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Angelica Salazar

Dr. Hall

December 8, 2018

Shitty First Draft

We all have a song that reminds us of our childhood. You hear it play, and you can easily remember when you heard the song play for the first time. Or how that song changed your mood when you were feeling down. There are so many songs that will remind you of the sad times and the happy times. There are also songs that can just make you think about what is going on in the world today. Why is there so much violence in the world? What is being done to make the world better? I believe songs that make us think about the world today are important songs and they have a bigger meaning. They are songs that make people think and realize what is right and what is wrong.

Songs like “Where is the Love” by The Black-Eyed Peas and “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson are examples of songs that have a deeper meaning. These are the two songs that I can think of that have a political meaning off the top of my head. When I was younger, I don’t think I really understood what was going on in the world or what they really were about. They both have messages in their songs and in their videos. They are powerful videos that I think bring more emotion to the person who is listening to the song and watching the video. The video and lyrics or the songs show us what is going on in society and in the world.

 Starting with the song “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson in 2009. I mean just by the tittle you can kind of tell the song is going to be important, because what do you think of when you hear about the man in the mirror? Besides its by Michael Jackson I mean come on he’s one of the best artists out there. But I’m talking about the lyrics of the song the lyrics have a message. “I see the kids in the streets with not enough to eat who am I to be blind?” We see homelessness all around us to this day, there are hundreds of people who are homeless and yet there is nothing being done for them. Aside from the homelessness of our country there is also poverty and homelessness all around the world. Who are we to just ignore the needs of other people and kids who have life so much harder than any of us. “I’ve been a victim of a selfish kind of love It’s time that I realize That there are some with no home, not a nickel to loan could it be really me, pretending that they’re not alone?” Many people are just trying to survive with what they have and the fact that it’s possible for us to help and yet we do nothing is just disappointing. In the song Michael says that for there to be a change in the world we must start with the “man in the mirror” which is ourselves. Changing ourselves is the one thing that we need to do. In modern day we are all very selfish, we would rather buy a $135 t-shirt that has a simple logo than give at least half of that to a charity. We spend money just because we have it and we are not even grateful for what we have. Everyone wants the world to change but, yet they never decide to take the first step. Do they really want to change the way things are?

The song “Where is the love?” by the Black Eyed Peas is also a good song with a deep message. The first lyric of the song tells you a lot “What’s wrong with the world mama, People livin’ like they ain’t got no mama” just by this you can tell that the song is going to have a deeper meaning. More into the song it talks about how the world really is. “Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism But we still got terrorists here livin’ In the USA, the big CIA The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK” I think this means a lot because how do we want to stop a group of people that is trying to harm the USA but there are different community groups that are destroying us from within. The song constantly sings “where is the love?” and I do ask where is the love that is supposed to be shown by all of us where do we stand with all this violence that is going on. “Most of us only care about money makin’ Selfishness got us followin’ the wrong direction Wrong information always shown by the media Negative images, it’s the main criteria Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria Kids want to act like what they see in the cinema” this lyric is so true and I couldn’t have said it any better this is what is going on in the world to this day everyone is on the phone looking at who does what and what is going to be the next trend. We are so focus on trying to be others and not being true to ourselves. This is a issue in society because in te past months there has been more suicides, and most of them are cause by bulling in schools and through social media and it’s a big issue and shouldn’t go unnoticed.

              Videos of to both these songs speak louder than the lyrics. The way that the two videos were made it makes the viewer have more emotion toward the song. In the video of “Man in the Mirror” you can see all those ids all over the word starved you see their bones. You see the wars that are going on in the background the homeless laying down on the pavement with nothing but a cardboard box. The images are so heart breaking you will feel sympathy just by looking at the video. In the music video of “where is the love” you have all those kids that are singing along with the song and you see the sadness in their eyes. You see the artists broadcasting their song and others are noticing the movement and trying to support it. These two videos are very inspiring because they make you want to make a change for the benefit of the kids and for the next generation.  

Even though both of the songs were made 9 years ago they are still relatable with what’s going on in society today and not just hunger and poverty but also all the violence that is going on including police brutality and gun violence etc. As well as all the race issues that are going on and gender equality these are issues that include all of us whether we see it or not we are the ones that should stand up and make a difference. Not just society but the world included.

Cited work

o    Peas, Black Eyed. “The Black Eyed Peas – Where Is The Love? (Official Music Video).” YouTube, YouTube, 16 June 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYeekQkAdc.

o    Jackson, Michael. “Michael Jackson – Man In The Mirror (Official Video).” YouTube, YouTube, 2 Oct. 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?v=PivWY9wn5ps.

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