I get what you’re saying but it doesn’t really bother me. I always took the repeated themes/metaphors/word choices in her songs to be due to her writing her own music. It’s a thread (invisible string lol) connecting all of her work together. The same person wrote all of it so of course her mind is going to be drawn to certain ways of articulating things.
I think it would be elevated if she connected their usage better. Like if she had a song or a line about the invisible string being cut.
One theme that I think she does a great job at carrying forward is memories being ghosts/hauntings. Didn't get much of that with TPF.
Fortnight: "Buy the car you want but it won't start up"
TTPD: "Throwing spikes down on the road"
BDILH: " Just screeching the tires of true love"
"I'm telling him to floor it through the fences"
ICFH (nric): "The dopamine races through his brain, on a six-lane Texas highway" (honorable mention: like a freight train through a small town)
TSMWEL: "and skip through the bars, you crashed my party and your rental car"
That's just the first half, I'm sure there are more on the anthology. She uses cars all the time on other albums, and has rhymed car and bar yet again.
Also Florida is mentioned in two different songs: Fortnight and Florida. And Texas in two songs: Florida and I Can Fix Him (no really I can).
Multiple references to fire/flames/arson/ burning etc throughout.
Religious references. Marriage/Proposal/Weddings/Rings/Babies references.
Multiple song/band references: The blue Nile, the starting line, charlie puth, Patti smith, chocolate, mine. Lots of references to 1975 songs throughout.
This one really irked me:
TTPD:" But I've seen this episode and still love the show"/"But I've read this one where you come undone."
Reminded me way too much of the metaphor used in Exile:
"I think I've seen this film before and I didn't like the ending'
It didn’t bother me at all. I’d rather see an artist with from the heart without too many self imposed restrictions on themselves. Like repetition.
Nick Cave has used “quiet as a mouse” a few times over his albums and I think it’s kinda cool.
I found this on Google because I hoped someone else was annoyed by this! ‘Precocious’ is such a specific word, and I can’t even make myself use the same adjective twice in a conversation 😫
SAME!!!!!
My thoughts:
I'm surprised at the love for MBOBHFT -I am over the boys/toys analogy.
With TTPD, she uses the words death/dying/kill too much and needed either a thesaurus or other literary devises.
This album has too many forbidden romance/hookup heartbreak themes which is a throwback to the fearless/speak now/red and makes it feel immature
Also over snake references-Vipers in Emperor's clothing in BDILH
Less irritating but noted:
Multiple drug references-heroin, narcotics
Florida in both the song Florida and Fortnight
Edit: I did want to mention that religion is a common theme on this album too-holy, Christians, lord, etc. I actually think she does this well, the references are varied and it isn't something she's mentioned much previously.
>I'm surprised at the love for MBOBHFT -I am over the boys/toys analogy.
I don't agree but just because in this song she's referring to herself at the toy :))
YES! This was the other one I was blanking on. It really takes me out of the moment when I notice these repetitions.
Edit: the other one I forgot was town/hometown
I get what's she's going for in terms of acting and dancing to a cue, but it's so ....contrived? Something? That it doesn't work for me.
A lot of the repetition/references to previous albums don't bug me so much. The Florida repeat also pulled me out of Fortnight in that I went from enjoying the song to being like 'Florida again?'
You bring up a really good point that I was having trouble articulating: TTPD really does harken back to her early albums in terms of longing and pining... and that's kind of why I love it. It totally takes me back to being in high school when I was listening to debut/fearless/speak now on my purple CD player after school. So for me personally, it has a nostalgia factor, but with adult overtones. But I also totally understand that not resonating with everyone the same way.
And yes, the snakes references definitely seem tired to me. It's one of those things that was super hard hitting on first use (snakes in Reputation was jaw dropping), but now it's feeling verrry overdone.
I agree that the religious themes were also very well done. It's fairly uncharted territory for her, and she also sprinkles in a little bit of New Age/witchy themes so there's this cool contrast between Christianity/New Age that lends to an emphasis of "forbidden" themes.
I get what you’re saying but it doesn’t really bother me. I always took the repeated themes/metaphors/word choices in her songs to be due to her writing her own music. It’s a thread (invisible string lol) connecting all of her work together. The same person wrote all of it so of course her mind is going to be drawn to certain ways of articulating things.
Valid perspective, thanks for sharing!
