The Good Life-Kenye West
1. What is the song basically saying about how to live a good life? Paraphrase the main idea.
The Video is basically telling people that having a good life equates to having money and women. Fame and popularity and having everyone know you and being "better" than everyone else is part of living the good life, and that he has that and he is living the good life.
2. What lyrics particularly speak to that perspective?
When he sings "shit, they say the best things in life are free" its saying that obviously money and the things you can buy with them are better, "And watch the money pile up, the good life" add that money is conducive to having a good life. He also shows that women are part of it, "And she got the goods/And she got that ass, I got to look" but it seems kind of superficial because he only mentions her body and not any other attributes besides that. Having everyone know him and about him is part of the message too "Now I, I go for mine, I got to shine/Now throw your hands up in the sky/Now I, I go for mine, I got to shine/Now throw your hands up in the sky" This kind of shows that, because the people, his fans, are there to listen to his music and to him "shine".
3. How do the video images support, re-orient, or challenge the dominant theme of the lyrics?
The images support the theme and message of the video by showing Kanye over a crowd of people at the same time the lyrics sing "Now throw your hands up in the sky/Now I, I go for mine, I got to shine", and many of images of women, cheerleaders, a woman in a lowcut shirt, etc. Theres pictures of money piling up, and of different places he can go to like LA or New York, or Miami because he has all this money.
4. What else do you notice that's interesting? Look for internal contradictions, aspects of the message that resonate with other messages from the pop culture, points that connect to your own perspective, etc.
Welcome to the good life
Where we like the girls who ain't on TV
Its funny to them the "good life" starts where they no longer want the "hot" models on tv all the boys go after and the other messages usually tell people that those are the girls other girls want to be like and boys want to "get with".
I don't think he should
50 told me go 'head switch the style up
And if they hate then let 'em hate
He no longer thinks the critism of others is important. I thinks thats a good message because you can't control how others will think of you, so accepting that what will happen will happen makes it alot easier when it does happen. The good life is the point where you can "do as you will"
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1 comment:
I think that your points on Kanye saying criticism is not important is an interesting one and a unique interpretation. Adding on to what you said about the hands waving, could you also say that because the hands are all just rough drawings and not individuals that he doesn't care about his fans / thinks that they are interchangeable? I also think that your point about the women he wants to "get with" are not on TV, breaking stereotype.
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