This song overall reflects Holden's view on life throughout the novel, before he has finally matured.
Let's dance in style, lets dance for a while
Heaven can wait we're only watching the skies
Hoping for the best but expecting the worst
Are you going to drop the bomb or not?
Let us die young or let us live forever
We don't have the power but we never say never
Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip
The music's for the sad men
Can you imagine when this race is won
Turn our golden faces into the sun
Praising our leaders we're getting in tune
The music's played by the madman
Forever young, i want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, forever forever
Forever young, i want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever
Forever young Some are like water, some are like the heat
Some are a melody and some are the beat
Sooner or later they all will be gone
Why don't they stay young
It's so hard to get old without a cause
I don't want to perish like a fading horse
Youth is like diamonds in the sun
And diamonds are forever
So many adventures couldn't happen today
So many songs we forgot to play
So many dreams are swinging out of the blue
We let them come true
Forever young, i want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, forever forever
Forever young, i want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever forever forever
Forever young, i want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, forever forever
Forever young, i want to be forever.
When it says, "Let's dance in style, lets dance for a while" it correlates to Holden's constant desire to dance with someone who is a great dancer. It can also be connected to the scene where Holden is dancing in the bar with the three girls. "Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip" represents how by the end of the novel, Holden sees life as "a short trip" meaning that you are only an innocent little child for so long, and you eventually grow up to be a phony.When it says, "Forever young, I want to be forever young" this correlates to Holden's, along with many other teens, fear of growing up and desire to stay young forever. This also connects to how Holden feels that every child should be forever young, and should never have to lose their innocence and become an adult. He doesn't want other children going through the confusion and loneliness that he has gone through, hence wanting to be the catcher in the rye.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
9. Ghost- Kid Cudi
This song exemplifies Holden's feelings throughout the book.
Yeah, whoa whoa
Yeah, whoa whoa
Haha
Yeah
My name is Scott Mescudi
Mmmmmmmmmmmm
Yeah
Gotta get it through my thick head
I was so close to bein' dead, yeah
Life, live it, nobody sell tips
Man, I'm just walkin' without bein' led
See the world is so crazy and filled with such risk
I just know I gotta dodge them
The beginnings are followed by an end
In the in-between time I'm not runnin' or hidin' in
See, things
Do
Come
Around
And make sense eventually
Things
Do
Come
Around
But some things trouble me
The people I met and the places I've been
All will make me the man I so proudly am
But I wanna know one thing
When did I become a ghost?
I'm mostly confused about the world I live in
They think that I'm lonely, well I probably am
One thing that still gets me
When did I become a ghost? Yeah
Na-na-na na-na-na-na whoa whoa whoa haha yeah
Yeah yeah whoa-whoa Yo
Tried to fight it
And soon I gave in
Down a road with no lights on
Can't describe it, and you don't move like them
You've become their worst nightmare
You remember the things that your parents have said
You'd rather find out the hard way
You should tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend
I keep with my stroll, I'm not runnin' or hidin' in
See things
Do
Come
Around
And make sense eventually
Things
Do
Come
Around
And some things still trouble me
The people I met and the places I've been
All will make me the man I so proudly am
But I wanna know one thing
When did I become a ghost?
I'm mostly confused about the world I live in
They think that I'm lonely, well I probably am
One thing that still gets me
When did I become a ghost? Yeah
Na-na-na na-na-na-na whoa whoa whoa haha yeah
Yeah yeah whoa-whoa Yo
Mmm-oohh
I hope they understand that I really understand that they don't understand
I hope they understand that I really understand that they don't understand
I really understand that they
I really think I um...
