Category Archives: Song Analysis

Song Analysis #50: Coldplay – The Scientist

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In one of my posts in which I pitted Keane vs. Coldplay during my week at One Week // One Band back in early July, I alluded to the one song by Chris Martin and co. that I actually like. Or maybe the right word is not ‘like’ but ‘relate’ to. It’s the song equivalent to kryptonite to me because of when it was released and what was going on in my life at the time.

My father was not well. Two years prior, he suffered a stroke that slowed him physically and cognitively. For a scientist, the worst fate of all was to be imprisoned by a mind that knew what it was thinking but that had such difficulty expressing the thoughts as quickly and brilliantly as it had once before. He didn’t say much in his final months. I knew he had difficulty finding the words sometimes, and he didn’t want to embarrass himself by accidentally mixing up his words. Most times, he said nothing. This was the same man who, without fail, called me every single night I lived at university because he cared about me and wanted to hear how my day was, just as when I had lived at home as a child.

Before leaving the house one morning, he kissed me on the head and told me to have a good day at work. Later that evening, he was gone.

I heard it again recently, and the discomfort of hearing the song again after so long came back, the tightness building in my stomach. Seeing that I have suffered through and am going through great change this year and hope can be difficult to find, I decided I didn’t have anything to lose to think more about ‘The Scientist’ now.

When I started Music in Notes 3 years ago, I knew one day I would have to write my thoughts on this song here. I just didn’t know when I would be ready to. I was too fragile to do so when I began the site.

Now is that time.

Title: ‘The Scientist’
Where to find it: ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’ (2002, Parlophone)
Performed by: Coldplay
Words by: Chris Martin

First, the words:

Verse 1
Come up to meet you
tell you I’m sorry
You don’t know how lovely you are

I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart

Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh, let’s go back to the start

Running in circles
Coming up tails
Heads on a science apart

Chorus
Nobody said it was easy
It’s such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard

Oh, take me back to the start

Verse 2
I was just guessing
At numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart

Questions of science
Science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart

Tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh, and I rush to the start

Running in circles
Chasing our tails
Coming back as we are

Chorus
Nobody said it was easy
Oh, it’s such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard

I’m going back to the start

Now, the analysis:

Before I begin, I should point out that Chris Martin has previously revealed what ‘The Scientist’ is about. You can read it on page 5 of a 2002 Coldplay e-zine archived here. It would be fair to say that I was pretty disappointed by the actual meaning of the song, but that’s where Music in Notes comes in. As echoed by the many songwriters I’ve interviewed over the years, the most important thing you should remember about the medium of a song is how it relates to you and how it makes you feel.

Scientists have been able to show that music is a cue that stirs up memories, even those many years ago, as well as cue up memories in people whose memory is impaired, such as those with Alzheimer’s and dementia. So don’t ever feel sorry for thinking about and relating to a song one way that completely doesn’t match the way someone else thinks or relates to it at all. These memories you have of songs are individual and yours alone.

If we are to believe Chris Martin, that this song is really just about being attracted to girls and how as a guy you can’t get them off your mind, and even that process is connected to a memory. A fond memory of someone you wanted to be with but couldn’t. (I’m trying here, Chris. Really.) Even if you never saw the video and saw that there was a man and a woman in it, presumably the people involved in the tale of the song, you can see by reading the lyrics to ‘The Scientist’ that there is a healthy dose (probably a far too unhealthy dose, depending on the personality of the person reading) of regret in this song.

Two people have been separated: “it’s such a shame for us to part.” The beauty of this song, although not likely Chris Martin’s intention at all, is that it could apply to *any* two people. Two lovers. A husband and a wife. A parent and a child. Two best friends. We don’t know how or why this happened, but Chris Martin playing the protagonist wants to return to when it all began, desperately saying, “take me back to the start.”

