Without music, life would B-flat!

Stronger

“Pain makes you stronger, fear makes you braver, heartbreak makes you wiser.”

Breaking up, the least idealistic conclusion of love which people fear, is hardly avoidable in one’s life. (Despite those who have never been in a relationship) Usually, it is a heartbreaking process of recovering, yet this phase in life motivates us to move on and grow from the failure. In Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger, she expresses her feelings of not falling apart after the ended relationship.

In the lyrics, she says that the man “[thinks] [he] left [her] broken down.” However, the outcome is completely the other way around. Instead of drowning herself in sorrow, she actually feels more satisfied and comfortable without being bond up with someone else. “[The] beds feel warmer” when she’s alone, and she doesn’t have to adjust her schedule or give up on her own interest for the other.

Also, her intention is to show that the desperate feeling of breaking up doesn’t always affect us in negative ways. It may stimulate us to leave our memories behind and carry on as a better person. Tolerating a lover who imposes pressure instead of love on us is meaningless. Therefore, she feels thankful for their breakup because she is “finally thinking ’bout [herself].”

Love can be a blessing that spices up our lives, but when we don’t like ourselves with the wrong person, it may be a hint that we should let go. Overall, rather than being with someone who brings us benign influence, being alone is a much favorable choice. Breaking up may cause bitter emotions; however, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

Rewrite the Stars

“There is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn.”
― Albert Camus

When life oppresses you and imposes doubts on you, would you try to twist the situation or just settle with the present condition, unwilling to make changes? In The Greatest Showman, the two lovers’ way to love is obstructed with several hardships. On one hand, one of them attempts to challenge their “fate,” while the other feels pessimistic about their future.

“It’s up to you, and it’s up to me. No one can say what we get to be.” The man feels unsatisfied with their situation and wants to reverse the outcome. He believes that as long as they try, there will be a way to defeat fate, a way to keep the lovers together. In his lines, he continuously expresses his faith in the possibility of changing their destiny.

On the other hand, the woman doubts the chances of making a difference. She thinks it is hopeless to fight against their doomed future, which in reality matches the final conclusion. “But I can’t have you. We’re bound to break and my hands are tied.” Although her love towards the man is apparent, her negative tone still indicates the ending of their romance.

In true life, there definitely are times when reality challenges our relationships, both love and friendship. However, they can be overcome just as the man believes. What really matters is to have faith in each other and be on each other’s side to face the problem together. “So why don’t we rewrite the stars? Maybe the world could be ours tonight.”

Photograph

“In true love the smallest distance is too great and the greatest distance can be bridged.”
― Hans Nouwens

How heartbreaking it is when we miss someone we love, but we can’t see them in person. In this song of Ed Sheeran’s, he expresses the struggle of long-distance relationships. By looking at their photograph and remembering the lovely moments they spent together, it alleviates the pain of missing the other.

Ideally, it is always sweet and romantic in relationships. However, there still are times when the lovers are separated and can’t meet each other. “Loving can hurt. Loving can hurt sometimes.” Yet in the song, Ed Sheeran preserves the love and memories in the photograph. During those dark moments apart, the photograph heals the lonely heart by recalling all the time they went through side by side.

“Holding me closer ‘til our eyes meet. You won’t ever be alone.” The photograph is also a temporary replacement for the one far away. Even when they’re apart, their eyes still meet, showing that they’re connected spiritually, missing each other. With the accompany of the photograph, it feels like the person has never left.

The physical distance between the two seems to be unendurable for many couples. However, what really matters is the distance between the two hearts. As long as there is love, the period of not being together is just a phase in the relationship. With patience and faith in each other, this stage is nothing but a factor that solidifies the love when it has passed.

Sorry Not Sorry

“No matter how good you are, someone is always going to be against you. But never let them be the limit of your success.”
― Terry Mark

“You know what? I’m good now. And sorry I’m not sorry that you may not be loving where your life is at the moment.” This is a song shouting out to the haters in Demi Lovato’s life, although it may look like a song for her ex at first glance. According to Song Meanings and Facts, she had ascertained in an interview with Amazon Music that the song is about not being apologetic to “the haters.”

