Best Song Lyrics: Part IX
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper (1984)-I hate to over-rely on words like “classist” or “feminist” but this song is practically begging me to. Overtly this song is under the guise of a girl power anthem. The plural here-“girls” instead of “girl” — makes the biggest difference: In songs, the relationship is the celebration and it’s not a song of self-discovery, but rather a song to the “ladies out there” like Beyonce often targets her audience.
There is one explicit reference to the narrator being underclass in the song: “Oh mommy dear, we’re not the fortunate ones.” But within a larger scope, “when the working day is done” and the pressure from the narrator’s parents to do something with their life, indicates that fun is a rebellion from what could be a more dire need to produce money than someone of higher status. In other words, Lauper is a fiery proletariat who wants to team up with Marx to burn shit down: Only, through partying.
Give it Away, Red Hot Chili Peppers (1992)-This song is very direct please about altruism which sounds not particularly grunge (honestly, I’m not too familiar with that genre). I love how in the sense that rap is about bragging, this song is about being selfless. At the same time, he’s bragging at the same time about how he can’t tell the difference between “being a kingpin and a pauoper” The song is also…
