# Another thread overanalyzing pop songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [May 5, 2021, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406 "2021-05-05T03:26:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Steve\_McQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@Steve\_McQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_McQwark)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/21 "2021-05-06T14:28:15Z")
This is quite good. I hope you don’t mind, but I snipped a couple of things to comment on. > [@solost](#): > > I overanalyzed “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” in a similar thread not too long ago; I find it fun so I will do so again now: > > “He was in a bind because he was way behind, and he was willing to make a deal” > > The devil has quotas? Who’s imposing soul-stealing quotas on the devil?? In Heinlein’s “Job: A Comedy of Justice” the devil and Yahweh are peers who have a boss, so there is precedent for the devil having to answer to someone higher up. > [@solost](#): > > “the devil bowed his head, because he knew that he’d been beat. And he laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Johnny’s feet” > > OK, so the contest was not fixed to the devil’s advantage, surprisingly. But who thinks the devil actually won? Johnny’s playing was competent but utterly conventional; the devil’s playing was cool and avant-garde. I think the devil has low self-esteem and short-changed himself. This I just wanted to quote because I love the idea of the devil conceding because he has low self-esteem. “Ah, who am I kidding, I’m only an immortal being in charge of tempting and torturing billions of souls, what chance did I ever have against some guy from rural Georgia. Oh well, I guess I better get back to work - Facebook isn’t going to invent itself.” ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/22 "2021-05-06T14:35:34Z")
Raised Catholic my first 18 years, so I may or may not have learned/gleaned the following: By accepting the Devil’s wager, Johnny already lost his soul, the prize of the golden fiddle just sealed the deal – what does the devil care for gold anyway? The Devil was just faking defeat in case someone wrote this down for the **New Testament II: The Newer Testament**.\* I don’t for one second believe the author of the song implied any of this. Just funnin’. \*(In theaters Summer 2050) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/23 "2021-05-06T14:52:42Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Who would accept a bet against the devil, since deals with the devil have gone badly for the human in practically all literature and popular entertainment of the past thousand years? The devil is well known to be a trickster. Are there impartial judges at least, or does the devil get to decide who wins? This isn’t properly addressed in the song. > > “the devil bowed his head, because he knew that he’d been beat. And he laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Johnny’s feet” > > OK, so the contest was not fixed to the devil’s advantage, surprisingly. But who thinks the devil actually won? Johnny’s playing was competent but utterly conventional; the devil’s playing was cool and avant-garde. I think the devil has low self-esteem and short-changed himself. I figure the devil doesn’t really care about souls. As has been pointed out, he’s an immortal being verging on divinity; why would he care about humans? What the devil cares about is the competition with God. And God won’t be fooled by any tricks. So if the devil cheated and simply declared he had won when he didn’t, God would know the truth. And the devil sees no point in scoring a victory that God doesn’t recognize. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/24 "2021-05-06T14:56:36Z")
I think that the Beatles She’s Leaving Home and Eleanor Rigby, and McCartney’s Another Day are all about the same person at three stages of her life. Shall we call her Eleanor? Eleanor leaves home to meet the man from the motor trade. But it doesn’t work out. She refuses to admit she was wrong and go back home, so she moves through life in an endless series of nothing relationships (And he comes, and he stays, but he leaves the next day. So sad.) Finally she dies alone, with no one but Fr Mackenzie to care. Ah, look at all the lonely people. Where do they all come from? Now we know one story. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/25 "2021-05-06T16:00:45Z")
> [@Steve\_McQwark](#): > > In Heinlein’s “Job: A Comedy of Justice” the devil and Yahweh are peers who have a boss, so there is precedent for the devil having to answer to someone higher up. It’s been awhile since I read it, but in the actual Old Testament Book of Job, God and the devil strangely come across as being equals who recognize and accept role the other plays. It kind of reminded me of the old Looney Tunes cartoon with the wolf and the sheep dog, where the lunch whistle goes off and they temporarily suspend their animosity, sit together and eat lunch while shooting the breeze. God says “check out my faithful servant Job” and the devil says, “sure, it’s easy to be faithful when you have it as good as Job does”. So God says “give him your worst then, mess him up, and we’ll see if he renounces me”. The devil: “you’re on!” Old Testament God was a real _ **dick** _. > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > By accepting the Devil’s wager, Johnny already lost his soul, the prize of the golden fiddle just sealed the deal Yeah, this has occurred to me as well while overanalyzing this silly novelty song. “The boy said 'my name’s Johnny, and it might be a sin, but I’ll take your bet, and you’re gonna regret it, 'cause I’m the best that’s ever been!” You’re damn right it’s a sin, Johnny! That’s the con that the devil’s pulling-- he gets Johnny to commit both the sins of pride and greed in accepting the bet-- at that point, it doesn’t matter who wins the fiddle playing contest-- Johnny is damned to hell either way. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > What the devil cares about is the competition with God. And God won’t be fooled by any tricks. So if the devil cheated and simply declared he had won when he didn’t, God would know the truth. And the devil sees no point in scoring a victory that God doesn’t recognize. Yes, the devil is in competition with God, but the nature of the competition is in how many humans he can corrupt and turn away from God. He doesn’t care whether God knows he tricked them, tricking humans is his go-to strategy in fact; what matters is another soul exiled from God for all eternity. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/26 "2021-05-06T16:19:52Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Johnny is damned to hell either way. Probably the same level as the banjo and accordion players. 😄 [“Far Side” reference] ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/27 "2021-05-06T16:26:10Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Probably the same level as the banjo and accordion players. 😄 > > [“Far Side” reference]  Come on man, when you make a Far Side ref you have to link to the actual cartoon(s). Are these them? [![](https://www.banjorehab.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/d573cd7ad93c41e9558ffa3bcb612d39.jpg) ](https://www.banjorehab.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/d573cd7ad93c41e9558ffa3bcb612d39.jpg) [https://www.concertina.net/forums/uploads/monthly\_06\_2008/post-6718-1212625366.jpg](https://www.concertina.net/forums/uploads/monthly_06_2008/post-6718-1212625366.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/28 "2021-05-06T16:44:41Z")
