Here in the Real World
In today's society the music industry bombards the public with songs containing various subject matter. Each song pertains to a different subject and each song has numerous meanings. All though every song means something diverse, we generalize and assume every style of music has to do with certain subjects. When we think of rap, we assume the song will have something to do with sex, drugs, gangs, and/or violence. When we think of country music, we automatically assume the song will have something to do with broken relationships, pick-up trucks, cowboys, beer and/or dogs. Even though this is the case some of the time, it is not the case all of the time. In country artist Alan Jackson's song, "Here in the Real World," the issue of lost and broken love is discussed, but it goes further into the idea of love and how Hollywood and broadcasting portray the way relationships should be. In the first two lines of Jackson's song, he states some of the greatest assumptions of country music listeners everywhere, "Cowboys don't cry, and heroes don't die/Good always wins, again and again." (lines 1-2) In today's media, the general idea is cowboys are tough and show no emotion, heroes live on and are
In the chorus of Jackson's song, the reality of love is clearly stated. "But here in the real world/ It's not that easy at all...But one thing I learned from you/Is how the boy don't always get the girl/Here in the real world." (lines 5-6, 10-12) These lines state life in its truthfulness. So many times, the media makes love seem like a game a person can never lose. Boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl live happily ever after, etc. Through this portrayal of love and relationships, people assume a state of mind that all is well and all will turn out as they have planned. This is not the case. Love is a game, true, but love is a game where there is no rulebook and almost everything goes. Yes there are unwritten rules to love, but there is no set guide to how the game should be played. The media portrays love as "one big happy", where the steps are laid out in an easy how-to guide, where all one has to do is follow the directions and within four to six weeks he/she should be happily coupled with the mate of his/her choice. No. This is not the way things work, and Jackson does a wonderful job of explaining this in his song. never forgotten, and those who do right are always prosperous. When in the movies has the audience ever seen the good guy die? Does Batman ever lose to The Joker or Penguin? Does Marshal Dillon ever lose to the outlaws?
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 933
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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