American Dream http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPLeuBXoPXI
By: MKTO
Date Released: April 28th, 2014
Rate: 5 Stars
Bold: Song Lyrics
Italics: Analysis of Lyrics Above
We broke down, trying to leave town, flying down the road to change
We were born to run, Cali here we come, escape from nowhere U.S.A.
Everything they have already is not enough for them, they want more. They want to go somewhere popular and known. Aside from the few known large cities in America, everywhere else is "nowhere". You can't make your name is a place that isn't known, so people feel the need to move to other places where they can be known.
Say goodbye to white picket fences
Say hello to palm trees and benzs
They say you gotta fall to have it all
We don't want two kids and a wife
I don't want a job, I just want a life
Sometimes the underdogs rise, and the mighty fall
This bridge of the song is saying that people don’t want a “white picket fence” they want expensive things like a “benz” and to be surrounded by palm trees. People aren't satisfied with what they need, they want more than what is just a necessity.
It goes on to say that people don’t want kids and a spouse, they don’t even want a job, they just want material things without having to work for them. They want to steer away from the stereotypical "American Family" and do their own thing. The "underdogs" rise, because they have the right set of mind instead of just thinking that money is everything. The "mighty" refers to the rich, they fall because they lost sight of reality and only focus of materialistic things.
This ain't the same summer song that you used to know
Cuz Jack left Diane 30 years ago
The world is spinning too fast for you and me
So whatever happened to the American Dream
This is a song that isn't an older view of the American Dream, its turned into a fantasy that is harder to reach. Too much is happening, and you expect to much in the time that is present. Maybe there isn't enough time. The American Dream has changed. The reference to Jack and Diane is to show how divorce rates are growing and its not uncommon. This line of the song shows that there are challenges you face and you have to overcome them, over time.
I know a girl, I met her last night
She was fresh off the plane
She whispered in my ear, baby come here
I'll do anything to make a name
People go to crazy limits to get money and too buy the things they want. People will do anything to be "successful", and to be noticed. Nobody wants to feel like a "nobody". We want to be known, and we'll do anything for people to know our names.
Rap:
Honey take my hand follow me cuz,
I don't wanna hurt you and he does
I just wanna give you some real advice
Never take candy from a stranger
Keep your eyes open for danger
Cuz this right here is a twisted paradise
Life is full of surprises and challenges and you have to know how to avoid them or accept them. A twisted paradise can mean how everything is advancing and base morals will change too. A twisted paradise is a paradise or desirable state but its twisted because there are challenges and problems everywhere we look.
This ain't the same summer song that you used to know
So baby, lets live and die before we get old
You know that nothing is the way it used to be
So tell me whatever happened to the American Dream
Nowaday people are throwing away society, and are only worried about "living". "Living" today means to have everything and do everything, while being relatively young because today, elderly people don't fit under the "Living" category. Nothing is the way that it used to be, because we make our own American Dream for what we want, not what others want or expect. This song doubts the meaning of the American Dream because most people have the same one.
Chorus (x2)
We were born to run
Cali here we come
Let's get out of here baby
It’s natural for people to chase their dreams, and want to move and try to work towards them. This song shows that some people try and some don't, and the ones that do try know what sacrifice is and willing to do it.
Chorus (x2)
Overall Analysis:
This song is all about the contemporary American Dream. In this song Malcolm Kelley, the rapper in this song, raps about how people don’t want what they used to, now everyone wants material things and things worth a great deal of money. This entire song is about how people aren't facing reality and just want to be in a known place, or to be known in general. People want nice things, but don’t want to work for them. They just want a life without complication and challenges, which is not realistic at all. People don't want the stereotypical American Dream anymore, now they just want to be known, and have material things. In contemporary times the American Dream is doubted because everyone wants to have a lot of money and material things, while letting certain aspects of their live slip by, and not necessarily being happy. The American Dream isn't about what you want personally, its more about having a lot of money, which can make you stable but not necessarily happy.
Connecting to My Thesis:
This song is a perfect match for my thesis. My thesis is all about how the American Dream causes people to lose sight of reality and only want material things without working for them. My entire project revolves around that, and this song is like a theme song for my project.