Lyric Analysis

Hard Times

Paramore

All that I want
Is to wake up fine
Tell me that I'm alright
That I ain't gonna die
All that I want
Is a hole in the ground
You can tell me when it's alright
For me to come out

(Hard times) gonna make you wonder why you even try
(Hard times) gonna take you down and laugh when you cry
(These lives) and I still don't know how I even survive
(Hard times)
(Hard times)
And I gotta get to rock bottom

Walking around
My little rain cloud
Hanging over my head
And it ain't coming down
Where do I go?
Gimme some sort of sign
You hit me with lightning!
Maybe I'll come alive

gonna make you wonder why you even try
(Hard times) gonna take you down and laugh when you cry
(These lives) and I still don't know how I even survive
(Hard times)
(Hard times)
And I gotta head to rock bottom

Tell my…

Tell my friends I'm coming down
We'll kick it when I hit the ground
Tell my friends I'm coming down
We'll kick it when I hit the ground
When I hit the ground
When I hit the ground
When I hit the ground
When I hit the ground

gonna make you wonder why you even try
(Hard times) gonna take you down and laugh when you cry
(These lives) and I still don't know how I even survive
(Hard times) (hard times)
(Hard times) (hard times)

gonna make you wonder why you even try
(Hard times) gonna take you down and laugh when you cry
(These lives) and I still don't know how I even survive
(Hard times) (hard times)
(Hard times)

And I gotta get to rock bottom!

Lyrical meanings:

This suggests that the person is struggling and, like the song says: having a "hard time". Also, it may make the audience think that they are struggling with depression or another mental health issue.

These lyrics link to the idea of a mental health issue as an effect on people suffering is not wanting to go out and socialise.

Taking someone down has negative connotations and implies that the person is cruel. The fact that the singer continues to say that she would laugh after being horrible suggests that she is sinister and enjoys hurting other people.

This line suggests that the singer is self-destructive and wants to feel worse than they already do.

The question shows that she is lost and is asking someone for help, this could be a person or another interpretation is that she is asking a religious figure if she is religious.

Paramore's song title is repeated a lot throughout the song which emphasises the message and meaning behind it.

This shows that the singer has friends who are maybe similar to her and they can also be rebellious and sometimes cruel; linking back to the alternative rock genre.

Saying that someone 'tries' implies that they care therefore, the other lyrics within the line suggest that the singer has an unbothered attitude. This once again fits into the typical conventions of an alternative rock song.

This line symbolises more struggle for the singer and her battling 'inner demons' that make her think that her life is unimportant.

Rock bottom is not typically seen as a positive thing therefore, by the song ending with the singer saying that she has to get to rock bottom means that she is determined to worsen herself. However, she may feel like she has to get to the bottom in order to get worse before she gets better.

My ideas:

In my music video I will have the main character waking up and trying to be normal however, there will be another character who will act as her shadow. The idea and representation that I hope people will infer from this is that the "shadow" is her depression that follows her around. This will be shown through lighting, colour and facial expression.

Character is worried about going outside and when she does, her depression follows her and she becomes overwhelmed so, decides to run away but depression follows.

The character is walking down the street (preferably whilst raining) looking hurt. She has an umbrella but the metaphorical depression character steals it.

She's in a big crowd of people and keeps getting pushed around whilst trying to escape.

The depression character is laughing at the main character in need of help.

Main character is walking and trying to catch up to other people but the closer she seems to be getting, the further away she actually is.

Towards the end of the song, lots of repeated scenes will quickly flash on-screen using quick-cut editing. This will be a build-up of tension which will lead to the end scene being the main character standing on the edge of a cliff (or somewhere high up) and looking down as if she is going to jump in order to get to "rock bottom". The other character will be standing behind and slowly poke her which will make her fall- the correct camera angle will have to be used to ensure that it looks like she is falling. The final shot will be of the character portrayed as her depression who will be shown smiling.

Music Analysis:

The music to Paramore's 2017 alternative single 'Hard Times' starts off sounding fairly upbeat and with an 80's vibe. This juxtaposes with the lyrics of the song as contrastingly, the lyrics are depressing compared to the upbeat tempo of the music. It is described as sounding like "bubbly pop" which is a new sound for the band as they have shifted from emo and rock over to pop punk and alternative rock.