Reading songs through a psychological lens: Part III

Cozyhope thanks its recent interns Tisya Nature and Aboli Shirsalkar for this article. Tisya has recently completed her 12th grade. She is currently located in Mumbai. Aboli is in the third year of an undergraduate degree in Arts. She is located in Nagpur.

When we feel low, we often take shelter in music. They feel like cozy, warm hugs. Speaking from personal experience, songs with lyrics that speak to my heart instantly change my mood. Some songs give us the feeling of companionship with their relatable lyrics, while others give us hope. (Hope that I will pass my exam even though I didn’t study for it. Just kidding.) Listening to uplifting music has a significant effect on our state of hopefulness. The songs addressed and explained below do the same; in a suave, tranquil, and sanguine way.

(=) Equal Sign

By J-hope of BTS

“We have each other, and we make eye contact

There is no one above us

There is no one under us

Let's roll

With love, with trust, with respect

Step by step

We are still indifferent to the world

We need to pay attention

The beginning of change is coming soon

Maybe it's up to us.”

In this song, the singer calls out to the importance of equality amongst humans; and how we depend on each other and should therefore quit discrimination. The singer describes how humans are at the same level as each other. The line 'we make eye contact' portrays that no matter the differences in privileges, we will always make eye contact. The singer encourages respect, trust, and love among us all while enjoying and living our lives. He urges us all to quit apathy and start a chain of changes and new beginnings where we support each other and our different choices.

“A cry without a sound even when I cry out loudly

What do you feel differently about your skin?

We fought our way up fair and square

Confused and frustrated, thе world is wide

But people have a very narrow mind

It doesn't have to be the same

Why is being different a sin?

Beyond age, beyond gender

Across the borders

Maybe it's like homework for everyone

Awaken them that it is just a difference

Not something to discriminate against

Starting with myself

You must know that the victims of prejudice

Are none other than ourselves.”

The singer speaks about how even crying out for our rights and opinions isn’t heard because people have a very closed mind when it comes to change. He speaks about how being different in this world is a “sin”, and stresses upon the uniqueness of every individual. Let’s take the example of queer people in many nations including India. Who we love, our sexuality, and what we identify as is our private choice, but queer people are often discriminated against for these reasons. No one is or has to be the same; being different isn’t a sin. The singer very beautifully states that all the distinctions we create are nothing but differences that make up an individual’s unique identity. Tbh, you might laugh gracefully but I laugh like someone turned on the car windshields on a sunny day. He believes that every one of us has been the victim of unnecessary prejudices. Colourism is one of the major examples of a universal experience of discrimination.

“Hate'll paralyze your mind

Gotta see the other side

It costs ya nothin’ to be kind

Not so different you and I

Lookin' for love in a different light

Until we find that equal sign

Same, the breaths we breathe

Same, the dreams we dream

Same, laughter and tears in life

Same, all things to be respected

Just a piece to give strength

In the puzzle of our hearts

It'll all make sense one day

So I'm singing for love in this world

Come on, let's come together

Equality is you and me.”

As the singer says, it doesn’t benefit anyone when we hate, and being kind to everyone is free of cost. We shouldn’t just see and justify our side, we should also understand the others’ point of view. We are unique, yet aren’t so different and are looking for love in our own ways. The singer shows the beautiful side of life, describing how the dreams we have and breaths we take are all the same and that we should start respecting the tears and laughter around us. He beckons equality and calls for an end to discrimination. People who have undergone constant unfair treatment suffer from low self-esteem and also have higher chances of having depression and anxiety. We need to promote equality to improve the mental health of people, especially the ones who have faced discrimination. Equality is a fundamental right for all, it is a world free of discrimination, as the singer vibrantly concludes the song, “Equality is you and me”. It starts with us.

Do you agree with the ending line of the song mentioned above?

Manzar Naya

By Farhan Akhtar

“Chal chale hum kahin

Come, let’s go somewhere.

Chal rahe kam nahi

Come, there are plenty of paths.

Chal kahe dil jidhar

Come, wherever the heart says,

Chal jayen hum wahin

Come, let’s go there.

