Analysis of Elements of Poetry in the song "IRIS" Goo Goo Dolls

'IRIS' The Goo Goo Dolls

Produced by Rob Cavallo & The Goo Goo Dolls

Album Dizzy Up the Girl




[Verse 1]

[Verse 2]
And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
And sooner or later, it's over
I just don't wanna miss you tonight

[Chorus]
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken

[Verse 3]

[Chorus]
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
[Instrumental]

[Chorus]

[Chorus]
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken

[Outro]

I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am

 

Analyze Of the Song

 

'Iris' was written by Goo Goo Dolls vocalist John Rzeznik. When Rzeznik wrote the song, her life didn't go the way he had planned. His self-confidence as a songwriter is crumbling. Worst of all, the collapse of her long-standing marriage. But he met another girl and fell in love with her. So it was a really manic time in his life. When he was looking for something to hold on to. When he met that woman he thought of getting her love no matter what, and from there he wrote the lyrics to the song "Iris".

            The subject of this song is clear, it is “iris”, Iris' name was inspired by country singer Iris DeMent, whom Rzeznik discovered while reading a magazine. In the story it is described that this person is really willing to give up his own immortality, just to be able to feel something very human. How amazing it feels to love someone so much that you gave up everything to be. with them. In general, "Iris" is a love song that is delivered from the point of view of someone who is more or less unknown to the person he loves. Thus, the basis of his attraction to this romantic interest (the recipient of the song) is simply to "know who (he) is". Meanwhile, the singer is described as a lonely and hopeless person who is not very interested in associating himself with the world because he doesn't “think that they will understand it”. Indeed much is not revealed about his character other than the fact that he appears to be a recluse and would sacrifice anything, even "forever", to experience intimacy with the person he sings about. More specifically, this song was written in the context of a film called City of Angels. And the singer plays the role of the film's main character, who is an angel who falls in love with a woman and is willing to trade her immortality for a romance with her. So with this in mind, song lyrics become much easier to understand. However, many fans don't interpret it within the confines of the City of Angels plot. In fact "Iris" has proven to be more popular than the film itself. Instead, they understand it basically likes a very relatable emotional love song. So the theme of The song is about making yourself vulnerable to someone so they can see behind the mask.

 

       I think he wrote it from the point of view of an angel in love, an angel is a metaphor for anyone who is in love with someone they see as 'from another world' and therefore unattainable. Where the angel completely failed over the woman. and felt things that he had never felt before but at the same time wanted to keep them secret because he was afraid that if it became the material world it would lose its purity. It's a love song about the conflict between what your heart is pushing you to do and what your head is telling you is the smart thing to do. Based on that, I'd say the song Iris expresses a universal need, the need for acceptance.

 

            The lyrics of the song 'Iris' contain several elements of poetry, including rhythm, rhyme, stanza, tone, imagery, and figurative language. Literally, song lyrics offer euphony in the intrinsic study of literature. The melodious sound provides the reader with insight into the sound set of the lyrics. Stylistically, song lyrics offer text and discourse in literary communication. This literature communicates presenters to readers with insight into grammar and lyric interpretation. song lyrics offer emotion in reading it. The lyrics are usually written to mean. To understand its meaning, the reader must begin with the process of making imaginative interpretations of the reality it represents. Interaction with lyrics usually involves a deeper level of mental involvement and greater personal interaction and response. Such lyrics are generally motivating and enjoyable. Readers who have worked with song lyrics usually tend to read critically, decisively and creatively. Song lyrics are wide open to multiple interpretations. Two readers rarely look at song lyrics in the same way. The space between one individual's interpretation and another's interpretation lends itself to discussion and interaction. So Elements of style in Goo Goo Dolls Iris can be drawn out of this stylistic communication.