He wants to start over with a clean slate, so he can hear the other person’s secrets and answer this person’s questions. As we get to know someone and journey through life with them, you learn more and more about the other person. But there really is no going back when if something painful or awful is revealed, or harsh words have been spoken that can’t be unsaid. It is just is. Once you reach that point, there is no turning back. You can’t un-hear what you’ve heard or un-feel that emotion. Depending on the connection, there may be a chance to mend fences, to heal, to find a way back. But there wasn’t one in this case.

All important relationships, the ones that are worth keeping and preserving, are based on love and trust. The strong ones keep going. And they keep going because both people want it to keep going, and in equal measure. You might say that as his child, I had no choice but to ‘keep’ my father. But in all honesty, despite all the terrible things that had happened in my life, I still really loved him. When he died, a part of me died too. That’s what I get from ‘The Scientist’. Martin sings, “I was just guessing / at numbers and figures / pulling the puzzles apart,” blindly stumbling through the reality of loss, his science, to try to find reason for his emotions.

Martin comes to the terrible conclusion that he has lost a loved one. No matter how harsh the harsh reality that exists now in his life, he cannot and does not give in to the reality, as the scientific explanations are nothing in the face of his emotions. They “do not speak as loud as my heart.” I suppose the easiest way to judge this song is to consider it being about someone that has physically died, from the lines “tell me you love me / come back and haunt me.” But I think that’s a lazy explanation. We all know that the important players of our lives can haunt us in our minds, whether we’re awake or while we’re asleep and dreaming, and whether they’re living or not. I find the song being especially emotional and cutting for this duality.

“Nobody said it was easy, nobody said it would be this hard.” I think the best we all can hope for is to keep putting love out into the world, while never forgetting that other person who meant so much to us, and before we ever come to the point where we are irrevocably wrested apart from them, however that happens, either by choice or not. I don’t like that old saying, “If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it’s yours forever. If it doesn’t, then it was never meant to be.” It sounds so negative. It sounds like we as humans have no control of the situation at all.

But we do. We have a choice. We have the choice to love and care for one another. “What I do, that will be done to me.” At this time in my life, I have to believe that despite how badly I’ve been hurt, that there is meaning to all of this. And if I keep loving and caring, the love I am supposed to receive will come back to me.

Lastly, the song, in its promo form from 2002.

Song Analysis #49: Oasis – Don’t Look Back in Anger

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Title: ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’
Where to find it: ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’ (1995, Creation)
Performed by: Oasis
Words by: Noel Gallagher

Musically, for most of my teens, I was all about the Sixties. The late night DJ on the local oldies station thought it was hilarious that someone my age would call in to request songs or enter trivia contests…and win them. I became convinced I was born in the wrong decade. I loved the Beatles and the flood of other British Invasion artists who came after them, especially the Dave Clark Five, the Hollies, and the Kinks, as well as seminal American bands like the Byrds and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Well, before the really wigged out, psychedelic stuff, which I didn’t get or like at all. (I still remember hearing ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ weird tape loop for the first time and being horrified, and then getting horrified again when my brother pointed out John Lennon singing “cranberry sauce.”) If it wasn’t British Invasion or Led Zeppelin (the one holdover from my years of being around an older brother), I didn’t want to give it the time of day. I couldn’t even tell you what was on top 40 radio back then, because I wasn’t listening to it.

My cousin Chris, about a year older than me, came to visit with his family as they always did every summer from Taiwan and showed me the CDs he’d brought with him. He was eager to impress on me his musical taste, but usually I was unmoved and entirely underwhelmed with what he had on offer. That particular summer, he had three he wanted to show me. The first two met my usual eyes glazing over as we played them on my dad’s then top of the line hi-fi: Blues Traveler’s ‘four’ and the Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Ready to Die.’

