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Essay Samples on Song Analysis

Analysis of the song 'strange fruit' by billie holiday.

Introduction The haunting melody and poignant lyrics of "Strange Fruit" make it one of Billie Holiday’s most memorable and impactful songs. Originally a poem written by Abel Meeropol, a white Jewish teacher from New York, this song became an anthem against racism and the lynching...

• Song Analysis

Rhetorical Analysis of a Song: Unveiling the Power of Musical Artistry

Introduction In every song, behind the melody and rhythm, lies a powerful narrative. Songs are crafted not only with musical notes but also with words that convey emotions, tell stories, and make arguments. This rhetorical analysis of a song will delve into the layers of...

Song Comparison: A Tale of Two Ballad

Introduction The art of songwriting is a deeply personal, yet universally relatable form of expression. Songs can evoke emotions, tell stories, and connect listeners through shared experiences. This essay aims to undertake a song comparison of two iconic ballads: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon...

Our Lives, Our Theme Song: The Power of Personal Anthems

Introduction Music plays a significant role in many people's lives, often in the form of a "theme song." A theme song can be any piece of music that an individual feels represents their life, character, or the current chapter of their life story. Just like...

Songs That Describe Your Life: A Personal Soundtrack

Introduction We all have songs that resonate with our lives, capturing our emotions and experiences like a lyrical mirror. The beauty of music lies in its ability to evoke feelings and memories that transport us back to specific moments in our life journey. This essay...

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Pretty Hurts: Analysis Of Beyonce's Iconic Song

Are you happy with yourself? For many people the answer is no. as well, we also tend to equate happiness with beauty. Society pressures us into achieving an unrealistic physical appearance. Indeed, far too many people are never fully satisfied with how they look. More...

• Plastic Surgery
• Self Assessment

Man in the Mirror: Analysis of the Social Issues Brought Up in Michael Jackson's Song

“Man in the Mirror” was a song by Michael Jackson and was released in 1988. The song talks about making a positive impact and personal redemption to the world. Michael Jackson explains that changing the world is possible, and it can start from a single...

• Michael Jackson

“Me And My Monkey”: Analysis of Robbie Williams's Song

“Me and my monkey” is a song by Robbie Williams released in 2003 and is part of the album Escapology. The title of the song called “Me and my monkey” and there is only one way to interpret this song. Moreover, only one way it...

• Music Industry

Analysis Of The Chapell's Newest Album ‘Soul Man’

Chapell is rightfully an indie rock band on the rise. The band exhibits extraordinary musical talent that truly distinguishes them from the masses of junior musicians trying to make it big. The bands newest album ‘Soul Man’ is a work of art. Each song from...

Analysis Of The Song "The Farmer Is The Man" By Pete Seeger

The song “The Farmer is the Man” criticizes the economic system of merchants and bankers. These high-end people are driving farmers into endless debt. However, at the same time the song is an anthem for farmers. It is repeatedly stating how the farmer is the...

Best topics on Song Analysis

1. Analysis of the Song ‘Strange Fruit’ by Billie Holiday

2. Rhetorical Analysis of a Song: Unveiling the Power of Musical Artistry

3. Song Comparison: A Tale of Two Ballad

4. Our Lives, Our Theme Song: The Power of Personal Anthems

5. Songs That Describe Your Life: A Personal Soundtrack

6. Pretty Hurts: Analysis Of Beyonce’s Iconic Song

7. Man in the Mirror: Analysis of the Social Issues Brought Up in Michael Jackson’s Song

8. “Me And My Monkey”: Analysis of Robbie Williams’s Song

9. Analysis Of The Chapell’s Newest Album ‘Soul Man’

10. Analysis Of The Song “The Farmer Is The Man” By Pete Seeger

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Blog > Essay Advice , Personal Statement > How to Write a Great College Essay About Music (with examples)

How to Write a Great College Essay About Music (with examples)

Admissions officer reviewed by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University

Written by Alex McNeil, MA Admissions Consultant

Key Takeaway

Ask any admissions officer if they’ve read a college essay about music, and they’ll definitely say yes. Between music extracurriculars and academic interests in music, it’s is one of the most common college essay topics.

So does that mean that you shouldn’t write your college essay about music?

Not necessarily. But as with any common college essay topic, some approaches are better than others.

