"Strawberry Wine" Analysis

Deana Carter is a seasoned country singer who has worked very hard to achieve her dreams. Deana began perusing a music career at the age of 17. She did not have much success, so she entered the University of Tennessee where she performed singing for pure enjoyment, rather than for a career. In 1994, her demo tape caught the attention of Willie Nelson, who asked Carter if she would like to join his Farm Aid VII concert. That year she signed a contract with Capitol Records. In 1995, Deana released her debut album, Did I Shave my Legs for This, “Strawberry Wine” was her debut country single and it reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks, while her album topped charts and sold millions. Deana Carter’s fun-loving personality and undying motivation to create music makes her truly a country music star.

“Strawberry Wine” is a song about growing up, moving on, and looking back on past memories. Carter uses local color throughout this song by talking about a farm, fields, and strawberry wine, which make us think of southern living. This song also holds universal relevance because it’s about young love and growing up. Personification is used in the lines, “The hot July moon saw everything” and “There’s nothing time hasn’t touched”. Strawberry wine is also used throughout the entire song to represent how to this girl, her summer love was sweet like strawberries while is lasted, but bitter like wine when the boy had to leave her. Deana uses irony and oxymoron in this song when putting together “Strawberry wine and seventeen” because seventeen year olds aren’t supposed to be drinking, but the statement does make sense due to the symbolism of strawberry wine. Along with all these literary devices, she uses figurative language a lot. “I was thirsting for knowledge” and “my first taste of love” are both examples of figurative language because they make sense, but they are not meant to be taken literally. Deana Carter used many literary devices in “Strawberry Wine”, which only made the song more lively and appealing, both mentally and acoustically.

In summary, Carter depicts a young summer romance that’s easy for any listener to understand and relate to. Through figurative language, the person listening to this song can visualize what she’s saying. The key poetic device that Deana uses in this song is definitely symbolism. Strawberry wine is the ultimate symbol because the meaning is both paradoxical and logical. Deana Carter’s message in this song is that we will always remember the things that meant the most to us and sometimes loss can teach us how to grow and move on in our lives.

"I'll Just Hold on" Analysis

Blake Shelton, a country singer who has had his share of successful hits, is obviously no stranger to heartbreak. Many of his songs revolve around the theme of heartbreak and lost love. Some of his most popular hits are, “She Wouldn’t be Gone” and “Austin”, both about either the loss of or longing for love; “I’ll Just Hold on” is no exception. Shelton acknowledges the fact that everyone goes through heartbreak at least once in a lifetime and the situations he sings about are easily relatable. We know how painful and hard it is to watch the one we love slip away, or even worse, know that we never had a chance in the first place. Shelton really hits home with his lyrics and is not afraid to pull on the heartstrings of his fans. Not only does Blake intrigue us with his lyrics, but he manages to incorporate relevant literary devices as well.
“I’ll Just Hold on” is about a man who is completely in love with a woman, who only wants a physical relationship with him. He talks about how he is falling for her and he cannot get enough of her, but it doesn’t matter because she’s not interested; she is simply playing a game. He knows that he’s probably not the only man in her life and he’s not significant, but every time he’s with her, he just falls deeper in. He shows this when he says, “But a night or two of loving you is better that never at all”. He is showing his vulnerability and need for this girl in his life, regardless of what the circumstances may be. Shelton uses imagery to draw the listener in and visualize the beautiful woman who he has fallen for. He says that her “green eyes and the sweet red wine” go to his head, and he gets drunk off of her being around him. Shelton also uses personification when he says, “As I watch the moonlight dancing on your skin”. He brilliantly adds in allusion when he refers to the scars she has left on his heart as those in the Oklahoma skies. Shelton even goes on the use hyperbole throughout most of the song. He says, “I get drunk on you”, “Tomorrow might be hell”, and the lines “If I had a scar for every scar you tattooed on my heart I could fill up the Oklahoma sky”. Obviously these lines are not to be taken literal; he just uses them to emphasize the severity of his need for this girl.
Throughout “I’ll Just Hold on”, Blake Shelton depicts a man struggling with falling for a girl who is hopeless. They have nothing more than a physical relationship; the woman is happy with this, while the man is secretly dying inside. Over the course of our lives, there will always be that one person who you simply cannot live without. For this man, it’s a woman who does not feel the same way. Shelton acknowledges the fact that the situation that this man is in is tough and heartbreaking, and he wants us to see this too. Blake has the ability to know what people will relate to and understand, thus, creating powerful, emotional music.

