Chris White
Per.B Poetry of Song
10/8/09
Billboard top songs

The top songs of today help define our modern culture and effect how we will be looked back upon by future generations. Choosing three songs to look at in the top 50 list from “Billboard” will give an insightful look into today’s culture. The three songs chosen are: “Run This Town” by Jay-Z ft. Rihanna and Kanye West, “Obsessed” by Mariah Carey, and “Best I Ever Had” by Drake. These three songs are currently located at 3, 6 and 14 on Billboard’s top list and will provide a helpful perspective into today’s modern culture.
The first song being examined is a rap/hip-hop song called “Run This town” by Jay-Z ft. Rihanna and Kanye West. The subject matter of this song is basically who is going to take over as “top dog” and how if you’re not man enough to do it then get out before you’re too far in to turn around. It is also about two men who think they’re ready for the job and give reasons why they would be good and why they desire the leadership position so badly. One line that contains poetic merit is “Who’s going to run this town tonight?” which is basically asking, who is going to take over as “alpha male”. The second song being examined is "Obsessed" by Mariah Carey. The subject matter in the song is dissing a fellow song writer/rapper Eminem, basically saying that the supposed relationship they had never really happened. The song is also saying that even if he was the last man on earth he wouldn't love him. "Tellin' the world how much missed me, But we never were so why you trippin' "? Which is basically stating that everthing that Eminem told the media about their relationship was false and they were never together.

The third song being examined is "Best I Ever Had" by Drake. The subject matter of this song is blatent in that it is talking about all the women Drake had ever been with and how he told them all that they were his favorite. In a sence it is about how men tend to lie to women to exploit them. One line with poetic merit is "Never pay attention to them rumors and what they assume" because he is disclaiming that the rumor about him and all the women isn't true and are blown way out of proportion.

These songs as a whole say alot about our modern American culture. One thing it says is that our needs are now selfish and we have a culture that is completely about themselves and are not worried about what other people think of them. What this says about our us as a whole is that people aren't as interested in poetic devices and lyrical value anymore, but instead love a good beat and a good rhyme scheme. Males are represented as womanizing where as women are represented as strong and independent. Success isn't measured in hard work anymore, but is measured in payroll, amount of women and popularity. This shows alot about our our culture and the direction we are headed in, whether it is good or bad for us as a nation.