Let’s get into it.

Why you should (and shouldn’t) write your Common App essay about music

As we explained in our Stanford Items exercise , writing your college essay on a common topic isn’t off-limits. In fact, most college essays share common topics and themes. Trying to find a completely unique, never-been-done-before topic is almost impossible. And writing about a quirky topic in hopes of coming across as unique usually backfires.

In other words, it’s likely that you’ll write about the same topic as someone else.

The problem arises, however, when you write about a common topic in a cliche way . Cliches are always a danger in college essays, but in especially college essay topics that tend to surface again and again.

To avoid cliches, your college essay about music needs to be deeply personal, specific, and meaningful. You’ll want to let go of any over-generalizations or truisms and focus on the details of your own story.

Because you’ll need to write meaningfully and vulnerably, you should only write your college essay about music if you have something genuine and significant to say.

The Best Ways to Approach Your College Essay about Music

College essays about music aren’t off the table, but you should be thoughtful in how you write about them. The following two approaches will help you avoid cliches and find an authentic, meaningful story that fulfills all the requirements of a personal statement .

Writing about music as an academic interest

If you’re interested in studying music in college, then you can consider writing your college essay about music as an academic interest. A college essay about your academic interest in music can show fantastic intellectual fit with a school.

Let’s say you want to study music theory or composition. You might write about a topic you find compelling, a problem you’ve solved, or even a recounting of your journey becoming interested in the subject.

Or maybe you’re an aspiring performer planning on studying music performance. As an admissions officer, I read outstanding essays about students performing their favorite pieces, creating emotional music projects, and teaching lessons to young children.

No matter your topic, your goal with this approach is to show an intellectual spark, a curiosity and passion that will demonstrate to your admissions officers that you’ll be a great addition to the music community on their campuses.

Writing poignantly about a deeply meaningful extracurricular

The previous approach is great if you want to study music, but what if music is just an extracurricular passion of yours? Don’t worry—you can still write about it.

In that case, the best way is to focus on meaning. Remember: personal statements should be deeply-meaningful reflections on your personal strengths.

To start, reflect on your music extracurricular. Is it playing guitar in a band? Playing trombone in your school’s symphony? Learning piano from your grandma? How your love of poetry turned into a love of songwriting?

Next, think about what strengths you have to showcase. If you play guitar in a band, maybe you want to highlight your collaborative spirit. If you love poetry and songwriting, perhaps you focus on your creativity.

Writing about your love of music in a way that draws upon your strengths will make sure that your Common App essay avoids the following two approaches and gives admissions officers a reason to admit you.

Approaches to Avoid

While the following two approaches aren’t necessarily bad, they are the most cliche ways of approaching a college essay about music. You might want to consider avoiding them.

An inauthentic tale of triumph

Let me tell you a cliche story.

When I was in fourth grade, I decided to join the school orchestra. I found it exceedingly difficult at first. No matter how hard I tried, I never could seem to place my fingers correctly on the fingerboard. Every sound I made mimicked a screeching cat. But I decided not to give up. I practiced every day after school and on the weekends. By the time I was in ninth grade, I had made it into my high school’s top orchestra.

Is that a lovely story? Yes, absolutely. Is it hearty enough for a college essay? No. While it tells a good narrative of growth and progress, it remains on the surface of the writer’s life. It comes across as a convenient way to brag about your strengths instead of exploring them in a genuine way. In this example, the story also focuses on events that happened way too far in the past.

A song that changed your life

This approach is by far the most common cliche in college essays about music. We’ve all been there: a favorite song that transports you to a moment in your life whenever you hear it. It makes sense that you’d want to write about yours.

But there’s a problem with this approach. Too often, it reads as trite or unoriginal, and the end result usually doesn’t say much about the writer. And when it does, the message an admissions officer gets doesn’t typically give them any more reason to admit you. Since you want your college essay to be meaningful, even vulnerable, and strengths-based, you’re better off choosing another topic that better speaks to who you are.

Key Takeaways + Examples

College essays about music aren’t for everyone. But when you get it right, you can strike the perfect chord with admissions officers (you’re welcome for the pun).

As you go, dig deep, find something genuinely personal, and try to avoid the most common and cliche ways of approaching the topic.