The third was far more interesting. It was the second album from Oasis, ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’ I think he knew subconsciously I’d “get” Oasis because of my being such a huge Beatles fan and the obvious Beatles references Noel Gallagher added into the song. But you have to remember that back in 1996, it wasn’t like we were all on the Internet, and certainly we didn’t Google at our disposal. I did remember talking to Chris about Oasis being from Manchester. Like Liverpool had become for me with the Beatles, in my head I had this grand idea Manchester was this amazing faraway land, and one day I would see it for myself. (It didn’t disappoint. I would get my chance a decade later, making my first trip to England, Manchester being my first port of call so I could see Morrissey gig there three times over 3 nights.)

While I never became as big of an Oasis fan as I was of the Beatles, I still prefer Oasis over Blur (sorry, Damon). And despite an unfortunate run-in I had with Noel’s security 3 years ago in DC that resulted from a misunderstanding by venue staff, I still listen to ‘(What’s the Story)…’ with great fondness. When I visited the Beatles Story on Albert Dock in Liverpool some 11 years later and saw the white piano on which John Lennon wrote ‘Imagine,’ it all seemed to have come full circle for me. Regardless of how you feel about him or his big mouth, and even if he admits that he doesn’t know what the words mean in his songs because he was too stoned at the time, Noel Gallagher will always be remembered as one heck of a songwriter.

First, the words:

Verse 1
Slip inside the eye of your mind
Don’t you know you might find
A better place to play
You said that you’d never been
All the things that you’ve seen
Will slowly fade away

Pre-chorus
So I’ll start the revolution from my bed
‘Cos you said the brains I had went to my head
Step outside ‘cos summertime’s in bloom
Stand up beside the fireplace
Take that look from off your face
You ain’t ever gonna burn my heart out

Chorus
So Sally can wait
she knows it’s too late as we’re walking on by
Her soul slides away
“But don’t look back in anger,” I heard you say

Verse 2
Take me to the place where you go
Where nobody knows if it’s night or day
Please don’t put your life in the hands
Of a rock ‘n’ roll band
Who’ll throw it all away

Pre-chorus
Gonna start the revolution from my bed
‘Cos you said the brains I had went to my head
Step outside ‘cos summertime’s in bloom
Stand up beside the fireplace, take that look from off your face
‘Cos you ain’t ever gonna burn my heart out

Chorus X 2 (slightly modified lyrics)
So Sally can wait
She knows it’s too late as she’s walking on by
My soul slides away
“But don’t look back in anger,” I heard you say

So Sally can wait
She knows it’s too late as we’re walking on by
Her soul slides away
“But don’t look back in anger,” I heard you say

Modified chorus
So Sally can wait
She knows it’s too late as she’s walking on by
My soul slides away
“But don’t look back in anger, don’t look back in anger”
I heard you say, “at least not today”

Now, the analysis:

There are a lot of interesting bits in ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger,’ even if Noel says he wrote the lyrics when he was stoned and they mean nothing, and fans have come up with lyrical meanings that ring very personal to themselves. That alone is a sign of a very well-penned pop song. To me, the themes in this song that speak loudest to me are those of innocence, regret, and hope.

If we take the song and lyrics at their most basic and view it in the context of what nearly all pop songs are about, a romance between a boy and a girl gone sour, a lot of it seems pretty literal: this girl Sally is waiting for a reconciliation with her greatest love that will never come. I remember thinking as a teenager, and one who had never had a boyfriend yet by this time in her life, that this song was so sad, so tragic. Be still my heart! The pain of young love! Oh, how innocent hearts get it all wrong.

The two verses are dreamy, ambiguous. I look at the lyrics to verse 1 as if the singer is telling Sally to meditate, to go to a better place by using her mind (“don’t you know you might find / a better place to play“) and banish any bad thoughts using the meditation (“you said that you’d never been / all the things that you’ve seen / will slowly fade away“). This positive slant reminds me of a favourite song of mine in my blogging career, ‘Dreaming of Another World’ by Mystery Jets. The singer also says later in verse 2, “take me to the place where you go / where nobody knows if it’s night or day,” as if he wants a means of escape or probably more likely, a utopia, a place where such things don’t matter. When night falls, some things become final, and in the light of day, they become obvious in their permanence. In both verses, it’s not clear to me if the voice of the singer is the object of Sally’s affection, but for the sake of argument, let’s say the voice isn’t.

