Everyday on the radio we listen to the hottest and freshest beats, but have you ever stopped to wonder what the lyrics really say, or what kind of subliminal messages may be hiding in today’s radio hits?Billboard.com’s Hot 100 chart lists the most popular up and coming artists in America. Here’s a breakdown of the five top songs heating the Hot 100 as of Friday, complete with a lyrical analysis provided by Songmeanings.net:
1. T.I. Featuring Rihanna, “Live Your Life”
The chart-topping T.I. teams up with Barbadian babe Rihanna to draft this pumping anthem about the importance of being true to yourself and, well, living your life. Don’t mind the “hatas”, T.I. advises, “Just live your life.” Does Rihanna’s backup croon sound familiar? The two sampled the track, “Dragostea Din Tei” by O-Zone, made famous from a YouTube video with a hilarious dancing boy in headphones. If anything, take this note from the song: “You’re gonna be a shinin’ star.”
2. T.I., “Whatever You Like”
T.I., being the gentleman that he is, offers to grant his lucky lady any gift to her heart’s content, whether it may be “big boy rides” or “big boy ice”. It’s nice for Candle Guy to cater to his girl; but big boy ice aside, he must know that ladies don’t need expensive gifts or material objects for a passage to their hearts. Money can’t buy love, T.I.
3. Katy Perry, “Hot N Cold”
Katy Perry, as adorable as she is, carps on her partner’s inability to commit. “Like a girl changes clothes,” his emotions fluctuate. Katy tires of the “love bipolar” rollercoaster ride, which may explain why she kissed a girl. However, “Hot N Cold” may be about something else entirely. Fan ChickenGoujons proposes, “I think this song is about the showers in the women’s prison.”
4. Kanye West, “Heartless”
“How could you be so Heartless?”, asks the famous college dropout. Do you figure he’s talking about George Bush a la Hurricane Katrina? Jokes aside, Kanye pours his raw heart out to his sweetheart, while she consults her friends about leaving him; “You run and tell your friends that you leavin’ me.” But it is evident that Kanye still loves her. “They don’t know what we been through,” he sings, “They don’t know ’bout me and you.” Despite the fights, Kanye knows his lover will regret her mistake. “You won’t find nobody better than me,” he professes.
5. Beyonce, “If I Were a Boy”
If she were a boy, she would be named Sasha Fierce. At least, that’s what her new stage name is, according to her new album title, I Am- Sasha Fierce. Similar to Ciara’s “Like a Boy,” Beyonce’s new single asserts that she would make a better lover as a boy than the current male population: “But you’re just a boy. You don’t understand how it feels to love a girl.” It’s a bitter song that decries men who mistreat women. However, not all men are the same, Beyonce. There are nice gentleman out there who treat women with respect and love-what we all, boys and girls alike, deserve.
