Raver Raver Raver

Oh, it's been a while. I've been absorbed in other projects, but let's try our hands at analysis again, shall we? No doubt there are those who'll feel literary analysis and close readings are for boring people reading boring poems by old dead people, so let's mix it up with some hardcore lyrics. These are from "Raver Raver Raver" by EFM-7:

I knew a little raver
I fell in love with her
Gave her all I could but then she danced off in a blur
Raver raver raver
She found somebody new
I will always miss the times that I was holding you

You can hear a sample (which includes these lyrics) here. So, let's get analytical!

From the first line, we know that these lyrics are a retrospective: "I knew a little raver." Either the speaker or the raver is now absent, though we don't know yet which. Another thing worth noticing: "I knew a little raver." How shall we interpret little in this context? It could be simple a term of endearment, for the connotation of little is more than merely size. "I know a little place on 3rd that serves the best pepperoni pizza." When we use little this way, we speak possessively and affectionately.

It seems, with the second line, that the speaker probably does feel affectionate and possessive. "I fell in love with her" tells us also that it's likely that the little raver has gone, and the past tense lends an air of melancholy to the lyrics that is belied by the upbeat melody, if you're listening to the song. "I knew a little raver (but she is gone now) / I fell in love with her (and now I miss her)."

"Gave her all I could but then she danced off in a blur" is full of possibilities, as well. Did the speaker give her gifts? Or sincere feelings? When she danced off in a blur, why blur? Did she leave suddenly, in a blur? Or were the speaker's eyes blurred with tears?

"She found somebody new" may lead us to wonder whether the little raver ever took the relationship as seriously as the speaker. The speaker fell in love with the little raver, but did she ever fall in love with the speaker?

"I will always miss the times that I was holding you" is sung quickly, and the melody and beat hide the melancholy. We can see that the speaker has been affected by the loss of the raver. It may be too much to say that the speaker is still in love with the raver, but clearly these lyrics do not tell the story of a happy reminiscence on a past love.

This song sounds upbeat, but I don't think that it is, really. Very often the lyrics of a song tell quite a different story than you'd expect from the melody. After all, how many people think of "American Woman" or "Every Breath You Take" as nice, romantic sorts of songs? You may think I'm reading too much into this song, or paying it more attention than it deserves, and you might not be wrong, but I think it pays to give some thought even to the lyrics of dance music.