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Original poster

Please could you help with song choices for an English assessment

147 replies

JMSA · 24/03/2025 09:44

‘Morning all
My teen has an English assignment and I’d love to hear your song choices (the assignment is for English but with a music theme!). I thought about The Drugs Don’t Work by the Verve, but I’m not sure. Ideally it would be quite a ‘meaty’ song so that we can really analyse the lyrics!
Thanks very much Smile

OP posts:
McGregor33 · 24/03/2025 13:22

When you love someone by James TW

cadburygorilla · 24/03/2025 13:18

Where is the love - black eyed peas

suburburban · 24/03/2025 13:18

Hotel California - Eagles

KrisAkabusi · 24/03/2025 13:15

Are there any songs about getting your parents to do your homework for you?

MrTiddlesTheCat · 24/03/2025 13:03

Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots. It's about the singers battles with his mental health. 'BlurryFace' in the song is the name he gave to the personification of his self doubts and self hatreds.

Gundogday · 24/03/2025 12:54

Alwaysoneoddsock · 24/03/2025 12:34

Hi, I read the drugs don’t work is about chemotherapy. The mother of the writer was having chemo and he felt it was making her more ill.

I never knew that.

Cattery · 24/03/2025 12:54

Running up that Hill Kate Bush: Love and conflict

Gundogday · 24/03/2025 12:53

‘Sorry, love Daddy’ - Brian McFadden

  • its a letter to his daughters about having to move away from home when his marriage split up, and how much he loves them. Beautiful lyrics.

The chorus

”Daddy he's got to go away
Cause there's just no other way
To live this through
Some day you learn to understand
This wasn't what I planned
For me and you
Sorry. Love, Daddy.”

EliflurtleAndTheInfiniteMadness · 24/03/2025 12:52

Tiny victories Christina Perri - its about overcoming mental illness
What I've done - Linkin Park great lyrics and the music video shows a lot of still very current issues, pollution, eating disorders, military proliferation, famine.
The Cranberries Zombie
Lullaby Nickelback
Green Day Borvard of broken dreams
28 by Ruth B and Dean Lewis
Before you go Lewis Capaldi
Cinderella Snapped - Jax
Lose you to love me Selena Gomez

KnickerFolder · 24/03/2025 12:44

Lots of good suggestions here but I think your first suggestion of The Drugs Don’t Work is good because there is more than one interpretation of the lyrics about very different life lessons.

Dontlletmedownbruce · 24/03/2025 12:38

Nothing every happens, Del Amitri
Fast car, Tracey Chapman

YABU though for trying to do a teens assignment for them. They won't learn anything from this.

Adm1010 · 24/03/2025 12:35

Tom Waite , Martha . Such a poignant song. Fantastic lyrics .

lordmadresfield · 24/03/2025 12:35

Fitter Better by Radiohead
A Team by Sheeran
Take me to Church by Hozier

TheTrainNowDeparting · 24/03/2025 12:34

I Am A Rock - Simon and Garfunkel
On The Turning Away - Pink Floyd
The Theatre - Pet Shop Boys

Alwaysoneoddsock · 24/03/2025 12:34

Hi, I read the drugs don’t work is about chemotherapy. The mother of the writer was having chemo and he felt it was making her more ill.

SillySeal · 24/03/2025 12:30

Thinking a bit different rather than everyday music. There's a couple of songs from teen musicals that I think teens can relate to but the songs are quite "meaty" if you look into them. You can find performances online.

You will be found from Dear Evan Hansen. I think that has a good message for teens as it's based on teen mental health/ suicide.

I Say No from Heathers - again based on teens, saying no to a controlling partner.

JustMeHello · 24/03/2025 12:29

The first one that came to mind from the brief was Streets of London (Ralph McTell) which is hideously uncool and teeny but to me fits the brief.

Limbo2 · 24/03/2025 12:26

People like us - Kelly Clarkson
Numb - Linkin Park

I love Wear sunscreen but might be a bit broad ... similar one is Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip Thou shalt always kill or Get Better(Any Scroobius Pip is worth looking at)

JimJonesLivesInMyHead · 24/03/2025 12:24

Red Dirt Girl by Emmylou Harris. Heartbreaking song about never being truly able to escape your lot in life. Lyrics are beautiful with lots of language devices, kills me every time I listen to it

ginnitonic · 24/03/2025 12:10

Eleanor Rigby The Beatles (loneliness)
Cuddly Toy The Monkees (Song that's the epitome of misogyny IMHO, but probably not enough content)

McGregor33 · 24/03/2025 12:00

Robin Hood by Ocean Colour Scene
Geraldine by Glasvagas

LadyMacbethssweetArabianhand · 24/03/2025 11:59

Some Eminem songs have fantastic rhymes and half rhymes to analyse. Travis is another with surrealistic lyrics. Effective use of metaphor

AffIt · 24/03/2025 11:54

Sorted for Es and Whizz by Pulp!

BarryAsthma · 24/03/2025 11:52

White Lines (Don’t Don’t do it)!

APurpleSquirrel · 24/03/2025 11:50

The A Team by Ed Sheeran
The Pretender by Lewis Capaldi
The Man by Taylor Swift
My Fault by Shaboozey
Morning Elvis by Florence & The Machine
3am by Halsey
Flowers by Miley Cyrus
Mr Brightside by The Killers
Fast Car by Jonas Blue

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