. “I ain’t lookin for trouble” is a line that clearly expresses the southern diction with the slang. In the following lines of the fourth verse there is more slang and improper English, “I remember the medicine man, he caught runnin water in my hands, drug me around by my headband,” although it does not take away from the song. McGraw also makes allusions to teepees and wigwams, which support the proud Native American point of view he is expressing.
Diction is an important aspect to all songs, whether in the country genre or not. Diction is the style of speaking or writing and depends greatly on word choice. Both songs analyzed above have contrasting diction but are both powerful songs do to their different but effective dictions. McGraw is a talented songwriter partly because he can write songs with such varying diction that are still honest to him as an artist.