I hope they understand that I really understand that they don't understand... woah
Listen to me
Whoa-oa-oa
Listen to me
Whoa-oa-oa
In the second stanza he says, "Life, live it, nobody sell tips, Man, I'm just walkin' without bein' led." This is exactly what Holden felt; he was living life by himself, under complete alienation. He was looking for help, advice, or just somebody to connect with, but he just found that it was too difficult. Then when it says, "I just know I gotta dodge them" it can be tied to how Holden thinks that he just has to keep away from the adult world and that everything will just be alright, which he soon finds out to be wrong. Then the song says, "See, things Do Come Around And make sense eventually, Things Do Come Around, But some things trouble me." This represents what Holden feels towards the end of the book; he finally understands that he cannot stop children from maturing, and although he may understand this, it still troubles him to know this. Later when it says, "I'm mostly confused about the world I live in, They think that I'm lonely, well I probably am," it describes what Holden experiences throughout most of the novel. He is lonely and confused on the bridge between the children world and adult world, and is just trying to make sense of things. Then a few lines later it says, "Tried to fight it And soon I gave in, Down a road with no lights on." The first part illustrates how Holden really wanted to be the catcher in the rye and he wanted to fight mother nature and prevent all the children from falling off the cliff into adulthood, but the second line shows that there was no hope for his dream of being the catcher in the rye.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baeaH9eE5XM
8. Use Somebody- Kings of Leon
Both the person in this song and Holden basically struggle because of their loneliness. Holden struggles to find a companion which really destroys him.
I've been roaming around always lookin down at all I see.
Painted faces fill the places I can't reach.
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you
And all you know and how you speak
Countless lovers undercover of the street
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you
Off in the night while you live it up I'm off to sleep
Waging wars to shake the poet and the beat
I hope it's gonna make you notice
I hope it's gonna make you notice
Someone like me
Someone like me
Someone like me
Somebody
(Oh, let it out)
Someone like you
Somebody
Someone like you
Somebody
Someone like you
Somebody
I've been roaming around always lookin down at all I see.
I've been roaming around always lookin down at all I see.
Painted faces fill the places I can't reach.
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you
And all you know and how you speak
Countless lovers undercover of the street
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you
Off in the night while you live it up I'm off to sleep
Waging wars to shake the poet and the beat
I hope it's gonna make you notice
I hope it's gonna make you notice
Someone like me
Someone like me
Someone like me
Somebody
(Oh, let it out)
Someone like you
Somebody
Someone like you
Somebody
Someone like you
Somebody
I've been roaming around always lookin down at all I see.
Although
this song may be about a lover looking for another, let's look at it at a more
basic level. This song tells the story of a guy who is looking for someone to connect with. He needs a companion. "I've been roaming around always lookin down at all I see, Painted faces fill the places I can't reach" can be connected to show how Holden is roaming around in the city, simply looking for someone who will accept him for what he is. We see his desire to connect from the fact that he calls people randomly, talks with prostitutes, and tries to converse with three older women. But then all he sees are phonies or "painted faces." This ultimately leads him to become dejected and depressed. The overall mood of this song is loneliness, which is similar to the mood that we see in The Catcher in the Rye. Also when it says, "You know that I could use somebody, Someone like you" it can be connected to something Holden might say towards the end of the book. He might be saying how he needs someone like Phoebe, or someone there to support him through his struggles.
7. I'm Just A Kid- Simple Plan
This song represents the challenges that Holden goes through in the novel. He is alienated, lonely, and he feels like everything is just falling apart.
I woke up it was 7
I waited till 11
To figure out that no one would call
I think I've got a lot of friends
But I don't hear from them
What's another night all alone
When you're spending every day on your own
And here it goes
I'm just a kid
And life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid
I know that it's not fair
Nobody cares cause I'm alone and the world is having more fun than me tonight
And maybe when the night is dead
I'll crawl into my bed staring at these 4 walls again
I'll try to think about the last time I had a good time
Everyone's got somewhere to go & they're gonna leave me here on my own
And here it goes
I'm just a kid
And life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid
I know that it's not fair
Nobody cares cause I'm alone and the world is having more fun than me
What the hell is wrong with me
Don't fit in with anybody
How did this happen to me?
