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Meaning of "Landslide" by Stevie Nicks

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Blog author: Shane Lambert (Stevie Nicks; Creative Commons by Matt Becker) "Landslide," as performed by Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac, isn't the easiest song to figure out. However, as a starting point, I wanted to figure out what the title referred to: what is a landslide a metaphor for? To figure that out we can start with the literal: a landslide is a geological event where high-ground Earth tumbles down a cliff or slope. It's an event that is sudden: the Earth can be stable in one second and then a split second later it comes crashing downward. This sudden, surprising, and clear change is what I'll focus on in making my point about the Fleetwood Mac song. A clear theme in "Landslide" is aging. How a landslide, as a metaphor relates to aging is something that I think anyone, let's say, 35 years or older will relate to. If you've ever looked in the mirror and had a terrible moment where you felt like you looked older than you did the la

Meaning of "Lola" by The Kinks

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Blog author: Shane Lambert The song "Lola" is from the point of view of a young man whose first sexual experience is with someone who he discovers to be a cross-dresser; the song may be depicting a rape or sexual assault. Furthermore, there is depth to the song if the young man's enduring fondness for the person that assaulted him can be viewed as the psychological impact of the traumatic experience. This is despite the song perhaps being viewed as comedic. Both the youth of the man and his sexual inexperience are ascertainable in Lines 31 and 32 below:  "Well I left home just a week before, And I've never ever kissed a woman before" Lola is introduced as a woman in the first line with the pronoun "her." That Lola is a man and not a woman is both clear and opaque, depending on which line you look at. Some clear references to Lola being a man are in lines 28 and 10-11. Line 28 states that "Girls will be boys, and boys

Meaning of "Lightning Crashes" by Live

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Blog author: Shane Lambert This isn't a difficult song, especially if you watch the music video. The setting is clearly a hospital and the circle of life is described. However, I'm going to argue that the song is deep in theism and religion with references to reincarnation . Taking a look at the first stanza: Lightning crashes and a new mother cries Her placenta falls to the floor The angel opens her eyes The confusion sets in Before the doctor can even close the door In this stanza, childbirth and its pains are described. Metaphors used in the stanza include "angel" for the newborn child and a feeling of "confusion" as life itself. Lightning crashes and an old mother dies Her intentions fall to the floor The angel closes her eyes The confusion that was hers Belongs now to the baby down the hall The paralleling lyrics between the first stanza and the second one are clear enough, but they describe contrasting situations. In the f

Meaning of "Drift Away" by Dobie Gray

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(Photo info. at the bottom) "Drift Away" as performed by Dobie Gray and written by Mentor R. Williams: lyrics explained There are parts of this song that I feel as though I don't have a thorough understanding of; however, in my view, it appears to be from the point of view of an elderly man with dementia setting in, one who has had a life involved in music. The lyrics "drift away" refer to dying. In short, the man realizes that he is losing his life and, if we take references to music to be literal, then he would prefer to exit this world while enjoying his favorite songs or music. This song has to do with dying on your own terms. First stanza's meaning: "Day after day I'm more confused So I look for the light in the pouring rain You know that's a game that I hate to lose I'm feelin' the strain, ain't it a shame:" The first line references the advancement of dementia. Taken literally, the second line refers t