Live Like We're Dying

On my way to school on Friday, I flipped through the radio stations to be greeted by the familiar electric guitar sounds of Kris Allen's song called "Live Like We're Dying". My favorite part of that whole song is the first clause:

Sometimes we fall down, can't get back up
We're hiding behind skin that's too tough
How come we don't say 'I love you' enough?
'Til it's too late, it's not too late

I agree with him that at some time in our lives, we do fall and we feel like nothing can bring us back up on our feet again. But his next words explain why we can't bring ourselves back to normal. We're hiding behind skin that is too tough. We tend to put up a facade for the rest of the world to see; we don't want them to view the real person that we are. The reason that we become stuck in this pit we can't escape from is that we don't ask others for help. We feel that if we ask for help, we become vulnerable. The word vulnerable has always had a negative connotation, but it doesn't always have to have a negative meaning.

The next line in the song is built upon vulnerability. Saying 'I love you' is a huge step in your relationship with someone. By saying these words, you make yourself extremely vulnerable to the person on the receiving end of your exclamation. Once those words come out of your mouth, it is up to the other person to decide what to do with them; reject them or accept them. The last line goes along with the third line asking why we don't tell the ones we love that we love them until it's too late to do so. I think we begin to take our loved ones for granted once we've been around them for a long time. Even though they may know that you love them, it would be nice to remind them every once in a while that they do matter to you.

'It's not too late'. Kris nailed his point on the head with these four words. We don't know how long we have to live, but we do have this moment to live in. His main point in singing this song is simply this; we must live like we're dying because we are not guaranteed to live another moment.

Replay

On my way to school on Friday, I was listening to the radio, quite disappointed with the song selection being played. But my disappointment soon disappeared as the first notes of "Replay" by Iyaz sounded through my ghetto stereo system. I cranked up the volume and did a little dancing, but not so much as to be unsafe while driving. The first words of the song caught my attention the most:

Shawty's like a melody in my head
That I can't keep out
Got me singin' like
Na na na na everyday
It's like my iPod stuck on replay, replay-ay-ay-ay

From these few words, I can immediately tell how this song is a huge hit, especially among the ladies. Every girl wants to know that some guy is thinking about them, likes them, loves them, etc. Iyaz's approach to letting this girl know that he is into her is flawless. What girl doesn't want a guy singing to her, telling her that she is all he thinks about?
If I were on the recieving end of this heartfelt tune, I would have been quite flattered. Having a talented vocal artist sing such lyrics to me would have melted my heart into a little puddle. I think all guys should take some pointers from Iyaz. His method to get a girl's attention is to appeal to her emotions, which happens to be pretty effective. Appealing to a girl's emotions will earn you some brownie points in her book about 99.9% of the time.
In conclusion, Iyaz has achieved success with this song. If a girl didn't start liking him even a little bit after he wrote this song, I'm sure it would have been her loss.

Big Girls Don't Cry

On my way to school this morning, I turned up the radio volume to be greeted by the sound of Fergie's distinguishable voice. "And big girls don't cry..." rang out as she started the repeat of the chorus for the last time. I began to ponder this portion of the song. Do big girls really not cry?
I think I must disagree with the message of this song. She is talking about moving on in life even though she will miss this guy that she's leaving behind. I don't know about you, but I would definitely shed a tear or two if I had to leave my man behind to move on with my life.
I think Fergie is putting on a facade of being a tough girl. She thinks she doesn't need a man by her side to move on to the next chapter in her life. Maybe this is true, but I feel her emotions are being left out of the equation. She may think she won't be affected by parting from her lover, but I believe she is seriously mistaken. Throughout the song, the sound of her voice becomes increasingly choked up with emotion. I wouldn't be surprised if she had burst into tears after recording the last note of the song. So all I have to say to Fergie is this: big girls do cry.