Radioactive

Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa

I'm waking up to ash and dust
I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust
I'm breathing in the chemicals

I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus
This is it, the apocalypse
Whoa

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive

I raise my flags, don my clothes
It's a revolution, I suppose
We'll paint it red to fit right in
Whoa

I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus
This is it, the apocalypse
Whoa

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive

All systems go, the sun hasn't died
Deep in my bones, straight from inside

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive

My Interpretation

I strongly believe this song "Radioactive" is about the singer's realization of the power within himself. "I'm waking up through ash and dust." to me says that he is shaking off all the preconceived notions that all the people in his life had for him. "Breathing in the chemicals" to me signifies the getting charged over the positivity of all that life has to offer. When he mentions the apocalypse, I feel he means that today he must make a decision to either change and succeed or do nothing and become like everyone else. "I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones, (enough) to make my systems go, welcome to the new age..." Yes he actually says "enough" but nonetheless I feel that he accepts he will change for the better and rejoices in that decision. 

"I'm radioactive!" shows nothing will stop him from succeeding, nothing will get in his way and he will succeed. 

The song's video with the little bear victoriously fighting off the monster further illustrates this point. 

Furthermore, Imagine Dragons song "It's time" also talks about moving forward and bettering yourself.

Heroes

I, I wish you could swim
Like the dolphins
Like dolphins can swim

Though nothing, nothing will keep us together
We can beat them, forever and ever
Oh, we can be heroes just for one day

I, I will be King
And you, you will be Queen
Though nothing will drive them away
We can be heroes just for one day
We can be us just for one day

I, I can remember
(I remember)
Standing by the wall
(By the wall)
And the guns, shot above our heads
(Over our heads)
And we kissed, as though nothing could fall
(Nothing could fall)

And the shame, was on the other side
Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever
Then we could be heroes just for one day

We can be heroes
We can be heroes
We can be heroes just for one day
We can be heroes

My Interpretation

The song to me is a wistful fantasy on the part of the singer about his (or her) desire for happiness and love despite their personal flaws and the world around the singer keeping him apart from the person he wishes to spend his life with.

Even then though reality breaks through into the singers fantasy though,, it can never really work out for the singer and the subject of his desires but he longingly asks for just one day to be together, to have what he wants and for maybe the whole thing to truly work out for him so he can have the life he longs for.

From there singer starts lamenting not living a more simple life where the strains and stresses they go through now would cease to be an issue. "I, I wish you could swim, like dolphins could swim" to me invokes an image of simple freedom, a wide open ocean to live in without the restraints people normally deal with, just travelling around with the person they care about.

This brings us back to the chorus which is again only fantasy, a simple little story where everything works out and the singer can be with the person they love.

Then we get more of a picture of how the singer ultimately interacts with their beloved, and its ultimately desperate and short lived, the lyrics invoke the image of war or a firing squad with them standing against a wall with guns being shot over their heads, implying on some level they mutually come together because of the harshness of the world towards them. With this and the next few lines I believe the song implies that the couple are in some kind of forbidden relationship, my mind immediately goes to them being either a gay couple or a racially mixed couple due to the time this song was released and David Bowie himself's personal experience as a bisexual man (at the time).

In the end the song sadly proclaims "We're nothing, and nothing will help us", the singer has accepted that they will never get what they want out of the romance and that maybe as implied before they aren't right for eachother anyway. At the same time though it ends on a hopeful note as the singer requests the "just one day" they had fantasized about previously, implying however slim a chance things could turn out the way the singer wanted them to, whether that is right or wrong is left to the listener.

Society

“It's a mystery to me
We have a greed with which we have agreed
You think you have to want more than you need
Until you have it all you won't be free
Society, you're a crazy breed

I hope you're not lonely without me”

Into the Wild is the first solo studio album by Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder, and is based on his contributions to the soundtrack for the film Into the Wild (2007).                 

 Vedder seems to use “Society” as a way to convey what he thinks McCandless was thinking during the period of his life covered in Into the Wild. “Society” helps convey the intense feelings of McCandless through both the powerful, yet simple words and the almost haunting melody.

Chris McCandless finds the fact that we as human beings accept the presence of greed in society a “mystery to me.” He sounds very condescending towards society, referencing the general society almost like greedy machines who take and take and never stop and appreciate what they have. He seems to set himself apart from the rest of society in these words by speaking to instead of with. This recurring pattern of separation and condescension continues on with “society, you’re a crazy breed.” Once again McCandless has removed himself from the main stream group and started viewing society as a separate entity from himself, hence the use of the word “breed.” Chris was fed up with all of the frivolous distractions that the unavoidable rat race of life presented. He saw that society was unable to escape the rat race of life. The rat race concept seems to stem from the horrible misconception that to be happy in life we need to collect material objects along with earning atrocious amounts of money. People’s lives become consumed with these goals and they are unable to stop, think, and see if they are genuinely happy. If you are able to pause and assess a situation, then most of the time you will find that you are not doing what you really love and all of your thoughts and beliefs get muddled and lost in the shuffle.