Wide awake I'm bored & I can't fall asleep
And every night is the worst night ever
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
And life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid
I know that it's not fair
Nobody cares cause I'm alone and the world is
Nobody wants to be alone in the world
I'm just a kid
And life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid
I know that it's not fair
Nobody cares cause I'm alone and the world is
Nobody wants to be alone in the world
Nobody cares cause I'm alone and the world is having more fun than me tonight
I'm all alone tonight
Nobody cares tonight
Cause I'm just a kid tonight
In the second stanza, it says, "I'm just a kid, And life is a nightmare, I'm just a kid, I know that it's not fair." When it says life is a nightmare, it explaining the world in Holden's eyes. Everything around him seems phony, confusing, and it just seems like his life is falling apart. Holden experiences many of the difficulties of being a kid and growing up basically alone in the city throughout the book. More than once he is desperate to talk to someone but is not able to think of somebody to call. When he arrives at Penn Station, he says, "I felt like giving somebody a buzz...but as soon as I was inside, I couldn't think of anybody to call up...so I ended up not calling anybody (p.59)." Simple Plan's I'm Just a Kid echoes Holden's feeling of rejection and loneliness of not having anyone to talk to, hence "waited till 11, Just to figure out that no one would call, I think I got a lot of friends but I don't hear from them, What's another night all alone, When your spending everyday on your own..." Holden is overcome by isolation and depression because he cannot fit in anywhere, with anybody, which connects to, "What the hell is wrong with me, Don't fit in with anybody, How did this happen to me?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdFX7fgKG4M
I woke up it was 7
I waited till 11
To figure out that no one would call
I think I've got a lot of friends
But I don't hear from them
What's another night all alone
When you're spending every day on your own
And here it goes
I'm just a kid
And life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid
I know that it's not fair
Nobody cares cause I'm alone and the world is having more fun than me tonight
And maybe when the night is dead
I'll crawl into my bed staring at these 4 walls again
I'll try to think about the last time I had a good time
Everyone's got somewhere to go & they're gonna leave me here on my own
And here it goes
I'm just a kid
And life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid
I know that it's not fair
Nobody cares cause I'm alone and the world is having more fun than me
What the hell is wrong with me
Don't fit in with anybody
How did this happen to me?
Wide awake I'm bored & I can't fall asleep
And every night is the worst night ever
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
And life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid
I know that it's not fair
Nobody cares cause I'm alone and the world is
Nobody wants to be alone in the world
I'm just a kid
And life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid
I know that it's not fair
Nobody cares cause I'm alone and the world is
Nobody wants to be alone in the world
Nobody cares cause I'm alone and the world is having more fun than me tonight
I'm all alone tonight
Nobody cares tonight
Cause I'm just a kid tonight
In the second stanza, it says, "I'm just a kid, And life is a nightmare, I'm just a kid, I know that it's not fair." When it says life is a nightmare, it explaining the world in Holden's eyes. Everything around him seems phony, confusing, and it just seems like his life is falling apart. Holden experiences many of the difficulties of being a kid and growing up basically alone in the city throughout the book. More than once he is desperate to talk to someone but is not able to think of somebody to call. When he arrives at Penn Station, he says, "I felt like giving somebody a buzz...but as soon as I was inside, I couldn't think of anybody to call up...so I ended up not calling anybody (p.59)." Simple Plan's I'm Just a Kid echoes Holden's feeling of rejection and loneliness of not having anyone to talk to, hence "waited till 11, Just to figure out that no one would call, I think I got a lot of friends but I don't hear from them, What's another night all alone, When your spending everyday on your own..." Holden is overcome by isolation and depression because he cannot fit in anywhere, with anybody, which connects to, "What the hell is wrong with me, Don't fit in with anybody, How did this happen to me?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdFX7fgKG4M
6. The Pretender- Foo Fighters
This song mainly displays Holden's view on everyone else around him, mostly the adults. It describes, in Holden's case, how all the adults are phonies, and how he attempts to resist being one of them.
Keep you in the dark
You know they all pretend
Keep you in the dark
And so it all began
Send in your skeletons
Sing as their bones come marching in... again
They need you buried deep
The secrets that you keep are at the ready
Are you ready?
