A song is a short musical composition with words. The purpose of the song is to entertain the listeners or audiences.
A. Structure
of a song:
§
Intro:
It is a brief introduction passage to the song. It is filled with the leading
music before the vocals come in.
§
Verse:
It is the content of a song. In the verse, we can find the meaning, the feel,
the concept, and the theme of the song.
§
Chorus:
It is part of a song that is repeated at least once, both lyrically and
musically. A chorus usually plays a role as the catchy part in a song.
§
Bridge:
It is the part of a song that has relatively different melody from the rest of
the song. The bridge creates the contrast and adds a richer dimension to a
song.
[title] A Sky Full of Stars
Coldplay
[intro] (an intro music)
[verse
1] 'Cause you're a sky, 'cause you're a sky full of stars
I'm gonna give you my heart
'Cause you're a sky, 'cause you're a sky full of
stars
'Cause you light up the path
[chorus] I don't care, go on and tear me apart
I don't care if you do, ooh
'Cause in a sky, 'cause in a sky full of stars
I think I saw you
[verse
2] 'Cause you're a sky, 'cause you're a sky full of stars
I wanna die in your arms
'Cause you get lighter the more it gets dark
I'm gonna give you my heart
[chorus] I don't care, go on and tear me apart
I don't care if you do, ooh
'Cause in a sky, 'cause in a sky full of stars
I think I see you
I think I see you
[bridge] 'Cause you're a sky, you're a sky full of stars
Such a heavenly view
You're such a heavenly view
Click this link to view the video.
B.
Poetic Devices
Like a poem, a song also consists of intrinsic and extrinsic elements.
One of the intrinsic elements is the poetic devices (figurative language).
Poetic
devices are tools that a poet can use to create rhythm and enhance the
meaning or intensify the mood or feeling. A song (to an extent) is similar to a
poem; thus, many song writers also use similar poetic devices to create the
wanted rhythm and mood. Some of the poetic devices often used in a song are as
follow:
Simile compares two objects using specific words or
comparison, such as “ like” od “as”.
Do you ever feel
like a plastic bag?
Metaphor compares two unlike things without using “like”
or “as”.
You’re picture
perfect blue.
Hyperbole purposefully exaggerates something for dramatic
effects.
I got the eye of
the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire.
Imagery uses words/phrases that use the five senses to
form mental images.
The taste of dirt
lingered in his mouth,
Onomatopoeia imitates sounds with the use of words.
The drum went
bang.
Rhyme refers to the similarly of ending sounds existing
between two words.
There she stood in
front of me
Stripped me bear
for the world to see
Repetition refers to the repeating of words, phrases, lines,
or stanzas.
It’s not about
money, money, money
B. Making Inferences the song
lyrics
Since a song is basically an audio, to properly infer the meaning of a
song, we need to listen to it. Yet, having the printed lyrics is also
recommended. Here are some steps that you can follow:
Ø Listen to the song carefully several times. Listen to it blankly
(without reading the lyric), and then also listen to it while reading the
lyrics.
Ø Think about what the song is about and why. Pay close attention to the
chorus(=refrain) because it was most likely chosen by the songwriter to
emphasize a particular message.
Ø You should also consider the type of music chosen, such as the
particular beat or tempo, the type of music and the rhythm, the low or high
notes, and how these features add to the message the songwriter is trying to convey.
Ø Ask questions about the content of the lyrics and the feel of the music.
How do they correlate or contradict?
Ø Make some predictions to answer your questions.
Ø Use your background knowledge to help you interpret and make inferences,
👀 PRACTICE
1. Analyze the text structure of the following song in this link.
2. Find the poetic devices of the song, minimally 3.
Happy learning and have a blessed Ramadhan!