Want to see some examples of college essays about music before you get started? Check out our examples, The Time Machine and The Band .

Liked that? Try this next.

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20 Brilliant Song Analysis Essay Ideas For College Students

Writing a song analysis essay is a bit different than most other essay types, and it is not as well known. Many students believe that they simply need to write about their favorite song. However, it goes much deeper than that. There are three distinct stages contained within this kind of essay: song analysis, outlining, and draft.

Analysis: When analyzing a particular song, students needs to focus on the whole picture, by working with the use of highly specific technical information. You will need to listen to the piece many times, and play it on your choice of instrument if possible. Once you are entirely comfortable with the piece it is time to do some research. With the combination of your insight and the research, highlighting features that are unusual or unique can be done.

Outlining: Structure of the writer's insights and ideas can be created using an outline. The outline should also take into account various elements, including texture, instrumentation, tonality, harmony, and melody, and the effect they have on the quality of the musical piece.

Draft: Fill in the outline with research and personal observations. Once the first draft has been finished, a little trick is to read it out loud. This gives you the opportunity to ensure that the ideas of the essay are expressed correctly and clearly.

Stuck trying to choose which song to base your essay on? Since there are millions from which to make your decision, here is a list of 20 brilliant ideas:

• "I Am A Child" - Neil Young
• "Fortunate Son" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
• "Learning To Fly" - Pink Floyd
• "Lose Yourself" - Eminem
• "Let It Go" - Disney's Frozen soundtrack
• "Courtesy Of The Red, White, And Blue (The Angry American) - Toby Keith
• "Have You Forgotten?" - Darryl Worley
• "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" - Tammy Wynette
• "I'm Not Ready To Make Nice" - The Dixie Chicks
• "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" - Sir Elton John
• "Father Of Mine" - Everclear
• "The Messenger" - The Tea Party
• "Who Am I" - Casting Crowns
• "The Logical Song" - Supertramp
• "Where Is The Love?" - Black Eyed Peas
• "American Pie" - Don Mclean
• "Tennessee Flat Top Box" - Roseanne Cash
• "Folsom Prison Blues" - Johnny Cash
• "Someone Like You" - Adele
• "And When She Danced" - David Foster ( Love theme to "Stealing Home")

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Song College Essays Samples For Students

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The ancient and classical periods in the Chinese history made a great change on the production of multi-tons of iron when no one in Europe could melt a single ounce of iron. The Chinese later understood on how to reduce the excess carbon content to a low level such that the metal became strong and very resilient instead of brittle (Ward 181). They called the final item steel.

Example Of Essay On Ancient Music

Ancient music had very distinct styles, musical instruments and elements were easily distinguishable as the songs progressed. The following is an analysis of five songs in terms of the style, tempo, musical elements and form.

- Analysis of the song “Crazy Blues” by Mamie Smith and her Jazz group (Recorded August 10 1920) (cfa.arizona.edu)

Several musical instruments as were use in the song. The sound of a trombone comes first then that of a clarinet and violin follow in unison. The sounds produced by these instruments produce a very distinct tune. When the Mamie Smith sings, several elements of music can be noted these are timbre, harmony, pitch and rhythm.

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Essay on musics influence.

Music has always played a very significant role in people’s culture and development. Since ancient times it was the way of sending hidden messages and reaching the desirable audience, sometimes even to make people do something. For instance, one can easily observe that his/her mood changes greatly when listening to certain song or track. Moreover, it is not a secret anymore that certain type of music is used in commercials in order to make listeners buy certain products or services. Basically, music is one more way of mass media that manipulates people greatly without them even realizing it.

The Right to Free Expression and Wealth Essay Examples

Question # 1:.

The right to free expression is a very important thing in a society - many of society's or an individual's ends are met through this right. Mill states that "To have a right, then, is, I conceive, to have something which society ought to defend me in the possession of. If the objector goes on to ask, why it ought? I can give him no other reason than general utility" (Utilitarianism, 1861). As a result, it can be inferred that rights are generally useful to the individuals who receive them, including the right to freely express oneself.

