Song Analysis of Hot and Cold

Song Analysis: Hot and Cold – Katy Perry

 

You change your mind
Like a girl changes clothes
Yeah you, PMS
Like a bitch
I would know

[Clearly women change their clothes often, at least stereotypically they do. I think this is more true of women in the West than around the world. I doubt that women living in small villages in Africa are likely to change their clothes on the hour. The singer is criticizing her boyfriend/husband/lover for being too indecisive. Interestingly, PMS is used as a verb here. Since irritability is one of the most well-known symptoms of pre-menstrual syndrome, to PMS means to act irritably.]

 

And you over think
Always speak
Cryptically

I should know
That you’re no good for me

[She seems to think this guy is too cerebral. He speaks cryptically, perhaps like Alan Greenspan. This isn’t a good fit for her. She seems to be more spontaneous and less likely to over-think things.}

[CHORUS]
Cause you’re hot then you’re cold
You’re yes then you’re no
You’re in then you’re out
You’re up then you’re down
You’re wrong when it’s right
It’s black and it’s white
We fight, we break up
We kiss, we make up
(you) You don’t really want to stay, no
(but you) But you don’t really want to go-o
You’re hot then you’re cold
You’re yes then you’re no
You’re in and you’re out
You’re up and you’re down

[She describes this guy as always going from one extreme to the other. He’s hot then he’s cold. I don’t think she’s talking about temperature. She means that he’s passionate one minute and apathetic the next. She says he’s yes and then no, meaning he can’t make up his mind. The next two seem sexual to me. Being “in” and then “out” as well as “up” and then “down.”

 

Her relationship is stormy. The two fight with each other, break-up and then miss each other, making up. If you want to see a comical version of this break up/ make up cycle, look for the Seinfeld episode where Elaine and Putty can’t decide what to do with their relationship. The episode is called “The Voice.”]

 

We used to be
Just like twins
So in sync
The same energy
Now’s a dead battery
Used to laugh bout nothing
Now your plain boring

I should know that
You’re not gonna change

 

[She talks about having the same energy as her guy. At one time, they seemed perfectly in sync. But now, they have no energy just like a dead battery. Similarly, their conversations used to be easy and they would laugh over trivialities. But now, she finds him boring. The last line here seems ironic to me because she claims he’s “never gonna change.” But it seems that her problem with him used to be that he changed too much – going from hot to cold so fast.[

[CHORUS]

Someone call the doctor
Got a case of a love bipolar
Stuck on a roller coaster
Can’t get off this ride

You change your mind
Like a girl changes clothes

[She compares her relationship to bi-polar disorder, otherwise known as manic depression. In bipolar disorder, the patient rapidly oscillates from states of high energy and happiness to states of low energy and sadness. She also compares it to a roller coaster with its frequent highs and lows. She wants to end the relationship but can’t figure out how.]

[CHORUS]

Prophet Muhammad’s Love of Children

Today I had the opportunity to judge some original speeches written and performed by Muslim children at the Muslim Community Center (MCC). I heard third, fourth, and fifth graders speak about Prophet Muhammad (salla allahu alaihi wa salaam, peace and blessings be upon him) and his love for children. I thought that it was an excellent topic, not just for children, but for all Muslims. It made me wonder why it is so rare to hear a khutba about Prophet Muhammad (S)’s love for children.

Why did Muhammad (S) love children? He saw children as a blessing from Allah, Subhana wa Ta’ala (Glorified and Most High). He was sent as mercy to all mankind and that includes children. Also, he was very conscious of the fact that it was the youth of Arabia who would carry his message into the future. He knew that young children would remember him long after he was gone and transmit his stories to later generations.

How did Our Prophet (S) show his love for children? One story that many children shared with me today was the story of the racing children. Muhammad (S) stretched out his arms and told some children to race to him saying that he would reward them with prizes. The children quickly ran toward him, tackling him to the ground and falling all around him. Then the Prophet (S) joyously handed out sweets to the children. This shows that the Prophet (S) had a special place in his heart for children and that he knew how to make them happy.

