Songs of Transcendentalism

Songs of Transcendentalism

"Burn" - Ellie Goulding

2

Overall Meaning

"We can light it up up up /

So they can't put it out out out"

"Burn" by Ellie Goulding conveys a fiery theme associated with breaking away from expectations and experiencing true, unbottled freedom. Goulding also sings about living in the moment and embracing peace.

Confidence

Nonconformity

True to its name, "Burn" displays a confident attitude associated with "lighting a fire" of freedom. It also possesses a certain element of youthfulness.

Paired with confidence is a sense of breaking free from conformity. The use of "they" suggests there is an antagonist trying to suppress the

singer.

Ari Hickman

4th Hour Honors American Lit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGyEd0aKWZE

Transcendentalist Connection

Thoreau is well known for his thoughts on simplicity, self-reliance, nature, and civil disobedience. However, resting within his ideas is a common theme of non-conformity. "Burn" echoes this idea by singing about a group who seeks to live their own lives, regardless of any expectations or opposing forces. By rebelling against the norms, the narrator of Goulding's song is serving as the "counter friction" that is challenging the "machine" of conformity that governs society. Even though Thoreau is writing specifically about the American government, his ideas apply to conformity within society in general.

"Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine"

(Thoreau "Civil Disobedience").

Works Cited

Chihuahua0, et al., translators. "Burn." Genius, 5 July 2013, genius.com/Ellie-goulding-burn-lyrics. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023.

"Civil Disobedience | Study Guide." Course Hero, www.coursehero.com/lit/Civil-Disobedience/quotes/. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023.

"Ed Sheeran - Beautiful People (feat. Khalid) [Official Music Video]." YouTube, uploaded by Ed Sheeran, 28 June 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj0XInqZMHY. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023.

"Ellie Goulding - Burn (Official Video)." YouTube, uploaded by Ellie Goulding, 7 July 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGyEd0aKWZE. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023.

"Henry David Thoreau > Quotes." Goodreads, www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/10264.Henry_David_Thoreau#:~:text=We%20need%20the%20tonic%20of,never%20have%20enough%20of%20nature. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023.

JKOkay, et al., translators. "Beautiful People." Genius, 28 June 2019, genius.com/Ed-sheeran-beautiful-people-lyrics. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023.

"Ralph Waldo Emerson on Self-Reliance and Nonconformity." Academy of Ideas, 7 Sept. 2016, academyofideas.com/2016/09/ralph-waldo-emerson-self-reliance-nonconformity/. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023.

"Taylor Swift - the lakes (Official Lyric Video)." YouTube, uploaded by Taylor Swift, 18 Aug. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOHcAc3r2kw. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023.

Thebreakup, et al., translators. "the lakes." Genius, 18 Aug. 2020, genius.com/Taylor-swift-the-lakes-lyrics. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023.

Thank You!

"Beautiful People" - Ed Sheeran

Overall Meaning

3

"This is my only fear,

that we become /

beautiful people"

"Beautiful People" by Ed Sheeran considers a world that focuses on fame and image. The narrator and their love interest, on the other hand, do not want to fit this modern idea of "beautiful."

"the lakes" - Taylor Swift

Overall Message

1

Individualism

Nonconformity

"I want auroras and sad prose /

I want to watch wisteria grow

right under my bare feet"

In "the lakes," Taylor Swift conveys her desire to abandon her life of fame for a more private and natural existence. She wants to bring "her beloved" with her and embrace nature.

Sheeran focuses on acting as an individual rather than following the trends of a larger group.

A central focus of the song is the idea of not fitting in and not wanting to fit in with the crowds.

Simplicity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj0XInqZMHY

Nature

Swift expresses her desire to escape to a life of simplicity. She wishes to leave the complexities of the spotlight for a simpler and less complicated life.

Along with simplicity, Swift yearns to find solace in nature. She conveys her desire to lose herself in nature away from a more complex life.

Transcendentalist Connection

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOHcAc3r2kw

Much like "Beautiful People," this quote focuses on staying true to oneself. "Beautiful People" centers around sticking to one's values in an increasingly image-focused and "beautiful" world. Similarly, Emerson preaches the idea of never imitating others; instead, one should stay true to their own beliefs and theirself.

"Insist on yourself; never imitate"

(Emerson "Self-Reliance).

Transcendentalist Connection

“In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life,—no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair” (Emerson "Nature").

Emerson speaks of finding solace and truth in nature. Similarly, in "the lakes," Swift expresses her desire to escape to a life away from the spotlight; in particular, she sings about the simplicity of nature. Swift's song represents a parallel to Emerson's quote because they both convey the peace and tranquility that nature offers. Rather than escaping to the woods, Swift seeks "the lakes where all the poets went to die." In a way, this could be considered a direct connection to Transcendentalism, as this lyric suggests that Swift views herself as not just a songwriter but a reflection of earlier writers and poets.