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There are differences on the correctional systems in different countries. For instance, some countries openly advocate for death sentence while others do not. For instance countries like Mozambique, Cape Verde, Namibia, Angola and south Africa have abolished death sentence for all crimes. Others which enable death sentence are In the US crime, for which the death sentence can be imposed include; murder related to smuggling of foreigners, murder as a result of a drug shoot-out, killing a congress member, murder associated with the transportation of explosives, among others.

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For the analysis, I have chosen song by Metallica “Blackened”. The song lasts for 8:02.

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Introduction A concept theme song is studio album in which the lyrics and the music revolves around a single theme or a unified story unlike the other studio albums in which all different songs are there. In 1960’s several concept albums were launched. The concept album can instrumental or compositional, lyrical or narrative. The first concept album was released by Lee Wiley in 1930on the liberty records which contained eight songs. 1960s became an unforgettable era for concept theme albums with the release of many influential and unforgettable albums.

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This poem is a love song composed by Robert burns, a Scottish poet whose poems mostly fall under the genre of love. In “red rose”, the reader is made to read about a romantic affair of two persons who are intimately in love. This essay will ventilate the poem with a view to analyzing its structure, theme, subject matter, characters, stylistic devices that the poet uses to convey his message and the traits of the characters that the poet uses in the poem.

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Schumann’s ‘Dichterliebe’ is one of the most important song cycles in the history of music and its sixteen songs are all essentially great works. The final song is a beautiful one called ‘Die alte bosen Lieder’ where the strands of romantic art come together in a beautiful manner. This paper will attempt to argue that the song is an important part of Schumann’s artistic style and that the marriage of words and music is almost perfect.

Structure and meaning of the poem:

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Music — Song Analysis

Essays on Song Analysis

Song analysis essay topics and outline examples, essay title 1: analyzing the lyrical and musical elements of a song.

Thesis Statement: Through a comprehensive analysis of the lyrical content, musical composition, and cultural context of a song, we can uncover deeper layers of meaning and appreciate the artistry behind the music.

• Introduction
• Lyrical Analysis: Themes, Metaphors, and Symbolism
• Musical Composition: Melody, Rhythm, and Instrumentation
• Cultural and Historical Context
• Interpreting the Song's Message and Impact

Essay Title 2: The Sociopolitical Commentary in Protest Songs

Thesis Statement: Protest songs have historically served as a powerful medium for expressing social and political commentary, and by examining their lyrics and historical context, we gain insight into important societal issues.

• Defining Protest Songs and Their Significance
• Analysis of Key Protest Song Lyrics
• Historical Events and Social Movements
• Impact and Legacy of Protest Music

Essay Title 3: The Evolution of Songwriting in Popular Music

Thesis Statement: By tracing the evolution of songwriting techniques and themes in popular music genres over time, we can gain a deeper understanding of the cultural shifts and artistic innovations in music history.

• Songwriting Styles and Themes in Different Decades
• Impact of Technological Advancements on Songwriting
• Artistic Movements and Influential Songwriters
• Reflection of Societal Changes in Song Lyrics

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Song Critique: "Man in The Mirror" by Michael Jackson

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Okay, so I've heard that there's a fun question on the USC application about creating a theme song for your life. Has anyone tackled this question before? Would love to know how you approached it and any advice you may have. Thanks in advance!

Yes, you're right! The USC application does have a fun question asking about your life's theme song. While I haven't personally tackled it, I can certainly offer some advice on how to approach it.

First and foremost, think about what makes you, well, you! Consider your passions, experiences, and personality traits that define you. Then, try to find a song that encapsulates these aspects of your life. Remember that it doesn't have to be a popular or well-known song - it can be anything that resonates with you and represents you in a genuine way.

When answering the question, focus on explaining the connection between the song and your life. It's not enough to just pick a song and write its title down. Discuss why you chose it and how it serves as an appropriate theme for your life. Feel free to use anecdotes or experiences to support your choice. Most importantly, have fun with it! This essay prompt is meant to be lighthearted and showcase a more creative side of you that might not be as evident from the rest of your application.

For more information on the USC essays click here: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-usc-essays/

Lastly, remember that there's no right or wrong answer - what matters is your ability to connect the song to your life and convey a meaningful message. So, immerse yourself in the process, have fun, and don't stress too much about it. Good luck!