This is not the only way that his love for children manifested itself. When he led prayer, Our Prophet (S) preferred to recite longer surahs and passages from The Holy Quran. However, when he heard a child crying in the congregation, he would shorten his recitation so that the child’s mother or father could attend to him or her. This shows that he cared about children, wanting to protect them from distress.

What did the Prophet (S) tell people about children? One of the most famous Hadith (Sayings of Prophet Muhammad) about children says, “He who does not show compassion to the young and respect to the elderly is not one of us.” (Collections of Ahmad and At-Tirmidhi). So the Prophet (S) believed that compassion toward children represented an essential part of the Muslim identity. Also, many children today cited the example of the man with ten children. Prophet Muhammad was kissing his grandchildren, Hadrat Hasan (radiallahu an, May Allah be pleased with him) and Hadrat Hussain (radiallahu an).  One of the Companions said, “I have ten children and I have never kissed any of them.” Prophet Muhammad (S) declared, “He who does not show mercy will not receive mercy.”(Collections of Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim).

Why should we show love to children? It is part of the fitra, or the innate good nature of humanity, to show love to children. When we show love to children, we demonstrate one of the best aspects of humanity. A hadith, and I am unsure of the strength of this hadith, says that Allah loves us more than seventy mothers love their children. If Allah loves us so deeply, should not we love each other? By showing love to children, we are showing Allah gratitude for his love. The Prophet (S) set an example of compassion, mercy, grace, and love toward children. By showing love to children we are following the footsteps of the most noble man who ever lived.

In conclusion, Prophet Muhammad expressed his love for children in both words and actions. By showing our children love we demonstrate our humanity, our love for Prophet Muhammad (S), and our love for Allah (SWT).

Sweetheart

She picks up coffee at a little neighborhood cafe

Starbucks too oppressively corporate

She pours on the milk and multiple sugars

Her face lights up as she tells the cashier, “Have a nice day.”

Like a candle, she imparts her light to those nearby

A routine prayer passes between her lips

Before she starts up her gas-electric hybrid Accord

And with a whisper she starts to fly.

But not before letting the elderly Polish woman go ahead

She’s not always this obsequiously polite

Truth be told, sometimes the sweetness sticks in her mouth

Like the juice of a cherry popsicle, syrupy and red.

One day the repressed rage and hidden discontent will surface

And she will make the nearest man miserable

Be it husband, father, brother, or lover

And will leave him feeling confused and nervous.

Quo Vadis?

It’s a great question, a fundamental question, a question that is at once both mundane and existential.

What does it mean? We don’t all speak Latin. Yes, I know. Just like English has its five w’s – who, what, where, when, and why, Latin has five q’s – quis, quid, quo, quando, and quare. Quo is equivalent to “where”. The word “vadis” is a verb that comes from the same root as the English words “invade” and “pervade.”  It’s the 2nd person singular present active indicative form, so it means “you are going.” So “Quo vadis?” means “Where are you going?”

This same question occurs in both the New Testament and in the Quran. But in context, it has two different meanings.

In the New Testament, it comes in John 13:36, the New International Version (NIV) puts it thus:

“Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

Without delving too deep into Christian lore, I’ll give you the basics. Peter, one of the Twelve Disciples, saw this vision of Jesus (alaihis salaam [peace be upon him]) after Jesus had died. The vision served to guide Peter to return to Rome, where he too was crucified.

In the Quran, the question comes near the end of Surah Takwir, the 81st surah in the Quran. The surah begins with a dramatic description of the Day of Judgment. It says, “When the Sun is shrouded in darkness (1) and when the stars lose their light (2) and when the mountains are made to vanish (3) and when she-camels big with young, about to give birth, are left untended (4) and when all beasts are gathered together (5) and when the seas boil over (6).”

This epic account stretches the limits of human imagination. How could the Sun, the source of light and heat for our Solar System, be covered in darkness? How could huge, immovable mountains just vanish? Mountains don’t just disappear. Imagine going hiking with someone who was following a map, and then you get to a point and stop and then that person says, “Hmm, there should be a mountain here. I wonder where it went.” I mean, how crazy would that be?

