The Spectrum of Romanticism

This soundtrack is a collection of all different genres and artists to show how Transcendentalism and Dark Romanticism are shown in everyday

things like music. The Transcendentalism side explores the need for individuality in all peoples, using nature to find beauty and inspire, and valuing the heart over the brain. In contrast, the Dark Romanticism side

shows humans as being feeble creatures that are prone to loneliness and that they are overall the biggest force of destruction to themselves. I can personally relate to a good majority of these songs in one way or another

as Bright and Dark Romanticism shows both sides of the spectrum in terms of human emotions and instincts.

By: Autumn Rose

“Raise Your Glass” – Pink“Raise Your Glass” expertly

shows the Romanticist idea of individuality in the chorus and

bridge of the song: “So raise your glass if you are wrong/In

all the right ways, all my underdogs” and “You can

choose to let it go/…we can always party on our own”. This

song is, all in all, saying ‘it’s okay to be different, raise

yourself up, show your uniqueness, and let what other

people think of you go.

So if you're too school for cool(I mean) And you're treated like a fool (You're treated like a fool) You can choose to let it go We can always, we can always party on our own

So raise your (--------) So raise your glass if you are wrong In all the right ways, all my underdogs We will never be, never be anything but loud And nitty, gritty, dirty, little freaks

(So raise your glass if you are wrong) So raise your glass if you are wrong In all the right ways, all my underdogs We will never be, never be anything but loud And nitty, gritty, dirty, little freaks Won't you come on and come on and Raise your glass! Just come on and come on and Raise your glass! Won't you come on and come on and Raise your glass for me! Just come on and come on and Raise your glass for me! For me

“The Middle” – Jimmy Eat World

This song by Jimmy Eat World has countless examples of individuality.

Many of the lines in the song are saying not to worry if you’re different

and don’t feel left out because of it. This is shown specifically in the lines

“don’t you worry what they tell themselves when/ you’re away”.

Jimmy Eat World even specifically adds “Hey, you know they’re all the same/…just be yourself” to show individuality

as a positive attribute.

Hey, don't write yourself off yet It's only in your head you feel left out or looked down on. Just try your best, try everything you can. And don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away.

It just takes some time, Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride. Everything, everything will be just fine, Everything, everything will be alright, alright.

Hey, you know they're all the same. You know you're doing better on your own (on your own), so don't buy in. Live right now, yeah, just be yourself. It doesn't matter if it's good enough (good enough) for someone else.

It just takes some time, Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride. Everything, everything will be just fine, Everything, everything will be alright, alright. It just takes some time, Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride. Everything, everything will be just fine, Everything, everything will be alright, alright.

“Mountain Sound” – Of Monsters and Men

“Mountain Sound” by Of Monsters and Men represents nature being a source of truth,

beauty, and inspiration in the lines “Through the woods we ran/ Deep into the mountain

sound”. This song is about getting away from past mistakes,

but features the idea of nature being the, so to speak, get away

place to renew and inspire.

I heard them calling in the distance So I packed my things and ran Far away from all the trouble I had caused with my two hands

Alone we travelled armed with nothing but a shadow We fled, far away

Hold your horses now (Sleep until the sun goes down) Through the woods we ran (Deep into the mountain sound) Hold your horses now (Sleep until the sun goes down) Through the woods we ran

Some had scars and some had scratches It made me wonder about their past And as I looked around I began to notice That we were nothing like the rest

“Pocketful of Sunshine” – Natasha Bedingfield

“Pocketful of Sunshine”, as the title suggests, is a good example

of nature as a source of truth beauty and inspiration. There are

many references to nature, i.e. “Where the rivers flow/ and I call

it home” and it just all around seems that the singer truly enjoys being in nature and views nature

as beautiful. Again, the singer, therefore, seems to think of

nature as a “sweet escape” and a beautiful place to inspire herself.

I got pocket, Got a pocketful of sunshine I've got a love and I know that it's all mine Oh, oh, oh

Wish that you could, But you ain't gonna own me Do anything you can to control me Oh, oh, oh

There's a place that I go That nobody knows Where the rivers flow And I call it home And there's no more lies And the darkness is light And nobody cries There’s only butterflies

Take me away (take me away) A secret place (a secret place) A sweet escape (a sweet escape) Take me away (take me away) Take me away (take me away To better days (to better days) Take me away (take me away) A hiding place (a hiding place)

“I Believe I Can Fly’ – R Kelly“I Believe I Can Fly” is a song that

perfectly shows the Romanticist idea of valuing intuition over

reason. The song is about believing in your heart over your mind. The singer is trying to say

because they found love that he believes he can do anything,

regardless of logicality. He says “I believe I can fly/ I believe I can

touch the sky” and “I believe I can soar”. Overall, he knows he can’t actually fly, but he feels so great

that he completely disregards the logical side of the situation and

stays to true to his heart regardless. The singer just thinks

that “if I just believe it, there’s nothing to it”.

If I can see it, then I can do it If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly I believe I can touch the sky I think about it every night and day Spread my wings and fly away I believe I can soar I see me running through that open door I believe I can fly I believe I can fly I believe I can fly

See I was on the verge of breaking down Sometimes silence can seem so loud There are miracles in life I must achieve But first I know it starts inside of me, oh

“High Hopes” – Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra’s classic song “High Hopes” shows this Bright Romanticist idea through

different scenarios of animals and such believing they can do something without any logical

reason. The lyrics go: “Just what makes that little old ant/ Think

he’ll move that rubber tree plant” and Sinatra even goes on

to say “Anyone knows an ant, can’t/ Move a rubber tree plant”.