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10 Motivational Songs That Will Help You Deal With College Graduation

Remember the first day you set foot on your college campus? I’m sure many of your classmates can agree that moving in felt foreign. But when you get into the grind, the years of partying and studying flow by quicker than ever… Now, you feel more confused as you are swamped with work, job applications, and questions bombarding the future. Stepping foot on that stage — virtual or not — is a mission. But don’t be scared, you can get through it. Here are 10 songs that will speak to your heart and ears as you trudge on the road towards getting that diploma:

1. You’re Worth It – Cimorelli 

I remember the day when my friend introduced me to this song. I felt lonely and despised the progress I made, but after I heard You’re Worth It, I started to play the song on repeat. What’s more, this song is not just for me, but for others who are experiencing devastation. You’ll make it and come out stronger than you think — and this song will remind you of that. 

2. All In This Together – High School Musical

Yes, this song is perhaps the most “cliche” out of all tracks relating to graduation. But there’s a reason why it is: Everyone can blast it before turning a tassel. School is not all about assignments, but also about being “champions one and all.” 

3. Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey

Add this song to your playlist and play it whenever you feel that your dreams are out of reach. After all, everything is achievable! No matter where you come from and what you studied, nothing is impossible. So, cry, dry off your tears, and “Don’t Stop Believin.” 

4. I Believe – Nikki Yanofsky 

Originally intended to be the theme song for the 2010 Winter Olympics (whew, time flies), I Believe has come a long way since. The song is perfect as a motivational tune when you’re lost amidst the pile of tests . You’ll for sure feel more confident after hearing the powerful vocals, instruments, and lyrics.

5. Cry On My Shoulder – Deutschland Sucht den Superstar

This song is perfect for every busy school week. When five group projects are due along with two exams, nothing is better than gathering your classmates together for a video chat. Even if it’s just talking, listening to music, or crying on each other’s shoulders, you can sing this song in unison to remind each other that you’ll always be there. 

6. Fight Song – Rachel Platten

Never-ending lasses and high expectations lead us to experience emotional ups and downs. After receiving feedback for an assignment, every college student questions their talents. However, graduating is all about fighting back and proving your abilities. Hence, Fight Song is a great track for students struggling with feelings of doubt. Hearing the words “I’ll play my fight song/And I don’t really care if nobody else believes” can motivate someone to continue giving their best. 

7. Chemicals React – Aly and AJ

If you’re a fan of pop-rock, you’ll remember Aly and AJ. Chemicals React gives each college student an energy boost before and after class. Friends can jam to the chorus together and be reminded of the feelings of nostalgia. 

8. Good Life – OneRepublic

Whenever you miss the days of commuting and traveling, you can think of this song. Moreover, Good Life also uplifts anyone through tough assignments. Just remember that after graduation, it will be “A good, good life.”  

9. Unwritten – Natasha Bedingfield

Unwritten describes the feeling of cramming an essay assignment, which is a very familiar scenario for most of us. When the professor assigns a topic, writing the paragraphs and doing research seems much harder than rocket science. But how can we get rid of that feeling and finish the assignment before the deadline? 

Easy: Adjust your earbuds, and “Release your inhibitions.” 

10. Who Says – Selena Gomez 

If you miss the Disney Channel Selena, now you can relive the moment. When you’re being judged, this song will remind you that you’re on your own path and you shouldn’t listen to what others say.

College is tough and midterms are tedious. But once you have the correct motivation to conquer your weaknesses, you can make it in no time. The last college semester is memorable as it is the last chance for you to prove your potential. And whenever you feel defeated, just remember, “Who says you don’t pass the test?”

Photo by Juan Ramos on Unsplash

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June 15, 2022

The Class of 2026, through their theme songs

Now here you are with your faith And your Peter Pan advice You have no scars on your face And you cannot handle Pressure.

— Pressure by Billy Joel

If supplemental essays were an option when I applied to Providence College back in 2005, there’s a strong chance I would have chosen the prompt that asks, “What would your theme song be and why?” I almost certainly would have selected a Billy Joel song. And if forced to choose which one as I write this message, I’d pick Pressure .

I could try to convince you that my choice is related to the writer’s block high school seniors have while being asked to constantly produce content during the admission process. I could also make the case that there’s pressure within the college search — a process that our staff tries to reduce, but nevertheless persists. To be quite honest, though, this song came to mind because I remember it as one of the most fun to play on piano. It is faster and louder than many of Joel’s ballads. And during my piano lesson days, it was also a nice change of pace from the classical songs my teacher Bev implored me to practice.