 

            Iris Goo Goo Dolls' lyrics are built in four stanzas. Each of the four stanzas is arranged in verse. But apart from the four stanzas, there is actually a chorus in the lyrics. This chorus is almost similar to the third stanza; except that the fourth line of the third passes four times to form it. The rhythm of the Iris Goo Goo Dolls is patterned in the anapest trimester. This kind of pattern has nearly twice as many unaccented syllables as accented syllables and the combination of unaccented and accented syllables repeats three times in each line. This combination of syllables can be taken in every breath every reader takes. Every reader can read the whole lyrics of course because he can read lightly. The reader can then memorize and/or sing the entire lyric of the melody in an easy way. The words don't rhyme perfectly in the lyrics. Each stanza does not have the same ending sound. In each stanza, the words rhyme in the abcd scheme. This particular rhyme scheme distinguishes the sound of the last line of one stanza from another. The difference is used in a lively and lively vocabulary that is spoken of to be communicated through the lyrics. The rhyme scheme of the lyric, therefore, helps the reader to plan his scheme of thought along with the lyric structure. The sound set of patterned lyrics in the anapest trimester is not rhythmic. This pattern creates a longer reading rhythm but a shorter reading speed. This pattern is a consequence of bringing dynamics and tempo in reading lyrics. Accent the lyrics regularly according to the rhythm of the music. The beat reading speed is at the right speed, which corresponds to the beat of the lyric music. Reads the words placed in each line of the lyrics, therefore the reader can snap his fingers repeatedly according to the reading speed.

 

The rhythm is stress-timed. The stressed syllables in the verse are marked as beats (B) and the unstressed as off-beats (o). The lyric is made of four chords, namely D5, E7, G5, Bm, and Asus4. The chord G5 acts as a pivotal chord, where the other running chords balance on. The chord affects how the words in the lyric are sung and thus how emotion is carried along with the lyrics. Although the words in each stanza do not rhyme perfectly, emotion is meticulously planned around a particular intention. To decipher the intention communicated through the words deployed in the lyric, it is helpful to group the verbs deployed in the lyric into a small set of basic kinds of processes. This set is concerned with verbs of process.

 

            So, Stylistically, the words are communicated both in metrical verse as the lyric text and in metrical expression as the lyric discourse. The lyric is written in unrhymed anapest trimester, which creates its exceptional dynamics and tempo. The lyric is structured in four chords, which creates its emotional rhythm and tone. The lyric is set out within static verbs and/or phrasal verbs, which create its intangible, yet understandable expressions. In all, Goo Goo Dolls’ Iris communicates stylish resonance and perception.

 

            Verbally expressed activities in the song lyric are grouped into a small set of basic kinds of processes. The set is characterized into the material, mental, relational, behavioral, verbal, and existential processes. A material process is present when something physical and observable is done or happens. A mental process has one human or human-like participant of thinking, feeling, and perceiving. A relational process has the condition or status of being. A behavioral process is about the physiological and psychological behavior of participants. A verbal process communicates an implicit message to an implicit addressee. An existential process represents that someone or something exists or has happened. Lastly, the vocabulary mentioned in this study is about metaphorical words. A word is metaphorical only when it has both literal and figurative meaning together. A metaphor cannot exist without context. The vocabulary of Iris, therefore, exists within its context. This Song lyric has Imagery, in sentences "And I'll give up forever to touch you[,] 'cause I know that you feel me somehow" (stanza 1) is an example of imagery. This creates an image of some giving up everything for another. Meanwhile, this song has figurative Language there are

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  • Simile: "When everything feels like the movies[,] yeah you bleed just to know your alive" (stanza 4) is an example of a simile. This basically means that you need something to reassure you, that something is not cliche.
  • Metaphor: "And I'll give up forever to touch you" (stanza 1) is an example of a metaphor. This is a metaphor because you can't really give up forever for someone.
  • Alliteration: "'Cause I don't think that they'd understand" (stanza 3) is an example of an alliteration. This line contains three constant sounds.
  • Hyperbole: "When everything's made to be broken[,] I just want you to know who I am" (stanza 3) is an example of hyperbole. This exaggeration says that things are going to break but in reality not everything breaks.
  • Symbolism: "You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be" (stanza 1) is an example of symbolism. Heaven is a symbol of his eternal love.
  • Repetition: “I just want to know who I am” stanza 3,5,6,7,8, is repeated 7 times throughout the song.

It can be concluded that the lyrics of the song 'iris' Goo Goo Dolls have the five elements of poetry, there are stanza, rhythm, rhyme, imagery, and figurative language. but there is some figurative language that is not in the lyrics such as personification. 





Resource : 
Jati, A. (2017). Stylistic Communication Deciphered from Goo Goo Dolls'" Iris". Culturalistics: Journal of Cultural, Literary, and Linguistic Studies1(1), 52-60.

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