ANALYSIS OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE IN THE SONG LYRICS IN RAINBOWS
on
ISSN: 2302-920X
Jurnal Humanis, Fakultas Ilmu Budaya Unud
Vol 16.2 Agustus 2016: 90-94
ANALYSIS OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE IN THE SONG LYRICS IN
RAINBOWS
Laurentia Talitha Permatasari 1* I Made Winaya2 Ni Ketut Sri Rahayuni3 [123]English Department, Faculty of Letters and Culture, Udayana University 1[talitha1991@yahoo.ca]2[made_winaya@unud.ac.id] 3[ketutsrirahayuni@gmail.com]
*
Corresponding Author
Abstrak
Penelitian ini berjudul "Analisis Bahasa Figuratif dalam Lirik-Lirik Lagu In Rainbows”. Fokus dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis dan mengidentifikasi bahasa kiasan yang digunakan dalam lirik-lirik lagu, serta untuk mengetahui tema yang disampaikan dalam lirik lagu. Data diambil dari album In Rainbows oleh Radiohead. Tiga lagu yang dipilih adalah “Nude”, “All I Need”, dan “Videotape”. Data dalam tulisan ini diperoleh melalui penelitian kepustakaan. Teori yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini berdasarkan pada teori bahasa kiasan yang diusulkan oleh Knickerbocker dan Reninger (1963) dan didukung oleh teori lain yang diusulkan oleh Leech (1974). Temuan penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa ada empat jenis bahasa kiasan yang ditemukan dalam lirik-lirik lagu tersebut, yaitu metafora, hiperbola, paradoks, dan metonimi. Metafora merupakan jenis bahasa kiasan yang paling sering digunakan diantara ketiga lirik lagu tersebut. Tema dari ketiga lirik lagu tersebut ialah tentang kekecewaan, depresi, cinta, dan kesedihan. Lagu-lagu Radiohead sangat menarik untuk didengarkan dan dapat membuat kita berimajinasi secara berbeda mengenai puisi dan musik.
Kata kunci: Kecewa, Depresi, dan Cinta.
In order to create song lyrics, the writer needs imagination and figurative sense. The lyric usually contains words which are beautiful words yet difficult to understand and presented in various ways and full of figure of speech to represent the writer’s feelings. When the writer uses figurative language in lyrics, he usually trick the language because he wants to create the implied meaning that will make people think deeply about the meaning.
In interpreting the expression of figurative language, people will use the power of their imagination to imagine what expression and think what the meaning behind it. It is necessary to learn how to interpret the figure of speech to understand the
meaning of the song lyric. By analyzing a lyric we will find certain values which are expressed through certain language patterning including the use of figurative language. In this context, figurative language seems to be so important to support the poet’s imagination in combining the physical reality with an inner mood. Figurative language are dependent on the situation of communication and context in which a word is used and this seems to be characteristic of languages in general.
The focus of this study is to analyze figurative language that is used in lyric of songs because it is one of interesting things that attracts my attention. Radiohead (1985 – Present) is one of the best musicians who tends to use more and more varied figurative language in their song lyrics than other songwritters that inspired me a lot.
Unrecognized by the vast majority of people, Radiohead are at the same time the most lauded and acclaimed band active in the world today. Their lyrics makes you think a little differently about both poetry and music. The song lyrics will be taken from Radiohead album called In Rainbows. The three songs are “Nude”, “All I Need”, and “Videotape” (2007). By learning the figure of speech in the lyric of songs, hopefully we will understand what actually the writer wants to convey in that songs.
Based on the background above, the problems of the study related to the analysis of the song lyrics could be formulated as follows:
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1. What kinds of figure of speech are found in Radiohead’s song lyrics?
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2. What is the theme that the writer wants to convey in those song lyrics?
There are some aims in conducting this study namely:
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1. To identify the kinds of figure speech found in Radiohead’s song lyrics.
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2. To establish the theme of those song in lyrics.
