ipl-logo

Song Analysis Of The Song Tick, Boom ! By Jonathan Larson

437 Words2 Pages

Tick, Tick… Boom! is a musical that portrays the life of Jonathan Larson, an aspiring playwright. He is offered an opportunity to present the musical he has been working on to other playwrights and producers who could potentially get him a spot on Broadway. While working on the musical Jonathan becomes overwhelmed with being unable to write what he calls "the most important song of the whole production". It is in this mental state that he learns that his best friend, Michael, has contracted HIV, a disease that has no treatment at the time and would result in death. Jonathan uses the song "Why" to explore his past lyrics and emotions and discover new revelations after the discovery that his friend is dying. A central theme of the song is how Jonathan doesn't want to waste time. Even out of context, this is a powerful and relatable message, but it is made more impactful after learning that his friend is dying. In the song, Michael becomes Jonathan's motivation. Before this, Jonathan felt like he was running out of time to create his musical, but now he feels regret for not understanding his friend's struggles with running out of time. In the song, he expresses that "With only so much time to spend / [I] …show more content…

Earlier in the movie Jonathan and his girlfriend break up over disagreements on priorities. His girlfriend believes that Jonathan cares more about his work than he does about her. Jonathan goes on to funnel his hurt emotions into creating a song for his musical. In the song he wrote, the singer switches between his former girlfriend and the singer for his musical. They both sing the lyrics "Come to your senses / Defenses are not the way to go." By repeating these lyrics in this song, Jonathan develops the meaning of the lyrics from a girlfriend wanting her boyfriend to acknowledge her into Jonathan chastising his past actions. He's telling himself to come to his senses and focus on doing what he loves,

Show More
Related

  • Song Analysis Of Danny's Song By Kenny Loggins

    477 Words  | 2 Pages

    Frank Ocean once said, “When you 're happy, you enjoy the music. But when you 're sad, you understand the lyrics.” Why does one have to be sad to “understand the lyrics”? Evaluating a song and being given the ability to relate enhances one’s respect for the composer. For example, when one first listens to “Danny’s Song” by Kenny Loggins, they probably believe the song is about love, however, once a person analyzes the lyrics the realize that the song is actually a story of a couple who are having a baby boy.

    Read More

  • Thematic Comparison: Michael Lewis Overcoming Obstacles

    937 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the quote from the song “I Will Remember You” McLachlan is singing about remembering those who had an impact on our lives. The song “I Will Remember You” by McLachlan is about impact and reveals that remembering people who had an effect on you will make you a better person. These quotes are tied together because Leigh Anne is standing up for Michael and his not-so-good grades while the song is about remembering people who impacted you or went so far out of their way to help you get through a tough time. Michael’s grades have been struggling from the start, but Leigh Anne comes up with a way to change Michael's life for the better. In the song, McLachlan is remembering all the people who changed her life for the better, the same way Leigh Anne did for Michael so he could become a college football player and a scholar.

    Read More

  • Hi Tracie: An Insight To A Natural Day In A Person's Life

    181 Words  | 1 Pages

    Hi Tracie, Banks makes a good point about the human condition and gives an insight to a natural day in people’s life. In the story, I love the idea of losing. The loss is an unavoidable event found in everyday life and a crisis like a bomb explodes in someone’s life because it is not something that tends to cause pleasure when experienced. Throughout the story, the character Chappie experiences the loss of something that is very important to him, which is his parent. This loss triggered a feeling of lack of meaning and purpose in life within him.

    Read More

  • Mckay Figurative Language

    611 Words  | 3 Pages

    He uses an inspiring tone to encourage the reader that the things in this life are worth fighting for and worth fighting against. His ultimate goal is to emphasize to the reader that we should not let our life go to waste, since it is guaranteed to end one day.