I can taste your kiss on my lips

And I’m wrapped around your finger tips

As I watch the moonlight dancing on your skin

Your green eyes and the sweet red wine

Go to my head girl every time

And I get drunk on you

I lose control and then

And here I go again

Chorus

I’m falling for you even though I know your only playing with my heart

Tomorrow might be hell

But a night or two of loving you is better than never at all

And I can’t help myself

So I’ll just hold on

I’ll just hold on

I’ll just hold on

Until your gone

Girl I know you’re a gypsy soul

And I’m just a stop along your road

And you hang around long enough to blow my mind

If I had a star for every scar

You tattooed on my heart

I could fill up the Oklahoma sky

So girl I don’t know why

Chorus

I’ll just hold on

I’ll just hold on

I’ll just hold on

Till your gone

I look down at my cell phone ringin'

I see your name and I know what that means

But I don’t care

I’ll just hold on

Till your gone

Every time you leave I take it hard

Seeing you go just breaks my heart

But don’t care

I’ll just hold on

Till your gone

Your green eyes and that sweet red wine

Go to my head girl every time

But I don’t care

I’ll just hold on

Till your gone

"Love Lives On" Analysis

Mallary Hope is an up and coming country singer who has a lot of potential and the key elements to make it in the world of country music. She has been singing since she was a little girl and she has always been very passionate about her career. At 17 her family uprooted and moved to the Music City to pursue her dream. At 21, Hope signed with MCA Records, and her debut single "Love Lives On" was released in 2009. Mallary has climbed from being a small town girl with big dreams to a sensational singer, songwriter. She developed the lyrics to "Love Lives On" from a conversation that she had with her sister, who's husband is in the Army and was deployed to Iraq in 2009. At the rate she's at, Hope's career should sky-rocket. The deep emotion and feelings that she evokes in her songs are real and can potentially touch a lot of people who can relate to what she's singing about. Not to mention, Mallary adds numerous poetic devices in her music which only makes the song even better.

In "Love Lives On", Hope depicts the struggle and heartbreak of losing a loved one and the constant battle to cope. She uses a woman who loses her husband to show the pain and suffering loss can have on someone and the raw emotion that it evokes. On the other hand, she uses their daughter to cope and learn to move on, but never forget. Right off the bat, Mallary uses alliteration in the title; "Love Lives On". Hope actually uses a lot of alliteration in this song; whether intentional or unintentional. For example, "Cry like crazy", "Same story", "Thankful for the time". She uses first person point of view to evoke deep emotion, which makes it easy for the people listening to the song to put themselves in the woman's shoes. Hope also uses imagery and symbolism. In the first couple lines of the song, you can actually picture a woman waking up and reaching for her loved one on the other side of the bed and the expression on their face when they come to realization that no one's there. It is also easy and heartbreaking to picture a woman sitting at a table all alone in the morning pouring two cups of coffee, talking to an imaginary person who she thinks is or should be there. This imagery makes us feel for the woman and it's easy for us to feel her pain and sorrow. At the end of the song, Hope uses the little girl (their daughter) as a symbol of their love and the beautiful man that she once knew. She sees her lost love in her daughter, which to her makes his presence last. Mallary Hope's use of poetic devices in her song help us feel the pain and hurt of the woman, which makes the song effective and significant to many.

In conclusion, Hope uses her knowledge of music and songwriting in creating this song which depicts the raw pain and hurt of losing someone very dear to you. By using poetic devices such as point of view and imagery, the listeners can envision what the woman is going through and how it can sometimes feel virtually impossible to cope with the immense lose. In life, we come across problems and struggles that we have to learn to overcome and rise above. In "Love Lives On", Hope shows us that even when you feel like it's impossible to get through and prevail, there is always something that brings us to realization that life will go on and there is no use in constantly dwelling over the past and things that we just cannot change.

"Love Lives On"- Mallary Hope

i reached for you this morning
woke up with empty arms
once again it's sinking in
how far away you are
i still pour two cups of coffee
and tell you all about my dreams
this kitchen's way to quiet
you should still be here with me

and even though i cry like crazy
even though it hurts so bad
i'm thankful for the time god gave me
even though we couldn't make it last
i'm learning how to live without you
even though i don't want to
and even with you gone love lives on

i still call your mom on sunday
it's good to hear her voice
she always tells me that same story
about her stubborn little boy
and i kept your favorite tshirt
you know the one i used to hate
ain't it funny how it's the one thing i
i just can't throw away

and even though i cry like crazy
even though it hurts so bad
i'm thankful for the time god gave me
even though we couldn't make it last
i'm learning how to live without you
even though i don't want to
and even with you gone love lives on

she comes with me on your birthday
little flowers in her hands
she's always known there's something missing
but to young to understandand someday she's going to ask me
what kind of man you were
i'll tell her all the ways i loved you
and all of you i see in her

