Common Rider
Music has many uses, it can be used as a means to pass on an idea, it can be a tool for the artist to show the world their lives, but for some, "music ain't nothing but expression of joy, when the train hits you're gonna feel it," and I believe that truer words were never spoken. Those lyrics come from a band by the name of Common Rider. Common Rider is the creation of Jesse Michaels, the front man of the late 1980's punk band Operation Ivy. As the lyricist for Op Ivy, as they were known to their fans, Michaels wrote lyrics about the world he saw around him. While it wasn't always a pretty picture, the songs were true to his feelings and that's all that matters. With Common Rider he was able to continue the same message. The songs that were composed for Common Rider were released on two full length CDs and one four track demo. The entire anthology is full of songs meant to inspire people but I've chosen four of their best songs to analyze.Common Rider's 1999 release Last Wave Rockers starts off with the song "Classics of Love." This song begins with a relatively slow upbeat strumming on an acoustic guitar, which is not a very uncommon occurrence in modern music. It's the lyrics that are sung that make this song stand out.
" Lyrically this is easily one of the best songs I've ever heard. "The song "On Broadway" is a common punk song, with its fast drum beat and simple guitar riffs, there isn't much there in regards to musical talent. We say stand together, its yours and mine. With the opening lines "Big city miles stretching out into the terminal horizon, don't you know we had to get away," Michaels tells a story about a girl and a guy who get into their car and go. " It's hard to tell when Michaels is talking about in this song but I think the "dark sign on the horizon" is bad times ahead. Though he may not have meant to, Michaels has made music that can explain almost every feeling I have using metaphors and his wonderful way with words and phrases, just keep in mind that "it is not a sign of weakness to be real," and in the end, "everything's gonna be alright. But if you listen closely Michaels chooses this means to show how he feels about modern music. Anything that needed to be said at the end of this song about how good Common Rider is is summed up with those eight lines. "Conscious Burning" ends with my favorite lyrics of the entire Rockers CD, Music ain't nothing but expression of joy When the train hits you're gonna feel it And if you wanna preach that ain't nothing but noise But if you're feeling love reveal it This phenomenon comes from the ground Of creation without a doubt It is not a sign of weakness to be real Move your body, turn it outThese lyrics are beautiful, end of story. "This song is about Michaels' favorite musical artists; their songs, the "Classics of Love," will always be there for him to "make a dark day light. Some may see this as conceited but I see it as confident that although the music may not reach too many people, the people it does come in contact with will remember it forever. Sun shining down on a cloudy day I know those songs gonna last forever That's what I sayThe song ends with Michaels telling how much the music means to him. When I hear this I think of two people driving up to the ocean and telling their life stories to each other. Jesse Michaels, a lyrical genius.
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Acceptance Essays
