yay America!

As I was watching Spongebob this morning, I came across a song called "Make It In America" by Victoria Justice... Ironically, this song seems very similar to Miley Cyrus's "Party In The USA."
Before you look at the lyrics, think through what you think the similarities are. I underlined what I noticed and the paragraph below the videos tells what I think these videos are saying about society, mankind, and the person who wrote these songs.

Got a one way ticket down a 2 way street. Got the wind in my hair and there’s dust on my feet. I’m just trying to make it in America. Only thing to my name is an old t-shirt faded 1985 from a Stones’ concert.

And I’m dying to make it in America. And I’m singing the words to my favorite song with the rag top down and my glasses on, and I’m driving straight through America

[Chorus] I wanna taste the sun cause baby I’m born to run. I got a feeling that I’m not the only one. I wanna show some skin. Yeah baby I need the ocean, and you can’t stop me now. I’ve got my heart in motion; I want to make it in America.

I can see my star sunset and vine Gonna carve my name in the Hollywood sign. Yeah I gotta, gotta make it in America. See me wearin’ a smile, even if I’m broke. I’ll be singing the words from a song I wrote, and I called it Make It In America.

[Chorus]

I can feel the sweat dripping down my face. I can hear my heart as it starts to race. Yeah sometimes this world’s such a lonely place. If I just push on I know that.

[Chorus]

I hopped off the plane at L.A.X. With a dream and my cardigan. Welcome to the land of fame excess, am I gonna fit in? Jumped in the cab; here I am for the first time. Look to my right and I see the Hollywood sign. This is all so crazy. Everybody seems so famous. My tummy's turnin' and I'm feelin' kinda home sick. Too much pressure and I'm nervous, that's when the taxi man turned on the radio, and a Jay-Z song was on

[Chorus] So I put my hands up. They're playing my song, and the butterflies fly away. I'm noddin' my head like yeah. I'm movin' my hips like yeah. I got my hands up; they're playin' my song. I know I'm gonna be OK. Yeah, it's a party in the USA

Get to the club in my taxi cab. Everybody's looking at me now, like "Who's that chick, that's rockin' kicks? She gotta be from out of town" So hard with my girls not around me. It's definitely not a Nashville party 'cause all I see are stilettos. I guess I never got the memo. My tummy's turnin' and I'm feelin' kinda home sick. Too much pressure and I'm nervous. That's when the D.J. dropped my favorite tune, and a Britney song was on.

[Chorus]

Feel like hoppin' on a flight back to my hometown tonight. Something stops me every time: The DJ plays my song and I feel alright.

[Chorus]

America is the land of opportunity. Both of these songs address the excitement and nerves of starting life in America; however, the life they describe is the famous American life in Hollywood of a "struggling" artist. Everyone knows that Miley Cyrus and Victoria Justice have never been struggling artists though, but they show the ability to make something out of nothing in America. Both of these songs show the patriotism of America, in other words "America is the best!" One reason these songs sell so well is because Americans love America, and these songs reinforce how amazing America is, that everyone has the ability to be rich and famous no matter where you've come from. I wonder if it's any coincidence that these songs come out during on of the biggest economic crisises in America. Much frustration has been angled at the American government, but these songs bring back the idea of the "Land of Opportunity" restoring patriotism  in people. It's hard not to listen to these songs and not feel some patriotism for me as an American.

Another thing that these songs emphasize is the desire to be yourself. Victoria talks about her favorite t-shirt and her favorite song, and Miley talks about Nashville and being a southern girl with her boots. An interesting connection I found was the importance of music to both of these girls. Music makes them feel at home and like themselves. This really shows the importance of music to society, especially to the adolescent and young adult society. 

I noticed this similarity and found it something interesting to analyze. Just some more thoughts to provoke. You can learn so much from what is out there, on television or on the radio. You can see what's important to society and even to you.

"John Wayne Gacy, Jr." - Sufjan Stevens

His father was a drinker 
And his mother cried in bed 
Folding John Wayne's T-shirts 
When the swingset hit his head 
The neighbors they adored him 
For his humor and his conversation 
Look underneath the house there 

Find the few living things 
Rotting fast in their sleep of the dead 
Twenty-seven people, even more 
They were boys with their cars, summer jobs 
Oh my God 


Are you one of them? 


He dressed up like a clown for them 
With his face paint white and red 
And on his best behavior 
In a dark room on the bed he kissed them all 
He'd kill ten thousand people 
With a sleight of his hand 
Running far, running fast to the dead 
He took off all their clothes for them 
He put a cloth on their lips 
Quiet hands, quiet kiss 
On the mouth 


And in my best behavior 
I am really just like him 
Look beneath the floorboards 
For the secrets I have hid


This song is incredibly sad and powerful. Every time I listen to it, I feel myself blown away by the message Sufjan Stevens portrays. The story and philosophy of this song are amazing. I remember having many conversations about the last two lines of the song, which is ultimately what this song is about. It's not celebrating what John Gacy did, but reminding people that we are no better than he, when we so often would like to think that we are. This song also shows the potential of any person to become the worst. All humans are naturally in a horrible state, most people refrain from horrible actions like murder, but can't quite get away from the horrible thoughts that lead to the actions like anger, hatred, jealousy, and the like. The thoughts are just as bad as the actions.

1 John 3:15 (ESV)
"Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."

Listening to this song nearly brought me to tears this specific time. Honestly, I would like to think I'm better than a serial killer, but how many times have I hated my brother? Probably more than 10,000 times. Every time I listen to this song, it's a slap in the face waking me up to the reality that I am not perfect, that I need to grow, that I need to learn, that I need to love, that I need some help for everything that I need to do. Honestly, there is no way I could do all this on my own.