r/LyricInterpretations

Roland Barthe's "Death of an Author" argued that meaning comes from readers, not from the author's stated intentions. I'm working on this ideo for a digital literary course, and I keep running into a similarity that is specific to music right now. Artists constantly narrate their own work with things such as liner note threads, "making of" videos/films, and Genius annotations/interviews that walk through a track-by-track meaning. That seems like the opposite of the author disappearing. If anything, audiences increasingly seem to want the artist's own meaning before they will commit to an interpretation. Like the artists stated meaning becomes the "correct" one that fan interpretations get measured against, rather than one interpretation among many. So I'm curious as to what you all think. Does an artist explaining their intent actually shut down alternative interpretations, or does it just become more raw material for interpretation? And is there a difference between an artist explaining intent after release of music or shaping the narritive before a release or music?

This discussion is for my literary studies course. The "Death of the Author" made me question my understanding of a story, and whether I only considered it from one perspective. After reading "The Death of the Author," I considered whether or not the performative part of an artist's concert/tour influenced the way a listener perceives the meaning of the song. For example, someone like Taylor swift, who may perform almost like a play, that depicts her intention of what she wants the song to mean, may be limiting to the listener's imagination. While someone like Adele draws less attention to the physical performance, and focuses more on the vocals, which provides an opportunity for her fans to develop their own meaning of the song. What I don't understand is how someone is supposed to "bury" the author when the "author" is the one preforming in front of you, in the way they want you to interpret the story.

Greetings my fellow fans. It’s time for your interpretation of this excellent song (not the album). I’ve read the lyrics and know the basic background behind Vapor Trails and I know that it’s a very dark song, but I’d love to read your interpretation of it as well. TIA

The martyr, the devil, the god,
You’re gold,
All the shimmery things they talk about, and all the bloody, bloodless wounds I’ve endured,

If I could have, I’d have flown across the sky for you to hold,
I need you to hold,

I was born half, heartbroken,
Half of me is you,

But you’re born cursed too, like a god you walk on streets of gold,

And like a beggar I’m afraid to depart too soon.

I need a step up
Not a downward nor high tick but a real MC takin shots leg up
My thing is rap shit tap tap tap on the spot with a structure
Lay some competitive expectancy down without notice no mention

16 to a 12
just a short sentence to a written poem
something without the anal compare or a tournament turn waiting numb
a tick or pick mean and clean battle worthy of a tik tok viral kinda song

So who wanna see me flair
give me something i wanna pair
I dont easy flinch or run
lets make on a pinch have some fun

A lot of his songs refer to a "they". As either a mysterious foe or critic or hanger on in some cases. I love Stu and find it amusing how frequently it pops up in his lyrics.

I understand the song is already about escapism given that they’re are lyrics regarding escapism in this song such as “tape my eyes open to force reality” and “I live inside my own world of make believe” and all that, but I’m just wondering how else is this song about escapism/daydreaming to escape a harsh reality? Like is there imagery or other lyrics that point to the theme of daydreaming/using imagination to cope? Just curious.