"I Want Something That I Want" analysis (social message)

This duet is about a girl who unhealthily desires material possessions. She is not a bad person, beginning the song by stating, "I'm a girl with the best intentions." She is merely someone who sees something she wants and gets it. She does this by honorable means, making sure she pays for it, but this trait backfires when paying for things gives her a feeling of entitlement. She knows she "could shop 'til [she] drop[s] right to the floor," but she has, in a way, become addicted.

The social message in this song is demostrated best in the chorus, "And I want something that I want/Something I tell myself I need." The speaker knows she is giving into her own desires and vices. However, she convinces herself she needs the things she wants. This sentiment is very prevalent in today's consumer-happy society. People become greedy, no longer just getting the necessities and a few extras. Most of what they buy is luxury and excessive, but by telling themselves they need these things, consumers can justify and rationalize spending exorbitant amounts of money and buying things needlessly, just for the sake of buying them. With today's economy and the state of the underprivileged in our world, people need to gain new perspective and see the frivolousness of their actions.

"Piece of Me" analysis (social message)

Britney Spears's hit single hits back at all of the sleazy tabloids and photographers who've devoted their life's work to making Spears look as tragic and trashy as possible to the public. However, no matter how clueless they portray her to be, "Piece of Me" is a clear statement that Spears knows exactly what her life has become. Spears acknowledges that regardless of whether she steps into the spotlight or tries to hide, the papparazi are "still gonna put pictures of [her] derriere in the magazines." The last line of the chorus identifies Spears as being "Mrs. She's Too Big, Now She's Too Thin," lashing out at the hypocrisy of tabloids, who can never be pleased with celebrity appearance or behavior, always needing to tear them down.

Overall, the song is a message of how the media stalks celebrities and says terrible things about innocent (and maybe sometimes, not-so-innocent) people. Spears speaks up for herself and other celebrities by mocking those who have targeted her and would like nothing better than for both her career and her personal life to self-destruct, thereby giving them something really juicy to put on their covers.

"I Want Something That I Want" by Grace Potter & Bethany Joy Galeotti (social message)

I'm a girl with the best intentions
Something I should probably mention
I like to get just what I paid for
So I pay and I get and I pay and want some more, more, more

CHORUS:
And I want something that I want
Something I tell myself I need
Something that I want
I need everything I see

I'm a girl who's got a notion
I'm not gonna show you my magic potion
I could shop 'til I drop right to the floor
And I get right up and I want some more, more, more

CHORUS

Mo-o-o-o-re (more)

CHORUS x 2

"Piece of Me" by Britney Spears (social message)

I'm Miss American Dream since I was 17
Don't matter if I step on the scene
Or sneak away to the Philippines
They're still gonna put pictures of my derriere in the magazine
You want a piece of me?
You want a piece of me...

I'm Miss Bad Media Karma
Another day, another drama
Guess I can't see the harm
In working and being a mama
And with a kid on my arm
I'm still an exceptional earner
And you want a piece of me

CHORUS:
I'm Mrs. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
(You want a piece of me)
I'm Mrs. Oh My God, That Britney's Shameless
(You want a piece of me)
I'm Mrs. Extra! Extra! This Just In
(You want a piece of me)
I'm Mrs. She's Too Big, Now She's Too Thin
(You want a piece of me)

I'm Mrs. 'You want a piece of me?'
Tryin' and pissin' me off
Well, get in line with the paparazzi
Who's flippin' me off
Hopin' I'll resort to some havoc
And end up settlin' in court
Now are you sure you want a piece of me? (you want a piece of me)

I'm Mrs. 'Most likely to get on the TV for strippin' on the streets'
When getting the groceries, no, for real..
Are you kidding me?
No wonder there's panic in this industry
I mean, please...
Do you want a piece of me?

CHORUS

I'm Miss American Dream since I was 17
Don't matter if I step on the scene
Or sneak away to the Philippines
They're still gonna put pictures of my derriere in the magazine
You want a piece of me?
You want a piece of me...
You want a piece of me?

CHORUS x 2

Oh yeah
You want a piece of me

"Teardrops on My Guitar" analysis (imagery)

This song details a girl's longing for a boy who is in love with someone else.  The speaker tries to put on a front when she is with the boy, to hide the effect that he has on her.  Even though she knows that the boy has chosen someone else, she still thinks about him all day and night.  By the end of the song, she finally tries to begin to move on.  The imagery in this song is found in the title "Teardrops on My Guitar."  The phrase is a unique one and it evokes a powerful image of a young girl crying while writing a song, thus appealing to the listener's sense of sight.

"How Do You Sleep" analysis (imagery)

"How Do You Sleep" offers the perspective of a guy yearning for a girl he is no longer with. He has not seen her in a year, but he still thinks about her all the time.  He found a letter from her, and he imagines that it still has her scent on it.  This memento clearly intensifies his longing for her.  He says, "If I had my way, I'd come and get'cha, girl," indicating that he wants to be with her again.  There is imagery in this song because lines like, "I found a letter you wrote me/Still smells just like you" and "In your favorite car with the missing top" appeal to the senses of smell and sight, respectively.  The first example mentions the sense and the second example evokes a clear image in the mind of the reader.