As a celebrity, she must have suffered from criticism every now and then. The greatest way to deal with haters is to improve oneself incessantly and to ignore those irrational harsh comments. Moreover, it is crucial to admire one’s own value and not to be defeated by the cruelty.

“Sorry not sorry is a sarcastic way of acknowledging that someone might not like whatever you’re saying or doing … but you don’t really care.” There indeed will be antagonists in life, opposing what we have done or what we plan to do. However, it is our own lives. It is us who own the authority to navigate our direction, to decide what to believe and pursue.

After all, there will be doubts, and there will be contradictions. Yet as long as we have faith in ourselves, there will be no obstacles on the way to our destination. No matter what others think, we’re sticking to our goals and there will not be any hesitation. Haters are going to hate, but sorry, I’m not sorry.

Woman Like Me

“A gender-equal society would be one where the word ‘gender’ does not exist: where everyone can be themselves.”
― Gloria Steinem

Women, a major part of the society, have been discriminated throughout the past. In conventional values, people look down on women. They have lower social classes, are treated unequally, and are considered less important. Physically, women are usually weaker than man due to the inherent difference between the two genders. However, despite the physical conditions, women are not inferior to men. The value and significance of an individual shouldn’t be defined by gender.

Little-Mix, the British girl-band, states that the song is about “celebrating incredible women of all kinds.” It is sung in a woman’s aspect, who speaks for herself and expresses her feelings. Starting from the detailed habits in her life, she reveals her likes without trying to conceal her thoughts like traditional women. As the song goes on, it provides more information about the woman. Like all the people on the world, she has her mistakes and regrets. However, it doesn’t matter. She is who she is and who she wants to become.

According to Songexplained, the central idea of this song is, “A woman might have flaws and weaknesses, but being her own person comes first – even if it means that some types of men won’t stay around for very long.” She did make mistakes and break people’s hearts, yet she won’t be beaten down or lose her confidence.

Being a woman doesn’t devalue one’s strength or ability, and the genetic disparity shouldn’t contribute to unfairness upon women. Yet in 2019, even to a smaller extent, women are still despised by men whether they have proven that gender has nothing to do with one’s achievement and endeavor.

I Don’t Care

“Love one another and help others to rise to the higher levels, simply by pouring out love. Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy.”
― Sai Baba

No one is flawless. Everyone has his or her fears that others may have never experienced. However, there may be someone in our lives, who’s existence is the reliever to our negative feelings and who accepts every side of us even if they’re not perfect. In Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber’s collaboration, I don’t care, the narrator suffers from social anxiety. But being with his lover, he could tolerate the uncomfortableness that the crowd imposes on him.

For introverts, those who are more to themselves, trying to fit in a crowd not only is awkward but also makes them anxious. The lyrics, “Don’t think I fit in at this party,” indicates the isolation the narrator feels when being in a group of people. In the first verse, he was doubting, “Who wants to fit in anyway?” When shifting into the second verse, it is obvious that the narrator had a different aspect. He now thinks that they should stay.

What has caused the transition in his mind? It’s his lover and partner that has given him the power and stood by his side to face his anxiety. Some people may argue that the song is misleading the listener that love is the cure to everything. In my opinion, love isn’t the solution to every problem. Yet it is definitely something that supports and bolsters people to conquer their fears. Our beloved ones don’t deal with the difficulties for us. Instead, they accompany us and strengthen our hearts.

Love may not be the antidote to every situation, and we shouldn’t be seeking our own value from our lovers. However, when struggling for something, it usually makes us stronger when there is someone with us that gives us confidence and the courage to confront everything awaiting.

Let Her Go

“Cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey.”
― Jack Layton

“Only know you love her when you let her go…” There’s a dilemma about love saying, “If you love someone, let them go. If they come back, they’re yours. If they don’t, then they never were.” But in reality, things seldom work out like this. Instead, one leaves thinking that the other would ask them to stay, and the other thinks that they won’t actually leave. In the end, they pass by each other, missing the future they could’ve created.

The song is about not only love but also life. We only know to cherish what we have until we finally lose them. “Well you only need the light when it’s burning low, only miss the sun when it starts to snow…” There are things in life that we take for granted and don’t notice their importance. One day, when they are completely stripped away from us, we realize how significant they are to us.