and even though i cry like crazy
even though it hurts so bad
i'm thankful for the love god gave me
and she's the perfect way to make it last
learning how to live without you
baby i don't want you to
but even with you gone
love lives on yeah

i reached for you this morning
woke up with empty arms

McCartney's Song-Writing

McCartney was famous for his writing of exceptional pop melodies. His strong melodic ideas give the tunes in his songs character. Paul's writing is very cheerful, light, and lively creating a playful tone to most of his songs. The main reason why the beatles broke was due to the difference of style in the songwriting. Lennon was dark ad melodramatic whereas McCartney is jovial and optomistic. The sounds and difference of the voices exemplify the opposite tone and theme that they envision for their songs. McCartney uses romanticism in his music and writes happy, joyful songs. He uses the theme of "playful pop" in his lyrics to help the listeners envision a bright, happy world and even when there is struggle, it's always possible to be strong and rise above. McCartney, along with Lennon, helped give the youth a voice and single-handedly changed the face of rock and roll. McCartney contributed to the 8th James Bond movie by writing the song "Live and Let Live", which became the title and theme of the movie. As McCartney's singing and songwriting flourished, he started making duets with other major music legends such as Micheal Jackson and Stevie Wonder. McCartney's influence on the music world has greatly grown since his days with The Beatles and he only continues to get better as the epotimy of an epic singer/songwriter.

"London Town"- Paul McCartney and Wings

Walking down the sidewalk on a purple afternoon
I was accosted by a barker playing a simple tune
Upon his flute - toot toot toot toot

Silver rain was falling down
Upon the dirty ground of London Town

People pass me by on my imaginary street
Ordinary people it's impossible to meet
Holding conversations that are always incomplete
Well, I don't know
Oh, where are there places to go
Someone somewhere has to know
I don't know

Out of work again the actor entertains his wife
With the same old stories of his ordinary life
Maybe he exaggerates the trouble and the strife
Well, I don't know
Oh, where are there places to go
Someone somewhere has to know

Crawling down the pavement on a Sunday afternoon
I was arrested by a rozzer wearing a pink balloon
About his foot - toot toot toot toot

Silver rain was falling down
Upon the dirty ground of London Town

Someone somewhere has to know
Silver rain was falling down
Upon the dirty ground of London Town

"London Town" analysis

Paul McCartney is a skillful, experienced singer/ songwriter who is no stranger to using complex poetic devices and developing strong lyrics. In McCartney's "London Town", he uses numerous poetic devices to exemplify the meaning of the song. He mainly uses imagery and humor to show the reality of the life we live today and how sometimes it just seems like a blur. McCartney skillfuly uses multiple person narrative mode in his song which makes it feel as if a story is being told. Paul carefully uses numerous poetic devices throughout "London Town", making us really think and try to understand the sond as a whole.



In "London Town" McCartney uses imagery a lot to help the people actually see what he is singing. Paul sings about "silver rain" and a "purple afternoon" so we can visualize what he is saying. When rain falls, it is slick, wet, cold, and clear, this is why McCartney refers to it as silver because when we think of the color silver slick and cold are naturally some words that come to mind. When he speaks of a "purple afternoon" we visualize a deep purple sunset over the horizon bursting with color. McCartney uses few words to describe, but we easily envision so much more due to the strength of his word choice. Paul uses humor in the song by poking fun of the "ordinary people" and their lives. He talks about the actor trying to entertain his wife about his boring life. This line is an example of irony because actors are supposed to be exciting and interesting, but this actor is boring and has to try to exaggerate his struggles (why would you want struggles?). He also says that he was "arrested by a rozzer wearing a pink balloon about his foot"; how does that make any sense? It doesn't, it's supposed to be comedic. Not only does he poke fun at specific people, byt he also calls everyone ordinary and implies that no one can hold a complete conversation. McCartney also uses alliteration is his song. He says "Someone Somewhere has to know" and "With the same old stories of his ordinary life". Paul even throws a sophisticated rhyme scheme into the song. The last word in every line in each verse rhymes. For example "afternoon" and "tune", "down" and "town", "street", "meet" and "incomplete", "wife", "life" and "strife". Basically the whole song is a motif of all the "ordinary" people of London (local color).



In conclusion, this whole song is pretty much loaded with poetic devices. McCartney uses sophiscated rhyme scheme and satire to overexaggerate the predictible lives of people and their ordinary lives. I think when he is saying "Well, I don't know oh, where are there places to go someone somewhere has to know" he means that he doesn't know much out of London and how different people in different places act. Even though there is obviously a lot of meaning behind the song, McCartney lightens it through imagery some humor.