"Sweet Dreams"- Eurythmics vs. Marilyn Manson

The song "Sweet Dreams" by The Eurythmics is a happy, upbeat song about pursuing one's dreams and getting the things that one wants. However, the cover of the song by Marilyn Manson distorts the song into a dark, evil song about one's dreams being corrupted and broken. One major difference between the two versions of the song is the musical style. The Eurythmics version is happy and upbeat, with electric keyboards giving the song an electronic feel. The Marilyn Manson version replaces the keyboards with distorted, somber sounding guitar tone and a much slower tempo, which gives the song a much more dark and evil feeling. The lyrics also differ between the two versions. In the Eurythmics version, the lyrics during the bridge read "Keep your head up, moving on, hold your head up, moving on," which gives the song a positive and uplifting central message. However, in the Marilyn Manson version, this verse is replaced with the lines "I wanna use you and abuse you, I wanna know what's inside you," which gives the song a very dark and twisted central message. The two versions of the song "Sweet Dreams" feature completely different musical styles and themes, which make them feel like two completely different songs.

Top 3 "Angry" Songs

1) Duality - Slipknot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfvVT8Z_P-s
2) Lift Me Up - Five Finger Death Punch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-2yuGgp_U8
3) Animal I Have Become - Three Days Grace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXDC89tZ4IQ

Slipknot's "Duality" is one of the songs that I am drawn to most when I am feeling angry because it is a hard-hitting, heavy song with lyrics that perfectly describe the way I feel when I'm mad. The song is very fast and heavy, which adds to the adrenaline rush that one feels when they are angry. The lyrics in the song reflect feelings of anger and rage, which help to perpetuate my mood. "Duality" by Slipknot's heavy sound and powerful lyrics make it one of the songs I listen to whenever I am feeling angry.

Top 3 "Breaking Up" Songs

1. A Friendly Goodbye - Bowling For Soup   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPPLJaiig_4
2. And So It Goes - Billy Joel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcUCYtyaLrY
3. The Truth Is... - Theory of a Deadman  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiqPQpZTkt0

"A Friendly Goodbye" by Bowling For Soup is a song that I often listen to after a break up because it conveys feelings of spite and anger towards one's former lover in a humorous way. The speaker sarcastically wishes his ex girlfriend a "friendly goodbye," then quickly expresses the anger and spite that he feels towards her. In the chorus of the song, the speaker tells his ex lover to essentially screw off, but censors what he means to say in order to add to the humor of the song. "A Friendly Goodbye" by Bowling For Soup is a funny and sarcastic song about getting back at one's ex and telling them to screw off, which makes it one of the songs I am drawn to after a bad break up.

Theme Portfolio Reflection

For my theme portfolio, I chose to analyze how depression and mental illness are treated in hard rock and metal music. I chose this theme because it is a topic that I have a personal connection with, and I was interested in how the ideas and emotions that go along with depression could be conveyed poetically. The songs that I picked all treat depression as an enemy within oneself that one must battle and overcome. Some songs, like Beartooth's "In Between," stress the importance of fighting against one's depression and finding ways to keep on living, while other songs, like Breaking Benjamin's "Dear Agony," express feelings of hopelessness and dread that are often felt by those struggling with depression. All of the songs that I chose rely heavily on hyperbole and metaphor to express to the listener the powerful feelings and emotions that accompany depression. A common theme in several of the songs I chose is the idea of depression trapping the speaker withing their own mind. For example, in Stone Sour's "Through Glass," the speaker feels as though they are "sitting all alone inside [their] head." Depression is also commonly depicted as a battle between the speaker and their depression, with depression often being personified as an enemy that the speaker must defeat, as in Breaking Benjamin's "Dear Agony." In this song, depression is treated as a "faceless enemy" that the speaker must fight. Another common theme in the songs I chose is the idea that depression can completely take control of one's thoughts and emotions. For example, in The Amity Affliction's "Anchors," the speaker feels as though they will [forever be bound to the bottom of these seas," which conveys the idea that depression can often leave one feeling like there is no escape, and that they will forever be forced to live with the darkness that fills their mind. However, while many songs about depression focus on the feelings of hopelessness and sorrow that accompany mental illness, Beartooth's "In Between" focuses mainly on the need for those with depression to fight their demons and continue to keep on living. In the song, the speaker states that those with depression have to "run to higher ground while there's a chance to live," meaning that they should find ways to fight and get to a better mental state before their depression consumes them. Unlike many of the songs I chose, The Amity Affliction's "Pittsburgh" relies mainly on simile to express the emotions that accompany depression. In the song, the speaker states that their depression has left them feeling "like there's cancer in [their] blood...like there's water in [their] lungs." In this song, the speaker has reached their breaking point, and no longer feels as though they can fight their depression. After doing this assignment, I have learned that to those battling mental illness, it is not just a condition or disorder, but a battle that they must win in order to keep on living.

Theme Portfolio Entry #6

"Remember Everything"
By Five Finger Death Punch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djm3aqUc1-0

Oh, dear mother, I love you   Apostrophe

I'm sorry, I wasn't good enough
Dear father, forgive me   Apostrophe
'Cause in your eyes, I just never added up
In my heart I know I failed you, but you left me here alone

[Chorus]
If I could hold back the rain, would you numb the pain?    Metaphor    Symbolism
'Cause I remember everything.
If I could help you forget, would you take my regrets?   Metaphor
'Cause I remember everything.

Oh, dear brother, just don't hate me   Apostrophe
For never standing by you or being by your side
Dear sister, please don't blame me   Apostrophe
I only did what I thought was truly right
It's a long and lonely road, when you know you walk alone   Metaphor

[Chorus]
If I could hold back the rain, would you numb the pain?    Metaphor    Symbolism
'Cause I remember everything.
If I could help you forget, would you take my regrets?   Metaphor
'Cause I remember everything.

I feel like running away
I'm still so far from home   Metaphor
You say that I'll never change
But what the fuck do you know?
I'll burn it all to the ground before I let you in     Hyperbole/Metaphor
Please forgive me, I can't forgive you now.
I remember everything.

[Chorus]
If I could hold back the rain, would you numb the pain?    Metaphor    Symbolism
'Cause I remember everything.
If I could help you forget, would you take my regrets?   Metaphor
'Cause I remember everything.

It all went by so fast
I still can't change the past
I always will remember everything
If we could start again,
Would that have changed the end?
We remember everything, everything

In the song "Remember Everything'' by Five Finger Death Punch, apostrophe, symbolism, and metaphor are used to convey the speaker's pain and sadness while also creating a sort of musical suicide note. Throughout the song, the speaker directly addresses members of his family, apologizing for apparent wrongs that he has committed against them. In the speaker's eyes, he "wasn't good enough" for his family, and he feels as though he has let them down in some way. These direct apologies from the speaker to his family makes the song feel almost like a suicide note. As the song moves into the chorus, the speaker begins to rely on metaphor and symbolism to convey his pain to the listener. The speaker, presumably still speaking to his family, asks "if I could hold back the rain, would you numb the pain?" Through this metaphor, the speaker is asking if his family would help him recover from the emotional pain that he is experiencing if he can erase the pain that he has caused his family through his wrongdoings, which is symbolized by the rain. The speaker then asks if his family would "take [his] regrets," which is a metaphor for an apology. The speaker wishes to apologize for the wrongs he has committed against his family in hopes of regaining their support during this time of mental anguish. The metaphors and symbolism used in Five Finger Death Punch's "Remember Everything" convey the speaker's wishes to repent for wrongs that he has committed against his family in order to regain hier love and support during a time of mental struggle.