Popularity: If the song was a hit, why do think that was? Was that deserved?If not, should it have been?
Michael Jackson, “Billie Jean” 410 Madonna, “Like a Virgin” 413 Prince, “1999” 416 Bruce Springsteen, “Born in the U.S.A.” The Police, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” 422 425 U2, “Pride (In the Name of Love)” Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer” Mötley Crüe, “Shout at the Devil” 442 Metallica, “One” 445 Run-DMC, “Rock Box” 452 Public Enemy, “Don’t Believe the Hype” 455 Minor Threat, “Straight Edge” 460 The Replacements, “Color Me Impressed” R.E.M., “The One I Love” 464 • Structural: you could go verse by verse analyzing musically or lyrically. Don’t just provide lyrics, you’d need to make some observation about them. • Musical: What is the musical style in your view? Instrumentation? How is it produced? Melodic or harmonic content? • Cultural: what the does the song mean, either when it came out, or now? Or how does it fit into your view of the prevailing culture? • Interpretation: how do you interpret the meaning of the song, especially if the lyrics are obtuse? • Ineffability: how does this song express things that would difficult to express otherwise? • Popularity: If the song was a hit, why do think that was? Was that deserved?If not, should it have been?