Life is a journey where there is no way back. We can’t change what we’ve experienced, yet there will be a chance to learn from the mistakes and apply what we’ve gained on the next person that deserves to be appreciated. On the ride of life, one might get off the train and never come back, but there will be others that catch on.

It is a lesson for everyone to admire who we have. If unfortunately, we lose one of them, we’ve got to remember that there’s always someone behind us and that person is to be treasured though we may be in deep grief of loss.

Titanium

“Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember, the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you.”
― Zig Ziglar

Bullying is considered as a serious issue in our society. Schools emphasize the importance of a friendly campus, yet there is always unrevealed darkness under the illusion of the peaceful environment. While the surface of the ocean seems serene and calm, deep under the sea, where sunlight can’t reach, violence is actually organizing a manipulated plan to sink every boat that sails by.

Titanium, a corrosion-resistant metal, symbolizes strength and power throughout the song. It is encouraging those being bullied to be unbeatable. When facing criticism or hateful comments, be “bulletproof” and those spikes of hostile words will never break in or harm them. “You shoot me down but I won’t fall, I am titanium.” This line is repeated over and over, indicating that they will not be defeated, no matter what people say.

In this digital era, technology has advanced, and some people are used to being mean to others without being responsible for their cruel words on the internet. They rationalize their acts by saying they’re just giving advice, when they are actually hurting others. No one deserves to accept harsh comments from others. Constructive suggestions may be useful, but if they are merely criticism, there is no need to pay attention to them.

The song implies the situation of being bullied by abusive comments and criticism. It empowers those who are bullied to be strong hearted and not be losing faith in themselves because of the unkindness. The acts of bullying should be condemned, but at the same time, we should not be vanquished by those meaningless judgments.

Speechless

“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.”
― Madeleine K. Albright

In Aladdin, princess Jasmine, portrayed by Naomi Scott, sang the song “Speechless” when her kingdom was overtaken by Jafar and she was going to be imprisoned. She sang this song to express that under any circumstances, she wouldn’t keep quiet and bear with the situation. Despite what she was facing, she was determined in her voice to speak up and to change how the world treated her.

Not only is the song indicating the movie, but also is it implying the oppression of women in the society. After all the revolutions and enlightenment, technology and values were renewed. However, women were still despised by men. Until now, the society still hasn’t provided equality that women deserve.

In this song, Naomi stood up to show her insistence and how indomitable she was. In addition, it encourages people who are under abuse or discrimination to speak for themselves instead of tolerating. “Cuz I’ll breathe when they try to suffocate me. Don’t you underestimate me cuz I know that I won’t go speechless.” Even being suppressed, her mind was still solidified that she must let the world hear her voice.

With Naomi’s powerful voice and the marvelous melody, this song became a knockout as soon as it was released. While hidden in the lyrics, the purpose of this song would surely create ripples in the lake of society that seems calm and peaceful but not at all.

So Am I

“No matter what your differences are, you have to embrace them and be proud of the way you are.”
― Jazz Jennings

Imagine a world where everyone is exactly identical, from their appearances to their abilities and personalities. How monotonous would it be without any differences? However, there may be some time in our lives, when we’re expected to be like someone we’re not. Well, undoubtedly, we can learn from others. Yet there is no need to be ashamed if we’re not who others want us to be. Instead, we should be confident and embrace who we really are. Just as the song said, “It’s okay to be different cuz baby so am I.”

Ava Max, the singer and one of the songwriters, once shared the concept of this song in an interview. She said the song is about loving ourselves, being different, being an outcast, and not fitting in the format that society wants to put us in－just celebrating what really makes us different.

The most inspiring part in the interview was that she said, “Whenever I’m feeling down, I remind myself that my flaws make me perfect, because in reality, there is no perfect.” Some people set “becoming perfect” as their target, but they never notice that perfect itself doesn’t exist. It is the faults and mistakes we have that build up our character and create who we are.

“You don’t have to fit into the format.” Being segregated because of not fitting in the majority of people seems to be lonely. But in this song, Ava’s intention is to tell us that we’re all differentiated in various ways. What’s more important is to cherish ourselves and value our distinctions.