Gallagher has admitted that the lines in the pre-chorus “gonna start the revolution from my bed / ‘cos you said the brains I had went to my head” were lifted straight from a spoken word tape of John Lennon’s, and because they don’t make a whole lot of sense to me in my overall interpretation, I’m going to leave them. That leaves the rest of the pre-chorus, which is pretty perfect to me. “Step outside ‘cos summertime’s in bloom / stand up beside the fireplace, take that look from off your face“: stop pining, stop wallowing, get out of the shadows and into the sunshine and enjoy life, and turn that frown into a smile. Why? Because summertime is in bloom, life is wonderful, and life is out there for the taking. I’m on the fence about the line “‘cos you ain’t ever gonna burn my heart out,” because it’s sung sweetly, not angrily, and rather melodically (well done, Noel), even though the sentiment seems to be, “look, I know you’re angry with me/him, but that’s not going to solve anything.” This makes sense in the context of trying to get Sally to look on the bright side of things, to refocus on better days.

A brief aside on why I find the mention of “please don’t put your life in the hands / of a rock ‘n’ roll band / who’ll throw it all away” amusing: I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve been told as a woman to avoid getting involved with musicians at all costs. Ask me in 20 years’ time how it’s going…

The choruses are slightly different each time, with either the emphasis of “she’s walking on by” (Sally alone) or “we’re walking on by,” presumably Sally’s ex stepping out with a new woman. However, in all cases, the chorus ends with “‘but don’t look back in anger,’ I heard you say,” with someone telling Sally or Sally herself hearing within herself that she shouldn’t live in regret. I remember watching this video on MTV and at the end, with Noel singing the last few words as he looked out of the back of the car driving away from the house, “‘But don’t look back in anger, don’t look back in anger,’” his voice slightly cracking as if getting emotional himself. Cue sobbing.

The parting words “I heard you say, ‘at least not today’” seem pretty beautiful to me too. Every day is a snapshot of the whole of our lives, isn’t it? I think the voice of the song was meant to be thoughtful and caring towards Sally. He is aware of her pain, of her regret of what once was and what can never be again. But he also knows that one day Sally can come to acceptance of what’s happened and she won’t look back in anger. He’s hopeful, though, that through his healing words, he can get her through this one day and to the next one.

Lastly, the song, in its promo form, those round red spectacles of Noel’s that are forever etched in my mind. That and a lot of tissues…

Song Analysis #48: Gil Scott-Heron – When You Are Who You Are

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Title: ‘When You Are Who You Are’
Where to find it: ‘Pieces of a Man’ (1971, Flying Dutchman Records)
Performed by: Gil Scott-Heron
Words by: Gil Scott-Heron

Yes, I am back, some 2 months after I last was here! But not for long. I’ve been so busy and working so hard on that writing project I mentioned, not to mention living Real Life with a day job and TGTF, that I wanted to do a really short analysis post today as sort of an aperitif to what’s coming up next week. More on that to come…

I’d never heard this song until Steve Lamacq played it on his 6 Music programme 2 weeks ago. What a lovely, lovely sentiment! I practically cried reading back the lyrics after I’d found them. One of my favorite Motown songs is Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ ‘The Track of My Tears,’ which I find absolutely brilliant for the lines “my smile is my makeup / I wear since my breakup with you.” BOOM. Obviously, that’s supposed to be a sad song, expressing regret of a relationship gone south. The physical smile that he’s pasted on his face is literally a mask to hide the anguish he has inside. Is there anything more heartbreaking than that?

In stark contrast, this song from Gil Scott-Heron is from the point of view of a man who’s saying enough is enough, stop with the masks and the disguises! He’s in love with her and wants her to stop pretending to be someone else. He wants her to be who she truly is because “you can be so very beautiful / when you are who you are.”

