Thursday, December 15, 2016

Another Story by The Head and the Heart

The song Another Story by The Head and the Heart offers a response to the Newtown, Connecticut shooting. In it's artful and multidimensional language, this song touches on a sensitive subject with poise and subtlety. 

Every time I hear another story
Oh the poor boy lost his head
Everybody feels a little crazy
But we go on living with it
Yeah they go on living with it

I think the choice of title "Another Story" as well as the use of this phrase in the lyrics show the artists' frustration with the repetition of mass shootings like this one. To emphasize the fact that this atrocity was another story piled on to countless other recent examples shows the frustration many Americans are feeling.

Furthermore, the line, "Oh the poor boy lost his head" shows the prevalence of mental health issues in these mass shootings. After investigation, it was found that the Newtown shooter was suffering from mental illness. The choice to include this line as well as, "everybody feels a little crazy" shows the artists' acknowledgment of this part of the problem.

The artists also express mourning for this tragedy,

I see a world
A world turning in on itself
Are we just like
Hungry wolves howling in the night
I don't want no music tonight


This stanza shows the grief and frustration that the artists feel over these countless tragedies. The line, "Are we just like hungry wolves howling in the night" shows how they view this problem as a lack of humanity. It implies that this problem shows the animal side of the human race.

2 comments:

  1. I've never heard this song before, but wow, what a powerful topic! I like your analysis of the line about the wolves; I thought it was something to do with people crying and mourning the world, but connecting it to the inhumane side of society is spot on.

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  2. I agree with you completely. This song leaves a very powerful message and is super meaningful

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