Psychological Theories applied to song Lyrics - Essay Example

In The Air Tonight – Phil Collins Order ID – 1172356 2 “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins, is a poignant, soul searching ballad that immediately attracts the listener to the lyrics of the song, in as much as the music does. In general people find ways and means to express themselves and at the same time give vent to their pent up feelings and emotions, which in turn helps them feel better and gets them across the rough patch they are facing or experiencing. “In the Air Tonight” is one such song by the legendary Phil Collins (1951) that takes him down memory lane. This song is a sad saga of lost love, anguish, guilt and anger, that he composed when he returned home to find his wife in the arms of another man. In this essay, an attempt is being made to analyze Phil’s feelings and emotions and try to understand the different psychological theories that correlate with the lyrics of his song as they poured out straight from his heart. Introduction Phillip David Charles Collins, is considered to be one of the most successful musicians across the globe, having sung 13 hit numbers that soared up the U.S Top Ten between the years 1984 – 1990. The legendary singer was born in 1951, in London, England, to his parents, Greville Collins who worked as an Insurance agent and June who worked as a talent manager. He was one of three children and was raised in a family that greatly encouraged creativity. His sister became an ice skater while his elder brother became a Name 3 well known cartoonist. From a very young age Phil loved music and the stage. He learnt to play the drums and even got the opportunity to act in Cameos such as “A Hard Days Night (Beatles, 1964) and in ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ (1969) However, his real huge break came in 1970, when he came upon an advertisement in the newspaper, for a drummer and vocalist for a band named ‘Genesis’ from Surrey. He was given the position, replacing singer Peter Gabriel and by 1975 following many albums and tours, he managed to become the leading man and the face of Genesis. Though Collin’s first solo was ‘Face Value’, which was one of the highest selling albums of Genesis, it was his single titled ‘In the Air Tonight’ which was a major runaway success. “In the Air Tonight” has quite a number of controversial stories surrounding it, but none of it is really true. However, the truth about this song is that it was written during one of the most devastating periods in Collin’s life, when he found that his wife was having an affair with their interior decorator and their marriage was headed for a divorce from his wife Andrea in 1979. This particular song was born out of the anger he felt in confronting such a situation. All the tension and negative feelings that he experienced passed on to the whole family and the song “In the Air Tonight” carried ‘messages’ to Andrea in the hope that she would get back once again with him. Collin’s psychological state of mind comes through clearly in the lyrics of the song and this helps us understand the depth of feeling and emotion that has gone into the penning of the lyrics. One of the psychological theories that apply to this song is Sigmund Freud’s Name 4 ‘Defence Mechanism.’ Individuals who experience pain and regret in their lives have ways to try to overcome them by making use of their defence mechanism which helps them to come to terms with their situation. The following lines of “In the Air Tonight” shows pain, regret, anxiety, helplessness and frustration felt by Collins and the denial he experienced because he did not want to confront the issue nor accept this situation. Well if you told me you were drowning, I would not lend a hand I’ve seen your face before my friend, but I don’t know if you know who I am Well I was there and I saw what you did, I saw it with my own two eyes So you can wipe off that grin, I know where you’ve been It’s all been a pack of lies According to Sigmund Freud (1937) the ego experiences jeopardy and demands that the conflict be resolved because it becomes too overwhelming for the person experiencing it. Therefore certain defense mechanisms are employed to bring about peace and harmony for the individual. (McLeod, S. A., 2009) The chorus in Phil Collin’s song is repeated at intervals throughout the song and is packed with a lot of feeling and emotion. The following lines show us the deep hurt he feels when he finds that another man has taken his place and expresses his anticipation of something bad taking place. Example – Name 5 And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord Well Ive been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord Well Ive been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord, oh Lord The above lines show us that though Collins had a vague idea about the affair, he did not want to have a confrontation with his wife so instead he avoided questioning her about it, until it came to light. He loved his wife and deeply wished she had never done this to him. Analyzing these lines from a psychological point of view we find that the James Lang Theory of emotion comes into play in the above lines. According to psychologist William James from the U.S and Denmark psychologist Carl Lange, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) reacts to a psychologically stimulated event and manifests itself in the individual by making the heart beat faster, makes them perspire and increases tension in the muscles, and the brain interprets it as emotion. (Sara Mae Sincero, 2008) The above lines by Collins are filled with emotion and loss and this is seen repeated at intervals in the song. “In the Air Tonight” has strong lyrics that bring out various aspects of Collin’s psychological state as he struggles to accept the loss of his wife by divorce. In fact, he tries to avoid bringing up the subject even though he knew something was going on. Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of Human Needs sheds light on the following lines – Name 6 Well I remember, I remember, dont worry, how could I ever forget Its the first time, the last time we ever met But I know the reason why you keep your silence up, oh no you dont fool me Well the hurt doesnt show, but the pain still grows According to Maslow, all human beings have a deep desire to satisfy their needs and only when one need is completely satisfied, they try to satisfy the next need. In his theory of needs, one of the needs is to be accepted. However, in the case of singer Phil Collins he did not feel accepted by his wife because he met with rejection from her instead. His disappointment is clearly evident in the above lines when he expresses that he cannot forget what happened and though the hurt does not show, yet the pain keeps growing. Anger is another important component that is an outcome of our emotions in any given situation. Anger is a powerful emotion and if not kept in check can lead to disastrous behavior. According to Steinberg’s Theory of anger (WHO Report, 2002, p. 13) he states that anger can turn into hatred if not resolved and could lead to violence. In the following lines, we can feel the pent up anger of Collins as he gives expression to his emotions. Well I was there and I saw what you did, I saw it with my own two eyes So you can wipe off that grin, I know where you’ve been It’s all been a pack of lies Name 7 According to Steinberg’s theory it is better to find a way out from one’s anger by trying to relax, or forget the anger inside or try to find a cathartic way to deal with the anger. In the case of Phil Collins we find that he moves away from his anger by penning his emotions about the way he feels as well as moving away from the situation that caused him so much anger by finding solace in his own interests and finding another person to love. References Philip David Charles Collins. (2014), The Biography.com website. Retrieved 07:15, Dec 01, 2014, from: http://www.biography.com/people/phil-collins Maslow A. H. (1943) A Theory of Human Motivation. Classics in the History of Psychology. Published in Psychological Review. 50, 370 – 396. www.psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm McLeod, S. A. (2009). Defense Mechanisms. Simply Psychology. Web. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/defense-mechanisms.html Sara Mae Sincero, (2008) James – Lange Theory of Emotion. Explorable. Retrieved on Dec. 1st 2014, from: https://explorable.com/james-lange-theory-of-emotion (WHO Report, (2002) Anger and Aggression. Steinberg’s Theory on Anger. Chap. 7. p. 13) Retrieved on 1st Dec. from: www.psychologicalselfhelp.org/Chapter7.pdf Read More