The example of the she-camels is a bit hard to translate from 7th century Arabia to 21st century U.S. but I’ll try. Imagine you had a brand-new Mercedes McLaren (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_SLR_McLaren) and a guarantee from Mercedes Benz that as soon as you got tired of this one, you could have another brand-new Mercedes. That gives you some idea as to how much Arabs prized pregnant she-camels. And what a catastrophe it would take to get them to abandon them.

The end of the surah has Allah posing a question to all of humanity, “Where are you going?” (81:26). And this is a deep question. One could look at it as a simple duality – Am I going to heaven or to hell? But there is not just one heaven, in Islamic eschatology there are seven heavens or seven levels of heaven and seven levels of hell too.

And if one is sincerely asking one’s self that question, one must look at the sum total of his or her deeds in this life. One must examine every relationship, every decision, every promise, and more.

But perhaps that is more than we are capable of, at least right now.

So maybe a more appropriate question is where am I going today? Did my actions today lead me a little closer to heaven or did they bring me down lower? Who did I help today? Who did I hurt today?

Quo vadis? It’s a profound question.

Song Analysis of (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

Satisfaction

Song Analysis of (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

I can’t get no satisfaction,
I can’t get no satisfaction.
‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can’t get no, I can’t get no.

[The speaker is saying that he can't get any satisfaction. He uses a double-negative here. The double-negative gives the song a slanginess that probably appealed to the youth of the 60's, the era when this song was released. American and British slang both use double-negatives. He says he tries over and over again but to no avail.]
When I’m drivin’ in my car
and that man comes on the radio
and he’s tellin’ me more and more
about some useless information
supposed to fire my imagination.
I can’t get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that’s what I say.

[He talks about driving. Car culture was critical to the changes that occurred in America in the 50's and 60's. Cars offered mobility and freedom. He's also talking about media. The man on the radio is probably speaking as part of an ad, but I suppose he could be a DJ or a radio personality.]

I can’t get no satisfaction,
I can’t get no satisfaction.
‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can’t get no, I can’t get no.

When I’m watchin’ my TV
and that man comes on to tell me
how white my shirts can be.
Well he can’t be a man ’cause he doesn’t smoke
the same cigarettes as me.
I can’t get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that’s what I say.

[Now he's talking about watching TV, probably at home. It seems he's referring to a commercial for either detergent or bleach, singing, "how white my shirts can be." He shows how pervasive advertising is because it follows him wherever he goes, whether in his car or at home. I love the lines where he says, "Well he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke/ the same cigarettes as me." I thought it was ridiculous for a person to look down on someone merely based on the brand of cigarettes he smokes. But as a lifelong non-smoker, I just didn't get it. Recently, I was reading When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris and he compares selecting a brand of cigarettes to choosing a religion. So smokers really do care about what brand they are smoking.]
I can’t get no satisfaction,
I can’t get no girl with action.
‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can’t get no, I can’t get no.

When I’m ridin’ round the world
and I’m doin’ this and I’m signing that
and I’m tryin’ to make some girl
who tells me baby better come back later next week
’cause you see I’m on losing streak.
I can’t get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that’s what I say.

[He says he "can't get no satisfaction" and he "can't get no girl with action." Many critics believe this song is all about sex and sexual gratification. Others say it's about rampant commercialism. I think they're both right. This part definitely seems to be about sex. He's complaining about "trying to make some girl," i.e. trying to make her have sex with him. And he says he's on a losing streak, meaning that he keeps striking out with girls.

Wikipedia has some additional info on the song. It explains, ""(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is a hit riff-driven rock song (a vocal song with a repeated instrumental riff like "Back in Black," "Walk This Way," or "Iron Man.") written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for The Rolling Stones and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song as number 2 on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time,^[1] while VH1 placed it at number 1 on its “100 Greatest Songs of Rock & Roll” list.^“ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(I_Can%27t_Get_No)_Satisfaction)]
I can’t get no, I can’t get no,
I can’t get no satisfaction,
no satisfaction, no satisfaction, no satisfaction

Jeopardy! Part 2

Easy

Who is Robert E. Lee?

Medium

What is tin?

Cruel

What is an ear?