Research method is a system or procedure that is used in to order to examine certain objects. The method and technique of collection data is document method which will be explained how the data will be taken from the sources and how those data is will
be analyzed. The method which are used in this study include such as aspects as follows: Data source, Method and Technique of Collecting Data, Method and Technique of Analyzing Data.
Based on purposes of the study, the analysis was divided into two; the first one was kinds of figurative language which were used in the song lyrics by Radiohead, and the second one was the theme of each song and its relation with figurative language in the lyrics.
I am all the days, that you choose to ignore (All I Need)
These sentence is also the use of metaphor. The writer interpret himself as “a day”, which in this song the lyric became “days” because he sees her on a day by day basis. That said, she doesn’t notice him very often. Even though he finally has her as his partner, he feels neglected and ignored by her.
You are my center when I spin away
Out of control on videotape (Videotape)
These line show the use of hyperbole as an exaggeration used to emphasize a point. A hyperbole is not to be taken literally. In this stanza the writer is explaining to the person that the video is intended for, that he is bearing his soul and he may spin out of control emotionally as he speaks about the person he loves so much.
You paint yourself white and fill up with noise (Nude)
Those sentences show the use of paradox, a statement of which surface on obvious meaning seems to be illogical even absurd, but making a good sense
upon closer examination (Knickerbocker and Reninger, 367). So, in this sentence painting oneself white would mean the ambivalence of being pure or clean. In other words, like a clean blank paper the writer tries to move on by start a fresh and new life and fill himself with other stuffs, in this case “noise”. However, even though he already move on with his life and convince himself about these things he want to achieve, he felt that there will always be something missing in his life and yet he has no idea what it is. Probably he’s missing happiness in his life.
When Mephistopheles is just beneath
And he’s reaching up to grab me (Videotape)
These line also show the use of metonymy as describing one thing by using the term for another thing closely associated with it. Mephistopheles is a name given to one of the chief demons of Christian mythology that figure in European literary traditions. The name is frequently used as an alternative form of Satan or the Devil. These lines is to say that he probably won’t be entering heaven as the devil would grab him and take him to hell.
In the song Nude, the figurative language such as metaphor, hyperbole and paradox it’s likely used to describe about self doubt, disappointment, and depression. At some point, its even seems to desribe the pain and dissatisfaction inherent in modern existence.
The figurative language such as metaphor was used by the writer to describe how desperate is someone for being loved back. It’s likely about unrequited love in this song . He’s confused and devastated whether he’d like to continue his relationship or just quit it.
In the song Videotape the figurative language such as metonymy describe about how a dying man leaves a videotape as a farewell message to his
loved ones. He can’t bear to say goodbye face to face to his loved ones. However, he faces death without fear and can really appreciate everything he had, celebrating the love of close ones and the beautiful times they had together.
Based on the analysis that has been done, there were several conclusions that could be drawn. From the three song lyrics that have been analyzed, there were found four types of figurative languages; metaphor, hyperbole, paradox, and metonymy. The first song which entitled Nude were about self doubt, dissapointment, and depression. The theme of the second song lyric All I Need were about the pain of loving someone who doesn’t feel the same way which called an unrequited love or one-sided love. The last song entitled Videotape the theme is about a dying man leaves a farewell message to his beloved ones by recorded it through a videotape. The writer believes by using figurative language makes the songs more interesting, easy listening, and give effects to people’s imagination in interpreting of the meaning behind it. In addition, the use of figurative language makes people easier to imagine the things that are being compared by the composer in the song lyrics. Songs is up for interpretation, especially when it comes to Radiohead.
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Daiches, David. 1964. A Study of Literature for Readers And Critics. New York: W.W. Norton Co, Inc.
Doheny, James. 2002. Radiohead: The Stories Behind Every Song. London: Carlton Books Limited.
Knickerbocker, K. L. and H.W. Reninger. 1963. Interpreting Literature. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Leech, G.N. 1974. Semantics. Auxland: Penguin Books.
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