I'm finished making sense
Done pleading ignorance
That whole... defense
Spinning infinity, boy
The wheel is spinning me
It's never-ending, never-ending
Same old story
What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?
What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say that I'll never surrender?
In time or so I'm told
I'm just another soul for sale... oh, well
The page is out of print
We are not permanent
We're temporary, temporary
Same old story
What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say that I'll never surrender?
What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?
I'm the voice inside your head
You refuse to hear
I'm the face that you have to face
Mirrored in your stare
I'm what's left, I'm what's right
I'm the enemy
I'm the hand that will take you down
Bring you to your knees
So who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Keep you in the dark
You know they all pretend
What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say that I'll never surrender?
What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say that I'll never surrender?
What if I say I'm not like the others?
(Keep you in the dark)
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
(You know they all... pretend)
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?
What if I say I'm not like the others?
(Keep you in the dark)
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
(You know they all... pretend)
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?
So who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Holden throughout the novel faces many challenges, which come from the fact that he separates himself from the rest of the world, or more importantly, the children from the rest of the world. "What if I say I'm not like the others" expresses how Holden feels that he, and the children, are different from the rest of the world, from the fact that they still have their innocence, unlike every other phony. When it says, "You're the pretender" it can be seen that Holden is stereotyping the adult world as phony, and "What if I say I will never surrender?" connects to Holden in the midst of the novel who thinks that it is his duty to be the catcher in the rye and to save all the children from the adult world. Then finally, Holden's desire to save the children brings him to his ultimate low point, which connects to "I'm the hand that will take you down, Bring you to your knees."
Keep you in the dark
You know they all pretend
Keep you in the dark
And so it all began
Send in your skeletons
Sing as their bones come marching in... again
They need you buried deep
The secrets that you keep are at the ready
Are you ready?
I'm finished making sense
Done pleading ignorance
That whole... defense
Spinning infinity, boy
The wheel is spinning me
It's never-ending, never-ending
Same old story
What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?
What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say that I'll never surrender?
In time or so I'm told
I'm just another soul for sale... oh, well
The page is out of print
We are not permanent
We're temporary, temporary
Same old story
What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say that I'll never surrender?
What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?
I'm the voice inside your head
You refuse to hear
I'm the face that you have to face
Mirrored in your stare
I'm what's left, I'm what's right
I'm the enemy
I'm the hand that will take you down
Bring you to your knees
So who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Keep you in the dark
You know they all pretend
What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say that I'll never surrender?
What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say that I'll never surrender?
What if I say I'm not like the others?
(Keep you in the dark)
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
(You know they all... pretend)
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?
What if I say I'm not like the others?
(Keep you in the dark)
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
(You know they all... pretend)
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?
So who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Holden throughout the novel faces many challenges, which come from the fact that he separates himself from the rest of the world, or more importantly, the children from the rest of the world. "What if I say I'm not like the others" expresses how Holden feels that he, and the children, are different from the rest of the world, from the fact that they still have their innocence, unlike every other phony. When it says, "You're the pretender" it can be seen that Holden is stereotyping the adult world as phony, and "What if I say I will never surrender?" connects to Holden in the midst of the novel who thinks that it is his duty to be the catcher in the rye and to save all the children from the adult world. Then finally, Holden's desire to save the children brings him to his ultimate low point, which connects to "I'm the hand that will take you down, Bring you to your knees."
5. Under Pressure- Queen & David Bowie
This song shows really talks about Holden's everyday pressure, which stresses him out and leads to his self-destruction, alienation, and loneliness.
Pressure pushing down on me
Pressing down on you no man ask for
Under pressure
That burns a building down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on streets
Bah bah bah bah bah bah
It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming let me out!
Pray tomorrow takes me higher
Pressure on people
People on streets
Do do do bah bah bah bah
O-kay
Chippin' around
Kick my brains round the floor
These are the days
It never rains but it pours
People on streets
People on streets
It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming let me out!
Pray tomorrow takes me higher higher higher
Pressure on people
People on streets
Turned away from it all
Like a blind man
Sat on a fence but it don't work
Keep coming up with love
But it's so slashed and torn
Why why why?
