Songs with Imagery

I chose to analyze "Crippled Inside" by John Lennon. This song falls under the catergories of both my theme and genre, and it demonstrates many examples of imagery. At the beginning of the song, the lyrics are: "You can shine your shoes and wear a suit/ You can comb your hair and look quite cute...You can wear a collar and a tie." These phrases describe one's appearance when one makes the effort to look attractive, and the use of imagery allows the listener to create an image in his/her mind. "You can hide your face behind a smile" creates the image of a smile on one's face, while the word "hide" suggests that the smile does not truly represent his/her feelings. The same message is illustrated in the phrase, "You can wear a mask and paint your face," where the images of one covering his/her face with paint and a mask once again refer to "hiding." An example of imagery of both sight and sound is "You can go to church and sing a hymn." This line is included in the song to support the message that although one can try to have a good appearance on the outside, it is impossible to hide the fact that one is "crippled" on the inside.

I also decided to analyze "The Sun" by Maroon 5. This song also falls under the categories of my theme and genre, and it also demonstrates effective usage of imagery. In the first verse, the setting is established with: "Walking home/ Fresh dirt under my fingernails/ And I can smell hot asphalt/ Cars screech to a halt to let me pass." This first instance of imagery appeals to sight, smell, and sound. Visual imagery is created when the listener is able to imagine how we look "through photographs/ Trying to recreate images life gives us from our past." Another example of imagery is: "several miles from the sun," which could create an image of either being literally close to the sun, or being hopeful. The second verse includes the phrases: "Moving on down the street/ I see people I won’t ever meet/ Think of her, take a breath/ Feel the beat in the rhythm of my steps/...The rhythm of her conversation..." This example of imagery is employed to explain how much the writer has been positively impacted by his relationship with the girl he refers to.