Washington State University’s A.J. Miller teaches a popular history of rock ‘n’ roll class. Here Miller, assistant director of Cougar Marching Band, explains six steps for analyzing lyrics.
One: Listen to the song and note your gut reaction. How does it make you feel? What do you think the artist is trying to communicate? Do you like it? Do you dislike it? What are your personal reactions?
Two: Listen to the song while also reading the lyrics. Try to find examples of word play. Are there words that might have a double meaning or multiple meanings or exaggeration or allusion or any kind of similes, metaphors, or symbolism?
Three: Examine the composer’s life, the songwriter’s life. What was going on in their lives when the song was written? What was going on socially and politically when the song came out? What events or other outside influences might have influenced what the song is about?
Four: With all of that information, explain, in your own words, what the song is about. Write down what the song is about in as basic language as you can.
Five: Discuss the form. “This one is where the music theory stuff comes in a little bit,” Miller says. “Is it a 12-bar blues song? Is it a ballad?”
Six: “This is my favorite one,” Miller says. “The last step is to describe how it’s performed. What does the voice sound like? What instruments do you hear? Is there a guitar solo? Is there X, Y, and Z? By the time we get to this step, we’ve listened to the same song four times. So at this point I switch it up. We’ve heard Bob Dylan. Now, we’re going to listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers do the same song, and all of this stuff still applies. But does your interpretation of the song change? Does it change your mind about liking it or not liking it? Does it change your mind about what the song could be about? Do they have different inflection? Sometimes it does. And sometimes it doesn’t.”
Read more about the class in “School of rock.”