Love love love love
Insanity laughs under pressure we're cracking
Can't we give ourselves one more chance?
Why can't we give love that one more chance?
Why can't we give love give love give love?
Give love give love give love give love give love?
Cause love's such an old fashioned word
And love dares you to care
For people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way
Of caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last dance
This is ourselves under pressure
Under pressure
Pressure
The first stanza, which says, "Pressure pushing down on me, Pressing down on you no man ask for, Under pressure, That burns a building down, Splits a family in two, Puts people on streets" ultimately displays Holden's life. Ever since Allie died, we have known that Holden has had this strange desire to be the catcher in the rye, which puts a tremendous pressure on him. He gets so stressed out, that he fails out of school, and leaves to the city to live in the streets. Then it says, "It's the terror of knowing, What this world is about" which exemplifies how Holden dislikes the adult world, the phony world, which leads him to feel like he needs to save the children from this phoniness which is ultimately where all of this pressure comes from.
Pressure pushing down on me
Pressing down on you no man ask for
Under pressure
That burns a building down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on streets
Bah bah bah bah bah bah
It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming let me out!
Pray tomorrow takes me higher
Pressure on people
People on streets
Do do do bah bah bah bah
O-kay
Chippin' around
Kick my brains round the floor
These are the days
It never rains but it pours
People on streets
People on streets
It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming let me out!
Pray tomorrow takes me higher higher higher
Pressure on people
People on streets
Turned away from it all
Like a blind man
Sat on a fence but it don't work
Keep coming up with love
But it's so slashed and torn
Why why why?
Love love love love
Insanity laughs under pressure we're cracking
Can't we give ourselves one more chance?
Why can't we give love that one more chance?
Why can't we give love give love give love?
Give love give love give love give love give love?
Cause love's such an old fashioned word
And love dares you to care
For people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way
Of caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last dance
This is ourselves under pressure
Under pressure
Pressure
The first stanza, which says, "Pressure pushing down on me, Pressing down on you no man ask for, Under pressure, That burns a building down, Splits a family in two, Puts people on streets" ultimately displays Holden's life. Ever since Allie died, we have known that Holden has had this strange desire to be the catcher in the rye, which puts a tremendous pressure on him. He gets so stressed out, that he fails out of school, and leaves to the city to live in the streets. Then it says, "It's the terror of knowing, What this world is about" which exemplifies how Holden dislikes the adult world, the phony world, which leads him to feel like he needs to save the children from this phoniness which is ultimately where all of this pressure comes from.
4. Mad World- Gary Jules
This song as a whole displays Holden's perspective on the world and on the people around him as a whole.
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad world
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
And I feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Enlarging your world
Mad World.
The speaker of this song is viewing the world as an outsider, just like Holden does. Holden says that he hates phonies, or people who hide their emotions, and the song says, "Their tears are filling up their glasses, No expression, no expression" which represents the exact type of person that Holden hates. Also, Holden views everything from a depressed and lonely state, which is similar to the song. It says, "Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow, No tomorrow, no tomorrow" which can relate to when Holden actually thinks of ending his own life. Then finally, when the song says, "The dreams in which I'm dying, Are the best I've ever had" this is exactly what Holden goes through. His dreams of being the catcher in the rye cause his alienation and perhaps his depression, but yet those were his best dreams.
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad world
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
And I feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Enlarging your world
Mad World.
The speaker of this song is viewing the world as an outsider, just like Holden does. Holden says that he hates phonies, or people who hide their emotions, and the song says, "Their tears are filling up their glasses, No expression, no expression" which represents the exact type of person that Holden hates. Also, Holden views everything from a depressed and lonely state, which is similar to the song. It says, "Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow, No tomorrow, no tomorrow" which can relate to when Holden actually thinks of ending his own life. Then finally, when the song says, "The dreams in which I'm dying, Are the best I've ever had" this is exactly what Holden goes through. His dreams of being the catcher in the rye cause his alienation and perhaps his depression, but yet those were his best dreams.
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