The Fray- "How to Save a Life"

Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
{Repeat the chorus four times}





Analysis:

I love this song because it is deep but easy to understand and relate to. The word choice is great, and the style of the singers emphasizes phrases such as "Try to slip past his defense, without granting innocence". This song can be interpretated many different ways, from loosing a friend through arguments and falling outs, to loosing a loved one through death. In "How to Save a Life", The Fray successfully employs writing techniques and universal ideas to rely the feeling to listeners.

The song begins with two individuals having a serious discussion. Listeners learn of a sense of separation between the two people because of the line "as he goes left and you stay right". I believe this line, along with the ones following ("between the lines of fear and blame, and you begin to wonder why you came") sets the tone for the entire song. The individuals described in this song are somewhat isolated and hold two extremely different views on what seems to be an extremely important issue.

The chorus brings up the issue of death where the artist states "And I would have stayed up with you all night, had I'de known how to save a life". The life in need of saving can apply to someone making harmful decisions that could ultimatly ruin their life. It could also literally describe a dying person. The word choice is also worth noting, the artist says the friend was lost "somewhere along in the bitterness". The word bitter has many connotations associated with it. Did he loose his friend somewhere along in life when everything was extremely harsh and unpleasent? Or is he using the word "bitter" to describe life as an unpleasent and corrupt place?

There is a slight religious element in the song when the artist states that he will "Pray to God he hears you". This is refering to the part where one of the people confront the other on his/her lifestyles and "Lay down a list of what is wrong". The artist is praying that the person on the wrong path will hear the other person confronting him and take into consideration the consequences of his/her actions. By mentioning God in the song, it furthers the desperation and hope that the artist is feeling toward the individual. Quite often, people pray about others when something severe is happening, either very good or very bad, not usually when there is a tiny problem. So by mentioning God, the listeners understand the severity of the situation.

This song can be interpreted so many different ways, and apply to so many different situations. Say, for example, this song is about a 10 year old girl pleading with her dad to quit smoking because he has been diagnosed with emphysema and she is afraid of loosing him. Another version of this song may involve a parent trying to get through to their child the dangers of being involved in a gang or using illegal drugs. I love this song because there are so many different interpretations as to the meaning of it, and because of the writing techniques used.


Work Cited:

"The Fray Lyrics."06 Feb 2007.< http://www.geocities.com/hip2ahop2/howtosavealife.txt>.

Radio Station- Blog #4

My favorite radio stations have got to be 95.5 and 102.7. While 102.7 focuses on the rap and R&B genres, 95.5 has a wider variety of music. I listened to channel 95.5 for an hour yesterday, and I heard pop, light rock, new rap, some old school rap, and a few R&B songs. Some of my personal favorites played included Hinder's "Lips of an Angel", Beyonce's "Irreplaceable", Ludacris and Mary J Blige's "Runaway Love", Mark Morrison's "Return of the Mack", Bow Wow's "Shorty Like Mine", and Kanye West's "Hey Mama".
I listen to this type of music because of the up-beat sound and content. I think that people who can relate to the content and issues brought up by the artists have the ability to futher appreciate the meaning behind the words. I also like channel 95.5 because I love to dance and go clubbing with my friends. They don't play country or heavy metal at the clubs! So sometimes people listen to certain genres of music because it correlates with a specific interest of hobby. I think another reason people lean towards a genre has to do with their upbringing. My grandpa wouldn't be caught dead listening to Tupac or Biggie Smalls. But I love them!
One last comment, the target audience for radio stations like 95.5 or 102.7 is definitly high schoolers (or even younger) to about 25. You can prove this by listening to the type of music played and the advertisements between songs. During the hour of listening I did, I heard about 5 club or bar advertisements. Not to say that individuals over 25 do not go to dance clubs/bars, but the majority of people who do are younger.