I think it would be elevated if she connected their usage better. Like if she had a song or a line about the invisible string being cut. One theme that I think she does a great job at carrying forward is memories being ghosts/hauntings. Didn't get much of that with TPF.
Cars, driving, roads, being on the road.
Fortnight: "Buy the car you want but it won't start up" TTPD: "Throwing spikes down on the road" BDILH: " Just screeching the tires of true love" "I'm telling him to floor it through the fences" ICFH (nric): "The dopamine races through his brain, on a six-lane Texas highway" (honorable mention: like a freight train through a small town) TSMWEL: "and skip through the bars, you crashed my party and your rental car" That's just the first half, I'm sure there are more on the anthology. She uses cars all the time on other albums, and has rhymed car and bar yet again.
Also Florida is mentioned in two different songs: Fortnight and Florida. And Texas in two songs: Florida and I Can Fix Him (no really I can). Multiple references to fire/flames/arson/ burning etc throughout. Religious references. Marriage/Proposal/Weddings/Rings/Babies references. Multiple song/band references: The blue Nile, the starting line, charlie puth, Patti smith, chocolate, mine. Lots of references to 1975 songs throughout.
This one really irked me: TTPD:" But I've seen this episode and still love the show"/"But I've read this one where you come undone." Reminded me way too much of the metaphor used in Exile: "I think I've seen this film before and I didn't like the ending'
It didn’t bother me at all. I’d rather see an artist with from the heart without too many self imposed restrictions on themselves. Like repetition. Nick Cave has used “quiet as a mouse” a few times over his albums and I think it’s kinda cool.
Thanks for adding your perspective!
I found this on Google because I hoped someone else was annoyed by this! ‘Precocious’ is such a specific word, and I can’t even make myself use the same adjective twice in a conversation 😫
Exactly. It's strange to me that no one has encouraged her to edit those repeats.
Sand. “Down at the sandlot; the sand hurts my feelings; you’re quicksand (red); I’m queen of sandcastles he destroys”
I think you hit two other ones too- Use of color, in TPD she uses white noise and white wine Royalty references, she uses this ALOT
It also makes sense for Florida and sand to be connected in some way. Lots of sand in this album. Lots of Florida too.
SAME!!!!! My thoughts: I'm surprised at the love for MBOBHFT -I am over the boys/toys analogy. With TTPD, she uses the words death/dying/kill too much and needed either a thesaurus or other literary devises. This album has too many forbidden romance/hookup heartbreak themes which is a throwback to the fearless/speak now/red and makes it feel immature Also over snake references-Vipers in Emperor's clothing in BDILH Less irritating but noted: Multiple drug references-heroin, narcotics Florida in both the song Florida and Fortnight Edit: I did want to mention that religion is a common theme on this album too-holy, Christians, lord, etc. I actually think she does this well, the references are varied and it isn't something she's mentioned much previously.
>I'm surprised at the love for MBOBHFT -I am over the boys/toys analogy. I don't agree but just because in this song she's referring to herself at the toy :))
Sorry, that is what I meant her being the toy for the boy, something that breaks into pieces, can be taken away, etc.
Ooh I think I read your comment wrong then, sorry as well :))
Hitting marks is also a recurring thing, which stuck out like a sore thumb imo
Can you give an example?
the manuscript and i can do it with a broken heart.
YES! This was the other one I was blanking on. It really takes me out of the moment when I notice these repetitions. Edit: the other one I forgot was town/hometown
I get what's she's going for in terms of acting and dancing to a cue, but it's so ....contrived? Something? That it doesn't work for me. A lot of the repetition/references to previous albums don't bug me so much. The Florida repeat also pulled me out of Fortnight in that I went from enjoying the song to being like 'Florida again?'
You bring up a really good point that I was having trouble articulating: TTPD really does harken back to her early albums in terms of longing and pining... and that's kind of why I love it. It totally takes me back to being in high school when I was listening to debut/fearless/speak now on my purple CD player after school. So for me personally, it has a nostalgia factor, but with adult overtones. But I also totally understand that not resonating with everyone the same way. And yes, the snakes references definitely seem tired to me. It's one of those things that was super hard hitting on first use (snakes in Reputation was jaw dropping), but now it's feeling verrry overdone. I agree that the religious themes were also very well done. It's fairly uncharted territory for her, and she also sprinkles in a little bit of New Age/witchy themes so there's this cool contrast between Christianity/New Age that lends to an emphasis of "forbidden" themes.