English

song_lyric_analysis.docx

Song Lyric Analysis

Directions: For this homework assignment, you will choose a song you like and analyze it using the questions below. You may choose a song from any genre or any time period, but it needs to be in English and it needs to have lyrics. Answer each question in Parts Two, Three, and Four with detail, in complete sentences.

Part One: Lyrics

Copy and paste the lyrics to your song in the table. In the “Notes” section, make notes about the lyrics. What do the lines mean? Who is speaking? Who are they speaking about? What are they speaking about? What emotion do you notice?

“Song Title” – Artist Name

Notes on Lyrics

Type the lyrics to your song here

Type your notes on the lyrics here

Part Two: First Impressions/Denotation

1. Summarize the basic narrative of the lyrics. What is happening? Who is speaking? What is the subject of the speaker's narrative?

2. Describe the overall tone or sound of the song. What emotion or appeal does it portray? What style of music does the song remind you of?

Part Three: Second Look/Connotation

3. What kinds of conflicts or tensions do you see in the lyrics?

4. How does the tone or sound of the music help communicate the message of the lyrics?

5. What cultural allusions do you notice in the lyrics?

6. What figurative language or linguistic devices are working to build the connotative meaning of the lyrics?

7. Now, what is the narrative really about underneath your surface impression?

Part Four: Conclusion

8. In your own words, bring the denotative and connotative meanings of the song together, describe what the song really “means,” and explain how the song fits into popular culture.