It’s that time again—time to decode the top five singles on the Billboard Hot 100. This isn’t about passing moral judgment on the lyrics; rather, it’s a chance to cleverly unpack them with a mix of sarcasm and literary critique.
I Gotta Feeling, by The Black Eyed Peas: Because they are experiencing stress, the performers want to go out. They have a feeling it will be a good night, and they plan to spend all their money.
Party in the USA, by Miley Cyrus: Miley sings that when she left Nashville and first arrived in Los Angeles, she worried she might not fit in because she prefers tennis shoes over stiletto heels. But after hearing a Jay-Z song in the taxi cab, she soon felt better. Later, she considers returning to her hometown, but the homesick feelings are cured by a Britney Spears song.
Run This Town, featuring Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West: Rihanna explains that she and her friends plan to run the town, but there is no mention of a mayoral election. Jay-Z expresses a preference to the color black, describes women as blackbirds and seems to mention $6 million and fashion designer Martin Margiela, who once led the Hermes line. He further discusses how wealthy he is.
Kanye West acknowledges that transitioning from obscurity to fame is a bit unbelievable and says he raps so that he won’t have to drive an inexpensive car, citing the (Toyota) RAV4. The four-door SUV starts at $21,000, according to the Toyota website.
West says he enjoys drinking Riesling wine and being amorous. He also thinks the Rebook shoe company should try to be more inventive.
You Belong With Me, by Taylor Swift: Swift sings that her ex-boyfriend’s new cheerleader girlfriend will never understand him or love him the way she does, and she hopes he’ll eventually see that she’s “the one.”
Use Somebody, by Kings of Leon: The singer is lonely and hopes someone will notice him.
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