"Teardrops on My Guitar" by Taylor Swift (imagery)

Drew looks at me
I fake a smile so he won't see
What I want and I need
And everything that we should be

I'll bet she's beautiful
That girl he talks about
And she's got everything
That I have to live without

Drew talks to me
I laugh 'cause it's so damn funny
I can't even see
Anyone when he's with me

He says he's so in love
He's finally got it right
I wonder if he knows
He's all I think about at night

CHORUS:
He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star
He's the song in the car I keep singing
Don't know why I do

Drew walks by me
Can he tell that I can't breathe?
And there he goes, so perfectly
The kind of flawless I wish I could be

She better hold him tight
Give him all her love
Look in those beautiful eyes
And know she's lucky 'cause

CHORUS

So I drive home alone
As I turn out the light
I'll put his picture down
And maybe get some sleep tonight

CHORUS

He's the time taken up but there's never enough
And he's all that I need to fall into
Drew looks at me
I fake a smile so he won't see

"How Do You Sleep?" by Jesse McCartney (imagery)

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

CHORUS:
It's been about a year now
Ain't seen or heard from you
I been missing you crazy
How do you, how do you sleep
I found a letter you wrote me
It still smells just like you
Damn those sweet memories
How do you, how do you sleep, how do you sleep

Tried my best at moving on, have yet to find a girl like you
See things now I didn't before now, I'm wishing I had more time with you
How do you stay awake, knowing all I do is think of you?
All the things we thought about that never will happen again
If I could just see you

If I had my way, I'd come and getcha, girl
In your favorite car with the missing top
Around my way where we used to park and did all those things to steal your heart

CHORUS x 2

Baby, all that I hear from my friends again and again and again (compliments 'bout you)
They say, "We saw your girl at the game and damn, we gotta say a big mistake by you"
Not only does your body bang but I miss the conversation too
Tell me that you gettin' no sleep, can't think, can't eat until I come see you

If I had my way I'd come and getcha girl
In your favorite car with the missing top
Around my way where we used to park and did all those things to steal your heart

CHORUS

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

CHORUS x 2

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

"Let Me Fall" Song Analysis #2

Bethany Joy Galeotti, née Lenz, is much more than another actress-turned-singer.  Starring as bookworm/rock star Haley James Scott on the CW hit One Tree Hill, Galeotti has a truly wonderful voice and had the opportunity to showcase her passion for singing and songwriting when her character’s storyline took her into the world of music.  Galeotti’s genuine talent and sincere likability have gained her many fans.  Though she has been apart of several soundtracks for the show, she has yet to release a full-length debut album.  She had a recording contract with Epic Records and was set to release an album in early 2006, but changes at the record company led to her being dropped from the label.  As fans eagerly anticipate a new record, they can hear her new material on Mondays at 9 pm on The CW.  Sung as Haley’s public debut on One Tree Hill, “Let Me Fall” describes a girl longing for the strength to live her life the way she wants to, even if she gets hurt.  Literary techniques devices, such as tone, hyperbole, and repetition, are used to achieve this.
The song begins by establishing what time of year it is.  The speaker describes the falling leaves of October.  The first verse also makes the listener aware that the speaker is wistful, saying that another year has passed and her life is still the same.  The chorus emphasizes the speaker's desperation.  She is pleading for her life to change.  She is tired of being afraid and living an unfulfilled life.  She wants to feel something, even if that something is pain.  The second verse is the speaker's self-analysis.  She is perfectly aware of her own flaws and is finally trying to stand up for herself and make change happen.  During the bridge, the speaker is expressing her final, desperate desire for her life to change and have meaning.  The final verse is a repetition of the first, symbolizing that despite her desires, the speaker's life has yet to change.
“Let Me Fall” expresses its themes through various tones.  The first verse conveys longing through a reflective tone.  The speaker is thinking about the past and how she wishes her life had been different in the past year.  During the chorus, the speaker expresses her longing through a desperate tone, begging an unknown force to let her feel something.  The second verse changes to a stronger tone, in which the speaker finally decides to take control of her life.  The third verse, though it is a repetition of the first verse, utilizes a more hopeless tone by stating that regardless of the speaker's intent to change her life, everything is still the same.  Hyperbole is also a key component of this song.  In the chorus, the speaker longs to feel something, not caring if she even “cr[ies] a little” or “die[s] a little.”  This statement is clearly hyperbolic, as dying is not something one would desire to feel.  In this way, the speaker conveys just how desperately she wants to feel something.  Finally, repetition is used several times in the lyrics.  The first verse is repeated at the end, in order to demonstrate the lack of change and excitement in the speaker's life.  Also, the bridge consists of the line “I wanna be somebody” repeated four times.  This sends a clear message about the speaker's truest desires and her deep longing for significance in the world.
“Let Me Fall” expresses the themes of longing and discontentment.  The song uses literary devices, including tone, hyperbole, and repetition to convey this message in a dramatic way.  The lyrics are especially relevant to Galeotti's One Tree Hill character, who longs to be somebody and tries to find her way through music.  Overall, “Let Me Fall” communicates the basic human desires to experience deep emotions and achieve greatness.