EXAMPLES OF REACTION PAPER (Song Anlaysis)

EXAMPLE 1

John Lennons song Imagine is by all means a classic which will endure in the hearts of many,
as long as it is still around. With that in mind, I believe that it should live on by being placed
in the UTD time capsule. It has many aspects that make it the ideal song for such a project,
from its musical quality, to its imperative message of peace. Lennons melodic style conveys a
poignant innocence, which complements the theme of the song perfectly. The music stays
simple and seems to grasp the lyrics without a seam. It is the type of song that will appeal to
almost anyone who hears it because of its rythmic, almost hypnotic sound. I dont know what
the music of the future will sound like, but I believe a song like this is one that can be enjoyed
by all generations to come. It isnt the music of our generation today; not rock with heavy
distortion, or rap with deafening bass, nor is it the synthesised RnB many of us choose to
listen to. It is the type of song that touches a persons heart, the kind of music we listen to
because we can feel it. This selection is a more instrumental rock that is set apart from all
other genres, deserving of the reverance received in the decades past, and for those to come.
This song is trully a tribute to great music, and has been likened to the twentieth centuries
answer to Beethovens Moonlight Sonata and Bachs Fantasia. In that regard, this song is seen
as one of the greatest songs of our century, and isnt that the type of musical merit we should
consider when selecting the one song to represent us in the capsule?

EXAMPLE 2

It's Over, by Son of Adam, is a song that describes both the feelings and the situation of a
loved one leaving. While other songs are hidden behind layers and layers of hidden meanings,
It's Over is rather straightforward. The basic story that occurs in the song is that the singer is
describing his feelings towards a woman that he had a relationship with in the past. What the
singer constantly refers to is how the relationship is now over. In fact, the band describes the
song as their only breakup song, thus giving more evidence to the idea that the song is
actually written about a breakup and thus describes that situation.
What happens in the song is that the singer finally learns that the person that he cares about,
the person that has capture his heart, has finally decided to call it quits. At the beginning of
the song, he wonders when it was decided that they would no longer be able to be together. At
the latter part of the song, the singer goes into the past and how at one time (specifically two
years ago) he felt the same way, thus he went through another breakup and how after that
breakup the person who he is going through the same with right now told him that he was the
"boy of your dreams". Afterwards, the speaker asks if he can have his heart back and how he's
going far away in order to find love, yet he still reiterates how they would still be good
together.
Beautiful Game, by Huddle, is a song that on a literal level takes about different aspects of
playing certain games (namely Chess and Monopoly) while at a metaphoric level talks about
how life is a game.

EXAMPLE 3
Stephen Sondheim, in my opinion, is one of the most gifted lyricist and songwriters of all
time. He uses many witty comparisons, beautiful allusions, and variations of tempo to give
each song a uniqueness and identity of its own. This identity is also created for each
individual character through the songs, and tactfully conveys their inner feelings. The song
Maybe They’re Magic is one small example of these classic Sondheim characteristics. Sung
by the baker and his wife, the song is about their struggle to achieve what they want: to have a
child. Discretely, though, each character's sense of self, and inner thoughts are communicated
by the movement of the song; the way the characters bicker exhibits the gravity of the matter,
and the audience can actually hear the thoughts in their minds. This matter of not being able
to bear children is not a simply answered problem, and although this problem is very specific,
the language used is very open-ended. This makes it easier for the audience to relate this story
to obstacles in their own lives, and keeps them interested.

Throughout the song the wife’s dialogue is stressing that one must do whatever is needed to
survive, and whatever it takes to get what one wants. She quotes, “Everyone tells tiny lies,
what’s important, really, is the size.” This song shows the realistic attitude, and stubbornness
of the wife's character. She is also a character that is very persistent; her husband is pleading
with her to go home, and trying to take her mind off the matter at hand, and she continues
with her words. Finally, the baker’s wife wins at her strategy to get her husband to cheat just a
little bit to reach their goal, and so they're off to tackle the obstacle.