^ Oh, yeah, that’s them. I’d forgotten the accordion cartoon and figured I was lucky to escape with my life the banjoists wrath, but rules is rules; next time FS cartoons will be linked to. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/29 "2021-05-08T01:10:31Z")
Over analyzing “Hey Joe” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/DVvmALPu5TU/maxresdefault.jpg "What Key is Hey Joe in?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVvmALPu5TU) ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/30 "2021-05-08T01:52:35Z")
I posted this in another thread, here is an analyzation of “All By Myself” cover by Celine Dione. Well worth a watch. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/epqYft12nV4/maxresdefault.jpg "The most elegant key change in all of pop music") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epqYft12nV4) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/31 "2021-05-08T06:37:36Z")
_The Devil Went Down to Georgia_ is merely Charlie Daniels pissed that he learned the fiddle rather than the guitar. The entire song, of course, is an allegory about the battle between rock (the Devil’s music) and country (Johnny). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/32 "2021-05-08T09:26:28Z")
> [@solost](#): > > It’s been awhile since I read it, but in the actual Old Testament Book of Job, God and the devil strangely come across as being equals who recognize and accept role the other plays. I got more of the impression that the devil works for God, in a favoured capacity. If they were equals, Satan wouldn’t need God to give him power over Job. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/33 "2021-05-08T12:42:22Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > _The Devil Went Down to Georgia_ is merely Charlie Daniels pissed that he learned the fiddle rather than the guitar. The entire song, of course, is an allegory about the battle between rock (the Devil’s music) and country (Johnny). Nice take, and it may very well be 100% true! And then Johnny of course is the “Mary Sue” to Charlie Daniels. > [@MrDibble](#): > > I got more of the impression that the devil works for God, in a favoured capacity. If they were equals, Satan wouldn’t need God to give him power over Job. That’s true, the devil needed permission to start messing with Job. Still, I always found it crazy that an official book of the Bible acknowledged God and the devil being on semi-friendly speaking terms, like a couple of co-workers chatting by the water cooler. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/34 "2021-05-08T13:02:55Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > _The Devil Went Down to Georgia_ is merely Charlie Daniels pissed that he learned the fiddle rather than the guitar. The entire song, of course, is an allegory about the battle between rock (the Devil’s music) and country (Johnny). Yeah but… Charlie Daniels played guitar AND fiddle. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/35 "2021-05-08T13:20:57Z")
Like the thread title asked, I _over_analyzed the song, yes. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/36 "2021-05-08T14:07:54Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Yeah but… Charlie Daniels played guitar AND fiddle. Rock won (both in the song and IRL) and Charlie Daniels turned into…well, Charlie Daniels. Chalk one up for Team Evil! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2021, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/37 "2021-05-09T01:17:12Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > > [@solost](#): > > > > It’s been awhile since I read it, but in the actual Old Testament Book of Job, God and the devil strangely come across as being equals who recognize and accept role the other plays. > > I got more of the impression that the devil works for God, in a favoured capacity. If they were equals, Satan wouldn’t need God to give him power over Job. God and Satan both are playing by a set of rules. God has the advantage because he invented the game and wrote the rules. God agreed to play by these rules because he knows they favor him overall. Satan agreed to play by these rules because they put some restraints on what God will do. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2021, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/38 "2021-05-11T03:54:12Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I think that the Beatles She’s Leaving Home and Eleanor Rigby, and McCartney’s Another Day are all about the same person at three stages of her life. I thought everybody knew this? ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2021, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/39 "2021-05-11T05:28:27Z")
Cher’s “The Way of Love” addresses an undefined “you.” “If you meet a boy/That you like a lot/And you fall in love/But he loves you not…” At this point it could be the general “you,” as in “If one meets a boy/That one likes…” But the next lines are: “If a flame should start/As he holds you near/Better keep your heart/Out of danger, dear…” So she’s addressing the song to one specific person, someone she cares for. She continues in this vein, playing out the scenario to its tragic conclusion, posed as a question: “Then what will you do/When he sets you free?” Finally: “Just the way that **you** /Said goodbye to me.” The dear one she’s been addressing is the former lover who has dumped her and gone looking for… a man. Cher’s former lover is bisexual. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2021, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406/40 "2021-05-11T14:47:17Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I thought everybody knew this? A previous time I posted it, I got pushback from the 'Dope. So not everyone, at least. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-thread-overanalyzing-pop-songs/941406.md?page=3)