Intro
I was first drawn to Alicia Keys’ music in second grade, when I heard Girl on Fire on the radio. It was upbeat, loud, and overall I just loved the song. It would play on the radio and I would belt my tiny eight year old lungs out. I soon moved on to other songs and was only recently reminded of Alicia Keys when doing a project.
I watched a YouTube video of her doing a performance interview with Tiny Desk. Even from a video you could tell how bubbly she is, and how much she radiates positivity. She introduced her band and she seemed to have a real connection with every member. When she performed Underdog I really liked the lyrics and just the general flow of the song. It’s different from the typical music I would listen to. Alicia’s music gives a sense of realism and reality while also being incredible music.
Alisha Keys Background
Alicia Keys was born in New York in 1981. She began to play the piano at seven years old, which eventually led to her getting into the esteemed Professional Performing Arts School where she majored in choir.
Due to Alicia’s excelling grades and strong work ethic she was able to graduate at 16. During her high school years, many record executives had already begun to show interest in Keys. After a bidding war in 1998 Alicia signed with Arista Records. She attended Columbia University for all of four week until she ultimately decided to drop out to focus solely on her musical career. In 1999 when Clive Davis, the head of Arista Records, left the company to work with J Records, Keys decided to follow him and was very happy with her decision. She was thrilled with the freedom she had to be able to finish her debut work which she had begun many years before. The day before her debut album was released, Clive Davis was able to get her an appearance on Oprah as well as a media blitz. After being released her debut album, Songs in
A Minor, went platinum five times. It was loved for its mature lyrics and musical qualities. During the 2002 Grammys, the album won awards for song of the year, best R&B song, best R&B album, best R&B vocal performance and best new artist. Over the next two decades Alicia has continued with hit song after hit song receiving many more Grammy’s along the way
Song Introduction
I chose to research the song Underdog which came out in Alicia’s album, ALICIA. It was recorded in December of 2019 and came out on January 9, 2020. Underdog was produced by Alicia Keys and Johnny McDaid. It was cowritten by Ed Sheeran, Amy Wadge, Jonny Coffer, Foy Vance, Johnny McDaid, and of course, Alicia Keys. This song is about the people you never get to know. Here is the song and the lyrics
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
She was walking in the street, looked up and noticed
He was nameless, he was homeless
She asked him his name and told him what hers was
He gave her a story 'bout a life
With a glint in his eye and a corner of a smile
One conversation, a simple moment
The things that change us if we notice
When we look up, sometimes
They said I would never make it
But I was built to break the mold
The only dream that I've been chasing is my own
So I sing a song for the hustlers trading at the bus stop
Single mothers waiting on a check to come
Young teachers, student doctors
Sons on the frontline knowing they don't get to run
This goes out to the underdog
Keep on keeping at what you love
You'll find that someday soon enough
You will rise up, rise up, yeah
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
She's riding in a taxi back to the kitchen
Talking to the driver 'bout his wife and his children
On the run from a country where they put you in prison
For being a woman and speaking your mind
She looked in his eyes in the mirror and he smiled
One conversation, a single moment
The things that change us if we notice
When we look up, sometimes
They said I would never make it
But I was built to break the mold
The only dream that I've been chasing is my own
So I sing a song for the hustlers trading at the bus stop
Single mothers waiting on a check to come
Young teachers, student doctors
Sons on the frontline knowing they don't get to run
This goes out to the underdog
Keep on keeping at what you love
You'll find that someday soon enough
You will rise up, rise up, yeah
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Everybody rise up
You gonna rise up, ay
I sing a song for the hustlers trading at the bus stop
Single mothers waiting on a check to come
Young teachers, student doctors
Sons on the frontline knowing they don't get to run
This goes out to the underdog
Keep on keeping at what you love
You'll find that someday soon enough
You will rise up, rise up, yeah
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Song Analysis
Musically, it starts out with a classical guitar and voice that sounds very much like gospel. Throughout the song the backup singers repeat simple phrases and oooh’s. Underdog is a very rhythmical song with a strong emphasis on the beat. To me the rhythm sounds like a journey. As the song progresses piano comes into the mix along with more gospel singing. She changes octaves to hit some high notes and comes back down to finish the song.
This song is very much about being an underdog and defying odds. The lyrics paint a picture of different people who struggle in different ways, and how they can potentially overcome these challenges by sharing experiences with each other. It also represents how there are so many people in the world and you have no clue what they are dealing with or what their story is. A war veteran? An orphaned kid who grew up on the streets? A single parent? We have no clue who anyone is and how much they’ve been through until we talk to them. Until we have a conversation we have no idea. How much could we learn? How much wisdom and knowledge could we gain if we met a new person once a week? To me this is what the song lyrics represent.
To Alicia, this song is about her journey as well as an inspiration to others. Her mom was a single mother who worked a number of jobs to raise her. She grew up in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City, where the streets were filled with drugs, prostitution, and gang violence. She had to learn how to use the subway at ten years old, so her mom could work more. She says she feels lucky to have gotten out of there and to have become successful after being an underdog herself.
Conclusion
This song has provided a very unique perspective for me. It really made me think about all the people who I will never know. All the people I pass each day and how different their life could be from mine. Their struggles, their dreams and aspirations, their families, their life could be the complete opposite of mine, and I will never get to know them. This song makes me want to stop and talk to people. To listen and hear stories, and receive advice from complete strangers. I hope one day I will be able to do so. Thanks for reading.
--------
Sources
“Alicia Keys.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 31 Mar. 2020, www.biography.com/musician/alicia-keys.
“Alicia Keys: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert.” YouTube, uploaded by NPR Music, 22 June 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwUt1fVLb3E&t.
“Alicia Keys “Underdog” Official Lyrics & Meaning | Verified.” YouTube, uploaded by Genius, 20 January 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fjUlia4JiI.
“Underdog (Alicia Keys Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Sept. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underdog_(Alicia_Keys_song).
“What Sets LyricFind Apart?” LyricFind, www.lyricfind.com/.
Yorumlar