Whether an essay about Pressure would’ve impressed the admission counselors who reviewed my PC application is unknown. But I can tell you that our staff was captivated by the thoughtful selections about the theme songs from the students who applied to be part of the Providence College Class of 2026. While I admit that much of the time our decisions are academic, during a selective and holistic process we have the great privilege to consider anything that’s shared with us — including essays about students’ theme songs.

Individually, each of the Class of 2026 applicants reflected on what a song meant to them: how it summarized an experience, reminded them of a loved one, inspired them to push harder, or helped them process a difficult time. Collectively, it makes for quite the playlist! I hope you enjoy listening to the eclectic mix of music that defines our incoming students: 

Our work in choosing and enrolling the Providence College Class of 2026 is now complete. At nearly 1,200 students, they are quite a group. In comparison to the classes we’ve enrolled in the last 15 years, they have the highest average GPA, more are from outside of the Northeast than ever before (international enrollment is also record-breaking), and we have the highest number of incoming finance, social work, biochemistry, and psychology majors that the college has ever seen.

This is an incredibly accomplished class who achieved their goals and thrived while navigating difficult circumstances. And while Billy Joel’s Pressure wasn’t among the theme song submissions, Miley Cyrus’s The Climb was:

There’s always gonna be another mountain I’m always gonna wanna make it move Always gonna be an uphill battle Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose Ain’t about how fast I get there Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side It’s the climb.

Class of 2026, we can’t wait to meet you and to support you on your continued journey upward.

Owen Bligh ’10, ’14G Senior associate dean of admission

1 Cunningham Square Providence, RI 02918 USA +1.401.865.1000

Disclosures

April 13, 2024

November - December 2004 Issue

• \\ ENTERTAINMENT

Usher, Kinky, Trail of Dead and A Tribe Called Quest get thumbs up from our teen reviewers.

• \\ FROM OUR READERS

Teens pick the song they connect with the most.

These are letters we received about stories in the October 2004 issue of L.A. Youth.

• \\ HEADLINES

L.A. Youth contacted teens in several countries to find out what young people are saying about the re-election of George W. Bush.

Essay Contest: What’s your theme song?

Good Charlotte’s "Hold On" 1st Place $50

Author’s name withheld Every 18 minutes another teen dies from suicide. How do I know this? I was a lucky survivor. The song "Hold On" by Good Charlotte was released almost a year prior to my overdose attempt. People say that something as simple as a song cannot help with problems. Well, it can.

When I was lying in that hospital bed, "Hold On" came on the radio in the nurse’s station. It made me realize that I am not the only one who has problems. Suicide is not the answer. Everyone has problems. No one is alone in this world. No matter how lonely you are, there is someone there for you. Now I have come to see that life changes dramatically as you grow. When you are alone, days seem so long and there are many sleepless nights, but society won’t realize what you are going through unless you let them. You can get fed up with life and not want to go any further. If you stop looking, you’ll never know what’s out there waiting for you. I was lonely, in pain and just simply tired of all of the drama. Every step I took, I wished it could be the end. People were so cold and heartless. People didn’t even realize that I was there. Sometimes I thought I was dead already. I had to bleed just to know I was alive.

Now I am scarred for life with the memories of my bad experiences with razors and pills, which never should have happened. I now feel that I should have been stronger and held on to the good things. I just couldn’t bear the pain. Nobody understood what I was going through. When I got around people who committed the same act that I had, I knew then that I wasn’t alone.

Since that night lying in that hospital bed three months ago, I have not self-mutilated or attempted any type of self-induced pain because of that one song telling people like me to hold on. The lyrics so small have a meaning greater than any. The one line that mainly made me think was when it said that everyone bleeds the same way I do. For me that meant that I am not alone. And when it asked what am I looking for, I realized that my problem was that I had no goals, only negative thoughts. So the next time I feel sad or lonely, I will pop Good Charlotte into my stereo and get reminded that suicide is not the answer, and I am not alone.