Have you ever listened to a song and thought “Wow! This is how I think! This songwriter hit the nail on the head!”? I believe that this song applies to many people not just Chris McCandless.

 McCandless is talking to society at large. The song, however, seems to portray society as a single person, an individual human being that is being spoken to from Chris McCandless’ point of view. Through song, Eddie Vedder, gives us, the listeners, an opportunity to interpret McCandless’ emotions on a deeper level. While “Society” helps us ponder what Chris was feeling and thinking, we will never really know his true opinions of our baffling breed.

Instant Crush

I didn't want to be the one to forget
I thought of everything I'd never regret
Let's run with it because it's all we can take
One thing I'd never see, the same way around
I don't believe it and it slips from the ground
I want to take you to that place near the rush
But no one gives us any time anymore
You used me once [?]
You made an offer for it, then you ran off
I got this picture of us kissin' in my head
And all I hear is the last thing that you said

Listen to you brother, and listen to me
I didn't want to anymore

And we will never be alone again
'Cause it doesn't happen everyday
Kinda counted on you being a friend
Kinda given up on giving away
Now I thought about what I wanna say
But I never really know where to go
So I chained myself to a friend
'Cause there's nowhere else I could go

And we will never be alone again
'Cause it doesn't happen everyday
Kinda counted on you being a friend
Kinda given up on giving away
Now I thought about what I wanna say
But I never really know where to go
So I chained myself to a friend

Some more again

It didn't matter what they wanted to see
You thought he saw someone that looked just like me
I saw my memory that just never dies
We worked too long and hard to give it no time
He sees right through me, it's so easy with lies
Cracks in the road that I would try and disguise
He runs the scissors at the seam in the wall
He cannot break it down or else he would fall
One thousand lonely stars
Hiding in the cold
Take it, oh I don't wanna sing anymore

Listen to you brother, and listen to me
I didn't want to anymore

And we will never be alone again
'Cause it doesn't happen everyday
Kinda counted on you being a friend
Kinda given up on giving away
Now I thought about what I wanna say
But I never really know where to go
So I chained myself to a friend
'Cause there's nowhere else I could go

And we will never be alone again
'Cause it doesn't happen everyday
Kinda counted on you being a friend
Kinda given up on giving away
Now I thought about what I wanna say
But I never really know where to go
So I chained myself to a friend
'Cause there's nowhere else I could go

I don't wanna start, don't get upset
I'm not with you
[?]
It's all I do when I'm with you

And we will never be alone again
'Cause it doesn't happen everyday
Kinda counted on you being a friend
Kinda given up on giving away
Now I thought about what I wanna say
But I never really know where to go
So I chained myself to a friend
'Cause there's nowhere else I could go

And we will never be alone again
'Cause it doesn't happen everyday
Kinda counted on you being a friend
Kinda given up on giving away
Now I thought about what I wanna say
But I never really know where to go
So I chained myself to a friend
'Cause there's nowhere else I could go

My Interpretation

"Instant Crush (feat. Julian Casablancas)" as written by Julian Casablancas, Thomas Bangalter and Guy Manuel Homem Christo. The song came up in Daft Punk’s album ‘Random Access Memory’.

I think the song is simply the expression of the narrator's grief and melancholic point of view when he understands he'll never reach the girl he loves. 

The most important line here could be "We're swimming around, it's all I do,
when I'm with you" ; he exhibits a facade and doesn't play true when he's with her, 'cause she's in love with one of their common friend, who seems to guess what are the narrator's feelings and become a "heart-breaker" because it could be bad for their friendship so he does the dirty job : 

"He sees right through me it's so easy with lies, Cracks in the road that I would try and disguise, He runs his scissor at the seem in the wall, He cannot break it down or else he would fall". 

So yeah, this is a sad song because the narrator experiments "the instant crush" but he's immediately placed in the friend zone and must play the "good silent friend" in order to avoid the estrangement with his two childhood friends.

On the Radio

This is how it works
It feels a little worse
Than when we drove our hearse
Right through that screaming crowd
While laughing up a storm
Until we were just bone
Until it got so warm
That none of us could sleep
And all the Styrofoam
Began to melt away
We tried to find some worms
To aid in the decay
But none of them were home
Inside their catacomb
A million ancient bees
Began to sting our knees
While we were on our knees
Praying that disease
Would leave the ones we love
And never come again

On the radio
We heard November Rain
That solo's really long
But it's a pretty song
We listened to it twice
'Cause the DJ was asleep

This is how it works
You're young until you're not
You love until you don't
You try until you can't
You laugh until you cry
You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breathe
Until their dying breath

No, this is how it works
You peer inside yourself
You take the things you like
And try to love the things you took
And then you take that love you made
And stick it into some
Someone else's heart
Pumping someone else's blood
And walking arm in arm
You hope it don't get harmed
But even if it does
You'll just do it all again

And on the radio
You hear November Rain
That solo's awful long
But it's a good refrain
You listen to it twice
'Cause the DJ is asleep
On the radio
(Oh, oh, oh)
On the radio
On the radio, uh oh
On the radio, uh oh
On the radio, uh oh
On the radio

My Interpretation

This song is written and composed by Regina Spektor.

