Blog #1

Have you ever met anyone that doesn’t like music? Sure there are people that do not like certain kinds of music but there probably isn’t a person on Earth that doesn’t like some sort of music. Music speaks to the soul, it gets you up out of your chair and makes you dance. Music can lighten your mood or bring up memories from the past. It was not easy choosing just one band to analyze but I have really come to enjoy 5 for fighting. For one, their lead singer is a professional hockey player (You get a 5 minute penalty for fighting in hockey, get it?). I thought this was pretty interesting that someone is that multitalented. A few of their songs I will be analyzing are “Superman”, “100 years”, and “Story of your life”. I chose these songs because although they don’t exactly describe my life they do have bits in pieces that I can apply my own life to.

For the most part, many of 5 for fighting’s songs are about life and how you handle what is thrown at you during it. Life is not always easy and sometimes people are misguided, something that I can relate to, and I feel that these songs really address that issue. One of my favorite lines from the song “Superman” goes, “Men weren’t meant to ride with clouds between their knees, I’m only a man, no funny red sheet”. I really like this line because I feel like sometimes I try to out due myself and take on more than I can handle. Sometimes, I try to do too much when really I should stop trying to impress or appease others and do what makes me happy. None of us are Superman! The next song, “100 Years” is just all around great. Being two weeks away from turning 21 (WOOHOO!!) I know that life flies by already. Although I am not 40-50 yet, I already understand what my elders are talking about when they say life goes by fast. This song is great because I always discuss with my friends how fast time is already flying by, and how it seemed like yesterday we were in middle school. I think almost everyone can relate to this feeling, but the moral of the song is to not let life fly by without enjoying it. “15… There’s never a wish, better than this… when you’ve only got 100 years to live” Is a great line because it really embodies the fact that you should dream big because we only have a limited number of days. The third and final song that I chose to analyze is their song “Story of your life”. The title says it all basically, and the line that I enjoy is “It’s the story of your life, tearing out a page new chapter on the way”. I came to UNL looking to get away from the town I’m from, which although upscale, has a major drug problem and many of my friends were getting involved in the sorts. As a whole, Five for Fighting’s songs deal with looking at your life in a different way. Culturally, I think this is universal. They’re not a country band that only appeals to American ideals, or a rapper that appeals to only life on the streets but have a much more wholesome approach. I think that basically anybody can apply these songs to their own life no matter your race, nationality, or gender.

I think that Five for Fighting’s music can really impact you no matter what culture you are from. Not only their music but all music, I would have never guessed that I would be a fan when I first heard them. The broad topics of their music can apply to any ethnic group or culture for the most part. Each person’s view of culture is different as well, as some may define it differently than others. Personally I think that culture is about your moral values, how you approach life, and the people you are surrounded by .

 

 

Works Cited

No editors name given. FIVE FOR FIGHTING – STORY OF YOUR LIFE. Retrieved 1/23/13 http://www.metrolyrics.com/story-of-your-life-lyrics-five-for-fighting.html

 

CheeZeCakeLOL. 100 years – Five for Fighting (lyrics). Retrieved 1/23/13 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2WGGNiC8f4