Cue the waterworks and bring on the words, please…

The words:

Verse 1
You always go out of your way to impress me
Don’t you know by now, ain’t no need to impress me
I’m impressed every time you smile
When I feel like you mean to smile

“Chorus”
You can be so very beautiful
When you are who you are

Verse 2
Every morning when you wake up you put on a new disguise
How long did you think it would take me to realize
Girl, the things you wore ain’t real
You never tell me just how you feel

“Chorus”
Girl you can be so very beautiful
When you are who you are

Bridge
People never seem to want to be themselves
So they end up running in circles confused
Yeah, confused
Just like everyone else

Verse 2 again
Every morning when you wake up you put on a new disguise
Just how long did you think it would take me to realize
That the things you wore ain’t real
You never tell me just how you feel

“Chorus” / extended outro
When you could be so very beautiful
When you are who you are
Yeah, when you are who you are, yeah
Oh, when you are who you are, yeah
When you are who you are, yeah
When you are who you are
Get it, get it, get it, get it, get it, get it, get it

When you are who you are, yeah
Oh when you are who you are, yeah
Oh when you are who you are, yeah
Oh when you are who you are

Now, the analysis:

Gil Scott-Heron makes some interesting word choices in what should be a pretty straight-forward love song that is supposed to say, “I love you just the way you are.” (By the way, if you were wondering, it would be another 6 years before Billy Joel came along with ‘Just the Way You Are.’ In case you were keeping score.) In verse 1, he’s telling his lady love to not bother with impressing him because they’ve been together long enough that he doesn’t need impressing. He even sounds a bit exasperated with “don’t you know by now, ain’t no need to impress me.” Funny! The next two lines are kind of awkward, but I think that was done on purpose:

I’m impressed every time you smile
When I feel like you mean to smile

As in, “well, I notice when you smile. And you have a great smile. But I only want you to show that smile when you *really really* mean it.” In other words, stop smiling when you don’t mean to. Scott-Heron was clearly not a card-carrying member of the “fake it ’til you make it” club.

Then in verse 2, we look on as he gets into discussing her “disguise.” I don’t think he means only a physical disguise. I mean, okay, let’s say every morning you put on your Phillie Phanatic costume and go to work. On the outside, you look like the crazy green mascot for the Philadelphia baseball team, but no-one really knows what is going on inside, do they? You could have a cold and be very unwell. You could be depressed. You could be hopped up on too many cups of coffee. (Oh wait, you’d be bouncing off the walls with that much caffeine, wouldn’t you?) You see what I mean.

Physically, you can disguise yourself of course, but I think what Scott-Heron was trying to get at was presenting a different version of yourself that isn’t really you will do you no favours. This includes pretending to be someone you’re not and expressing feelings that aren’t true to how you’re actually feeling. The clues are in the words:

How long did you think it would take me to realize
Girl, the things you wore ain’t real
You never tell me just how you feel

She’s putting up a false front so she doesn’t have to deal with her true feelings and quite possibly also her own insecurities. He’s almost mocking her (good-naturedly) that this facade she puts up every morning is silly, as if she thought he could snow him and hide what she was really thinking and feeling. The bridge is pretty interesting too. “People never seem to want to be themselves / So they end up running in circles confused / Yeah, confused / Just like everyone else” seems to be saying “there’s no use in being like everyone else. Be yourself.” It can be a hard lesson to learn, though, especially as a woman. I’m going to tack this up to my wall so I can read it again and again and remind myself of this.

I decided to write about this song because Gil Scott-Heron is known for being one of the most influential minds and performers to hip hop artists today. His most famous work is arguably the poem ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,’ which has been considered a watershed moment in his career and appears as track 1 on the A-side of the ‘Pieces of a Man’ album. How amazing that on the same album is ‘Who You Are Who You Are’, apolitical and even though it’s got elements of soul and jazz, is otherwise very pop.

Lastly, the song, a stream of Gil Scott-Heron’s original below.