The ant, even though just a tiny little insect, believes in his heart of hearts he can move the plant, disregarding the logicality of the

situation.

Next time you're found, with your chin on the ground There a lot to be learned, so look around

Just what makes that little old ant Think he'll move that rubber tree plant Anyone knows an ant, can't Move a rubber tree plant

But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes

So any time you're gettin' low 'stead of lettin' go Just remember that ant Oops there goes another rubber tree plant

“The Lonely” – Christina PerriChristina Perri’s “The Lonely” is,

very obviously, about emphasis on the emotions of guilt, fear and,

particularly, loneliness and is, therefore, a perfect example of the

Romanticist idea. The title of the song suggests that it’s about, well,

being lonely and is proven immediately in the first verse: “The

silent sound of loneliness/ Wants to follow me to bed” These feelings are

referenced many more times throughout the chorus and the

majority of the verses; respectively, “Can the lonely take the place of

you” and “Cause the loneliness will stay with me”.

2am; where do I begin, Crying off my face again. The silent sound of loneliness Wants to follow me to bed.

I'm the ghost of a girl that I want to be most. I'm the shell of a girl that I used to know well.

Dancing slowly in an empty room, Can the lonely take the place of you? I sing myself a quiet lullaby. Let you go and let the lonely in To take my heart again.

Too afraid to go inside For the pain of one more loveless night. Cause the loneliness will stay with me And hold me till I fall asleep.

“Habits (Stay High)” – Tove Lo

This song by Tove Lo is about having/developing bad habits due to the loss of someone, in other words, having loneliness. The chorus of the song continuously shows this theme of having to do something, anything

to keep this fear of being alone away; “Gotta stay high all my life/ To forget I’m missing you”. It’s obvious

the singer is upset and feeling lonely, even depressed, which leads

to irregular habits and her feeling “dazed and kinda lonely”.

I get home, I got the munchies Binge on all my Twinkies Throw up in the tub Then I go to sleep And I drank up all my money Dazed and kinda lonely

You're gone and I gotta stay High all the time To keep you off my mind Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh High all the time To keep you off my mind Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh Spend my days locked in a haze Trying to forget you babe I fall back down Gotta stay high all my life To forget I'm missing you Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh

“Hurt” – Johnny CashJohnny Cash’s cover of “Hurt”

(originally sung by Nine Inch Nails) shows this Dark Romantic idea of

humans being prone to sin and self-destruction in just the first couple lines: “I hurt myself today”. There

are many more examples of this throughout the song, for example

“I will let you down/ I will make you hurt” , but the most powerful being

the last verse, “If I could start again/…I would keep myself” These

lines mean if given a second chance, he wouldn’t destroy

himself again but rather keep to his morals. In simpler words, he

regrets his self-destruction, but is very aware it’s there.

I hurt myself today To see if I still feel I focus on the pain The only thing that's real The needle tears a hole The old familiar sting Try to kill it all away But I remember everything

What have I become My sweetest friend Everyone I know goes away In the end And you could have it all My empire of dirt I will let you down I will make you hurt

I wear this crown of thorns Upon my liar's chair Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair Beneath the stains of time The feelings disappear You are someone else I am still right here

What have I become My sweetest friend Everyone I know goes away In the end And you could have it all My empire of dirt I will let you down I will make you hurt

If I could start again A million miles away I would keep myself I would find a way

“Breathe Me” - Sia“Breathe Me” sounds somewhat

like a cry for help in that the singer, Sia, has or is destroying

herself. ‘Help’, to prove, is the very first word sang in the song: “Help, I have done it again”. Keeping this

idea of Romanticism, Sia shows this painful self-destruction in

“Hurt myself again today/ and the worst part is there’s no one else to blame” and “Lost myself again and

I feel unsafe”. The singer knows she’s ‘unstable’ and needs help

and that she has completely destroyed herself. This song is

obviously on terms of personal experience and that only pushes

the idea of self-destruction further.

Help, I have done it again I have been here many times before Hurt myself again today And the worst part is there's no one else to blame

Be my friend Hold me, wrap me up Unfold me I am small and needy Warm me up And breathe me

Ouch, I have lost myself again Lost myself and I am nowhere to be found, Yeah, I think that I might break Lost myself again and I feel unsafe

CitationsPictures:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Spectral_lines_continuous.png/220px-Spectral_lines_continuous.png

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/it/0/00/Raise_your_glass.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5270/5669481924_b40f8d776a_z.jpg

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2023/2263696487_83f6c1889e_z.jpg

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5123/5350608805_62faed8fcf_o_d.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Lonely_bench.jpg

http://laurenpickens.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/tove-lo.jpg

http://www.tumblr18.com/t18/2013/12/Dont-hurt.jpg

http://art.ngfiles.com/images/288000/288902_theputamen_not-alone.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6105/6322092360_b5ce3a9d83_z.jpg

http://leadershipfreak.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/ant_carrying_leaf_2.jpg

Lyrics:http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/pink/raiseyourglass.html

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jimmyeatworld/themiddle.html

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/ofmonstersandmen/mountainsound.html

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/natashabedingfield/pocketfulofsunshine.html

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/rkelly/ibelieveicanfly.html

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/franksinatra/highhopes.html

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/christinaperri/thelonely.html

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/tovelo/habits.html

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/johnnycash/hurt.html

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/sia/breatheme.html