Pal pal har kadam

Every moment, every step

Payenge hum ek manzar naya

We’ll find a new scenery.

Pal pal har kadam

Every moment, every step

Payenge hum manzar naya

We’ll find a new scenery.

Chal rahon mein nikal

Move, set out on paths

Chal manzile badal

Move, change your destinations,

Chal thakna rukna kya

Move, what's getting tired and stopping,

Chal yunhi chalta chal.

Move, keep going like this.”

The singer here is speaking about following the path of our hearts, letting ourselves free, and just going down the lane that our heart chooses, step by step, to find a new scenery. K-food world will be my new scenery. What's yours? He is conveying the message to leave our mundane everyday routines for once and try something new. The lyrics are meant to encourage us to explore, find inspiration and evolve continuously. After all, you grow as you flow, isn’t it?

“Koi na samjhe hamari

Nobody understands our restlessness, Why..

Jo betaabiyan hain to kyun

While we are here today, don't know

Kal hum kahaan hon na jaane

Where will we be tomorrow, we never know

Jo aaj hum yahaan hain to kyun

Why are we here today, for what?

Sun humse ye dil hai keh raha

Listen, this heart is saying to us.

Pal pal ye samay hai beh raha.

Every moment, this time is flowing.

Pal pal har kadam

Every moment, every step,

Paayenge hum manzar naya.

We'll find a new scenery.”

The singer then goes on to state how this world doesn’t understand where our restlessness stems from. He says that the lack of knowledge about the future agitates us. The song sings to the individuals who lose sight of the present and live worrying about the future unknown. Uncertainty about the future is found to lead to mental health issues. The singer alludes to how time keeps flowing and how we must make the best of the here and now, which is known. Making the most of the present, he encourages us to keep moving, travelling to new terrains and finding new scenarios of the world and ourselves.

What are some thoughts about the future that consume you? What can you do about them in the present, in the here and now?

Heal The World

By Michael Jackson

“Think about, um, the generations

And, uh, say we want to make it a better place for our children

And our children's children so that they, they

They, they know it's a better world for them

And think if they can make it a better place)

There's a place in your heart

And I know that it is love

And this place it was brighter than tomorrow

And if you really try

You'll find there's no need to cry

In this place you'll feel there's no hurt or sorrow

There are ways to get there

If you care enough for the living

Make a little space

Make a better place.”

The song, ‘Heal the World’ by Michael Jackson is the singer’s hope and prayer for the listeners to heal the world. The singer dreams of an ideal world, where there would be no need to cry or hurt. (Dramatic crying is however allowed :D) His song is a cry for action urging us to envision and act towards building a vibrant world filled with love for the generations to come.

“And the dream we were conceived in will reveal a joyful face

And the world we once believed in will shine again in grace

Then why do we keep strangling life

Wound this earth, crucify its soul?

Though it's plain to see, this world is heavenly

Be god's glow

We could fly so high

Let our spirits never die

In my heart I feel you are all my brothers

Create a world with no fear

Together we cry happy tears

See the nations turn their swords into ploughshares

We could really get there

If you cared enough for the living

Make a little space

To make a better place

Heal the world

You and for me (for a better place)

You and for me (make a better place)

You and for me (heal the world we live in)

You and for me (save it for our children).”

In this anthem with an anti-war theme, the singer expresses grief for life being strangled, for people hurting each other and the earth. He wants to build a world where the children would only cry happy tears and the only weapon wielded would be to plough and feed people. We humans have seen the war times and what it does to our health, be it physical or mental. The impact of war on our mental health ranges from depression, and anxiety to PTSD. The singer thinks this world would heal if we cared enough for the living. He hopes for us to realize that love is the answer to everything in this world; from words to war.

Do you agree with the singer? What are some of your favourite songs on hope?

A world without hope is like a body without the heart. Hope is what drives people to move towards their purpose. I believe music that fills us with hope becomes the melody of our lives that makes us resilient. It helps us escape our reality temporarily and creates a place for us to express our emotions without hesitation. Interacting with music like listening to music, singing, creating, or playing an instrument thus, could shift our perspective, and help us soothe and respond more intentionally to life. Hope you have a harmonious day!