Analysis is the Critical Starting Point of Strategic Thinking- Kenichi Ohmae
Example of Analysis Writing
Prompt: Analyze Himes and Catanzarite's comparison of "Born in the U.S.A" and "Zoo Station"
Through an analysis of two very different songs by two very different artists, Geoffrey Himes and Stephen Catanzarite both go in-depth about their respective musician’s motivation, creation, and cultivation of “Born in the U.S.A” and “Zoo Station.” For instance, starting with the latter, Catanzarite compares “Zoo Station” by U2 to the fall of Adam and Eve in the book of Genisis. However, these connections to the bible are not unjustified as U2 is a well known Christian band that originated in making worship music. Therefore, Catanzarite links this man and women described in the song— as hinted at by the title of the essay— with the aforementioned Adam and Eve. More specifically, Catanzarite decides to go in-depth about what would happen after Adam and Eve are kicked out of Eden and the repercussions going into a place of sin would have on a man and a woman who have lived their entire lives in a sheltered garden of perfection. Appropriately the author titles this essay “Straight outta Eden” as his analysis consists of descriptions that align with modern-day temptations that Adam and Eve would face if they were banned from a place like Eden today. Further, this allusion to “Straight Outta Compton” — a famous song and album by N.W.A— is both ironic and oddly appropriate as it juxtaposes the idea of originating from a place of debauchery and violence— Compton— with originating from a place of celestial perfection: Eden. This subtle reference has many implications that set up the analysis which is to come by Catanzarite. Moreover, the author does not only utilize the lyrics but also the tones and beats in the music to create a comprehensive story about the man and his wife referenced in the song. The excitement the man feels to fully experience a world of sin matches the upbeat nature of the song but is opposed by the filtered, almost grimy tone of the singer’s voice which creates a sense of foreboding in the listener. U2 creates this contradiction to foreshadow the catastrophic results of the sin which Adam is about to commit after spending all his time in Eden with Eve. He tries to find pleasures that he believes to be even better than the celestial entities he was given in the Garden of Eden such as his connection with his wife Eve. Specifically, he uses these temporal things in the city of sin to fulfill a sense of satisfaction that will be forever unreachable providing commentary on both the toxicity of rock culture— which U2 had experience with— and the human desire to sin. On the other hand, Geoffrey Himes analyzes “Born in the U.S.A” by Bruce Springsteen which, similar to “Zoo Station,” has an upbeat nature with darker undertones. Ever since the founding of America, there has been a sense of nationalism felt by its inhabitants. This sense of nationalism is strongly encapsulated throughout Springsteen’s song, as pointed out by Himes, even though it depicts the negative factors of being an American during the Vietnam war. As a nation, America has famously turned a blind eye to some of the bad which occurs and replaces this with a strong sense of patriotism. Springsteen brings this to light with his line referencing the order’s given to the criminal to kill the “yellow man” which underlies the racism still prevalent in the States. Furthermore, the idea of “Being Born in the U.S.A” has so many positive connotations innately to Americans that— personally— I believed this song was going to glorify what is great about the U.S. instead of point out its flaws. I was oh so very wrong. As I was reading Himes’ essay, I realized that this song I had heard many times before had such a deeper meaning than what I had previously perceived. In short, these essays made me think deeper about the amount of work that goes into creating a perfect tune to match— or juxtapose— what the artist wants to say.