    Read More

  • Mac Miller Research Paper

    741 Words  | 3 Pages

    / I could fly home with my eyes closed / But it gets kinda hard to see, that's no surprise though. " These lyrics revealed the extent of his despair and his sense of hopelessness, and they hinted at the self-destructive behaviors that would ultimately lead to his

    Read More

  • Mac Miller Research Paper

    998 Words  | 4 Pages

    He rapped about the difficulties of being in the public eye, singing “I’m stuck inside my ways, I might just end up driving on the wrong side of the road/ And if I crash, don’t be surprised, it happens all the time(Miller).” These lines reveal the toll that fame was taking on him, and foreshadowed the struggles to come. As his addiction worsened his lyrics became increasingly genuine, exposing his hidden self to his fans. As seen in his song “Circles,” he sings, “Stumblin’ around, you’ve been guessin’ your direction, next step you can’t see at all/

    Read More

  • George Watsky Accomplishments

    655 Words  | 3 Pages

    The song has a more positive take on life. Watsky talks about how all of his hard work will pay off and that he will have time to rest once he has moved on. He accepts that he cannot live forever, so he is going to make the most of it while he is here. The song is about worrying what you can control, and to stop dwelling on situations that are out of your hands. The track incorporates a chorus that really ties in well with the rest of the track.”

    Read More

  • Examples Of Cluster Criticism

    1876 Words  | 8 Pages

    Here, John Cooper is explaining how the song was influenced by the couple’s story of abortion. However, this can be perceived as a pro-life argument in the disguise of a song. With Cooper giving his say of how this song hopes to impact his audience, we will continue to go in deeper

    Read More

  • Song Analysis Of All That Jazz By Renee Zellweger

    672 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Rob Marshall's 2002 adaptation of Chicacgo, he entertains the audience through satirical showings of 1920’s Chicago's crime scene, through the use of showtunes and jazz. An example of the film's musical structure is through the film's opening number “All That Jazz”. Throughout the sequence, the audience is introduced to the two lead murderesses of the film. Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) arrives at the jazz club for a performance, out in the audience is the other lead of the film Roxie Hart, played by Renee Zellweger. Roxie is an aspiring performer, who watches Velma in awe, imagining herself up on the stage performing.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Songs That Relate To The Crucible

    839 Words  | 4 Pages

    The song, “Fight For You” by Jason Derulo relates to the character John Proctor in The Crucible when all of his friends and wife get convicted. John Proctor was with his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, in their household, when Elizabeth was sentenced to jail, and when they heard how the trials have been running. Proctor broke down as soon as this event occurred and forced Mary Warren to follow him to the court the next day. He relates to Derulo’s song because, during his time in the court, he continuously fought and tried to prove his wife’s and friends’ innocence. The lyrics, “It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you” are very similar to how John Proctor would react when Judge Danforth repeatedly disregarded what he had to say.

    Read More

  • Fahrenheit 451 Song Analysis

    704 Words  | 3 Pages

    The five song playlist that I chose is Fireworks, Set fire to the rain, The way, Love the way you lie and Firestones. All of these songs relates to the novel in different ways. The song Fireworks by katy Perry relates to the novel Fahrenheit 451 because in this song it is saying if you ever feel Like a plastic bag drifting through the wind wanting to start again. Guy Montag had committed mistakes that he might regretted.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Poem 'Talk' By Terrance Hayes

    409 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the next few lines the speaker says he did not hit the friend, he simply pretended as if he didn’t hear him. That says a lot about the speaker, it shows he is wise and does not let words affect him.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Born In The USA

    793 Words  | 4 Pages

    By doing this, Springsteen establishes credibility by making sure the listener can understand that this song is a tragedy and his life was doomed from

    Read More

  • Song Analysis Of The Song: Unwritten By Natasha Bedingfield

    714 Words  | 3 Pages

    The song that I chose was “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. It was released in 2004, and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It also hit number five on the Billboard Hot 100. Natasha Bedingfield has another popular song “Pocketful of Sunshine” and was really only popular in 2004-2006. You can find her songs on multiple 00’s playlists.

    Read More

  • Michael Jackson The Man In The Mirror Analysis

    1592 Words  | 7 Pages

    Especially when he sings “for once in my life”, his singing becomes close to a whisper and it is long and drawn out, which leads listeners to believe that the singer is ashamed. He then goes into the lines “It’s gonna feel real good, gonna make a difference, gonna make it right” (stanza 1, lines 3-4), which means that he wants to make up for all the times he has disregarded those who may be suffering. He feels almost guilty, so it will feel good to get rid of that burden and to

    Read More

More about Song Analysis Of The Song Tick, Boom ! By Jonathan Larson

Open Document