By Mario Valadez , Aliso HS

If I had to choose a theme song that fits me, it would be "Dear Mama," written by Tupac Shakur, a.k.a. 2Pac. This song relates to my life and the suffering that my sister and I went through with my mother. I connect to this song because it talks about how Tupac and his sister went through a rough life without a dad. Likewise, we also suffered growing up without a dad.

Many things have happened in my life to cause me to relate to this. When I was just 12 years old I liked to hang out with the gangsters from 18th Street. I would get into a lot of trouble just hanging out with them. I got myself in jail just because I listened to the homies. The homies gave me a 22-mm handgun and I took it to school. I got caught and the cops arrested me. I got sentenced to one year in juvenile penitentiary. While I was in jail, my mother came by to visit me and I always hugged her through a barrier of my own making—the "bars of my jail cell."

Tupac’s lyrics affected my life because he rapped about things that were true to me. Tupac doesn’t lie or make up his lyrics like 85 percent of the rappers out there today. Tupac raps, "I reminisced on tha stress I caused, it wuz hell/ hugg’en on my mama from a jail cell/ and who’ed think in elementary, heeey I’d see tha penitentiary." I remember the day that my mom caught me running from the police. She made me go in the house, and as soon as I went in she came to my room. She laid on such a whooping on my backside, you’d have thought I would have learned my lesson. But I guess I’m not the only one because Tupac goes on to rap, "One day running from tha police, that’s right momma catch me—put a whoop’en to my backside."

I still remember the day that my mother and I got into a big argument. I was calling her names that I’m ashamed to say now, "Bi***," and the one that really hurts a mother, "Sl**." I walked angrily out of the house. That’s when I realized that it wasn’t easy for my mom to turn me into a man. Tupac’s song says, "I finally understood for a woman it ain’t easy—trying to raise a man/ ya always wuz committed, a poor single mother on welfare, tell me how you did it."

My mom and my sister always had a bad life and it wasn’t because my mom didn’t care. It was because my mom was struggling to raise two children on her own. Now I know that her life wasn’t easy and sometimes life just isn’t easy for anyone; but excuses were easy. It was hard to learn when I kept getting locked up for doing what I wasn’t supposed to be doing.

As Tupac said to his mother and I will say the same to mine, "There’s no way I can pay you back, but my plan is to show you that I understand, you are appreciated."

By Tommy H-Edwards , Aliso HS

It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the thrill of the fight, rising up to the challenge of our rival." "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor is my theme song. I think this song represents some of the struggles that I have had to go through in the last couple of months. It reminds me that I need to keep going if I want to succeed and make something of myself in the future.

In the last couple of months I have had to pay all the bills—excluding the rent. This is hard when you are still going to school and have to take an hour-long bus ride to and from work. It is also hard because my mom has not gone to work for almost two months and we are getting evicted. This song tells me that I need to keep my head up and keep striving for excellence. If I do that, I will accomplish my goals.

There are two lines in the song that I feel have the most in common with my situation. The first is, "You must fight just to keep them alive." This line I believe is symbolic of my current plight. Since I am paying all the bills and my mom isn’t going to work, I am struggling to keep going and not get burned out on both work and school. If I were to get burned out on school, I would most likely drop out and just work all the time to keep myself from becoming homeless. If I got burned out with work, I would finish school and then just become very lazy and play video games all day at my dad’s house. If both happened, then I would be screwed. I would have to go live with some relatives in Las Vegas.

The line, "Hanging tough, stayin’ hungry" is just another way of saying that I have the hunger/craving to be great at what I do. If I wasn’t hungry for life and what this world has to offer, then I would just roll over and die. The words "hangin’ tough" remind me that I have the determination to go on, even in these trying times. "Just a man and his will to survive" is a line that characterizes me in full. I believe that I have the will to survive whatever life has to throw at me. I believe that I have proven to myself time and time again in the last couple of months that I have what it takes to survive. Though I have done my share of complaining about what has happened, I have never refused to do what is asked of me unless I am unable to do it. Working a part-time job four days a week, barely being able to pay bills, and not having any money for myself is really hard on a teenager. The whole reason most teenagers get jobs is so they can have money to do things with their friends. I don’t think most teenagers would be able to cope with what I have to deal with.

The line, "They stack the odds, still we take to the street," is a reminder to myself that I will go on and continue to live. I will not give up and go gentle into the night. I have "the eye of the tiger."

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