  

I think this song is about figuring out what life is all about. 
The first verse, is about being young, careless, angry and maybe even confused. It's kind of about a bunch of different things because at first you don't really know what life is about and you don't care until someone you love is dying and that's when you start really caring. 

The second verse is when she gets to a point where she seems to have thought more about it and thinks she's figured out the meaning of life. The second verse is basically saying that life is what it is and there's nothing you can do about it all you do is live it. Sometimes it's happy and sometimes it's sad. You just take what you get, do your best and go with it and that is what life is all about (atleast that's what she's figured out at this point) 

The third verse she says "No this is how it works!" She's finally figured out the real meaning and purpose of life and it is love. You love something or someone and then you share that love with someone else and hope that they learn to love the same way you did and even if they don't you'll still keep loving and passing on that love. 

Hero

He never, ever saw it
Coming at all
He never, ever saw it
Coming at all

He never, ever saw it
Coming at all
It's alright, it's al-

Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right

Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin

(Vrrr)
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
It's alright, it's al-

Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right

No one's got it all
No one's got it all
No one's got it a-a-all

Power to the people
We don't want it
We want pleasure
And the TVs try to rape us
And I guess that they're succeeding

And we're going to these meetings
But we're not doing any meeting
And we're trying to be faithful, but we're
Cheating, cheating, cheating

Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin

(Vrrr)
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
It's alright, it's al-

Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-

Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-

Right, it's al-
Right

No one's got it all
No one's got it all
No one's got it a-a-all

Power to the people
We don't want it
We want pleasure
And the TVs try to rape us
And I guess that they're succeeding

And we're going to these meetings
But we're not doing any meeting
And we're trying to be faithful, but we're
Cheating, cheating, cheating

I'm the hero of the story
Don't need to be saved
I'm the hero of the story
Don't need to be saved

I'm the hero of the story
Don't need to be saved
I'm the hero of the story
Don't need to be saved
It's alright, it's al-

Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-

Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-

Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right

No one's got it all
No one's got it all
No one's got it a-a-all

All
All
All
All

All, all, all, all, all
All, all, all, all, all
All, all, all, all, all
All, all, all, all, all
All, all, all, all, all
All, all, all, all

My Interpretation

"Hero" as written by and Marti/mc Gee Frederiksen in the voice of Regina Spektor. This song was used in the film "(500) Days of Summer".                                             

I’m the hero of the story, I don’t need to be saved.
The story is my life. Once I’m dead, there is no more stories. All the people around me are merely characters. Because everything I see is from my point of view that must make me the hero. Therefore whatever i do will lead to the end of the story. The conclusion may be a peaceful death in an old age home,
or hanging yourself as a teenager. 
Either ending, is the end of the story, and is therefore intended. 
People assume that the kid that overdosed is in the wrong and needed help ,but that is from our stories point of view, his story ended with an overdose, he was the hero in it because it was from his point of view. Therefore, the events prior to it were what the hero was meant to do, and as such he does not need to be saved, because this is the conclusion. 
At the end of a third-person story it goes 'and Paul died and Jane was terribly distraught'
at the conclusion of a first person story (our lives) it goes 'i died.'
There is nothing after, so who's to say it was the wrong thing.

I feel like I’m not explaining myself properly. 
It’s generally along the lines of what other people said i guess.

The trouble comes in when you see the other people in your life as merely characters in your story, and therefore have no compassion for them after your story has ended. 

The Scientist

Come up to meet you 
Tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart

Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh let's go back to the start
Running in circles; coming up tails
Heads on a science apart 

Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start

I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling your puzzles apart
Questions of science; science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart

Tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing our tails
Coming back as we are

Nobody said it was easy
Oh it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start

Oh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
X4

My Interpretation"The Scientist" as written by Guy Rupert Berryman, Jonathan Mark Buckland, William Champion and Christopher Anthony John Martin.
It can be related to any relationship it can be a past girlfriend or even the death of someone you love. Anything where you want to go back to before it all happened. Back to before the breakup the car accident (like the video) or the illness. Anything really.

We take too many things for granted. We think things will stay the same, but life is always changing, and one day you wake up to find what you had is gone - and you didn't really take advantage of the beautiful thing it was while it was there.

He throws in some other stuff because any good song also has some slight personal background, but all of the things about pulling the puzzles apart - and about chasing our tails reiterate the idea that we were distracted by things that truly weren't the real important things. We should have been focusing on that relationship - no matter who that person was a mom, a girlfriend, we shouldn't have assumed things would always be the same.. 

He's now on the other side of it - and looking back and there's just no going back to where he once was.

It's one of the saddest songs. But it generally reiterates the idea that you don't know what you got till it's gone.