Titanium

Analysis Method: "8 Questions"
Lyrics

You shout it out,
But I can't hear a word you say
I'm talking loud not saying much
I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet
You shoot me down, but I get up

I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium

Cut me down
But it's you who'll have further to fall
Ghost town and haunted love
Raise your voice, sticks and stones may break my bones
I'm talking loud not saying much

I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
I am titanium
I am titanium

Stone-hard, machine gun
Firing at the ones who run
Stone-hard as bulletproof glass

You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
I am titanium

Interpretation
If I was just listening to this song without watching the video, I would assume that it is trying to make some sort of statement about how we need to rise up through our tough situations and show the world what we can do. 
 
When I watch the video, I say that this song is just telling a story.

Depending on which of those two we take, I get somewhat different meanings from the song, and it very much affects what I take away from it. I will focus on the video in answering the 8 questions but also try to include elements of the other.

1. Is there anything good I can hold on to from this song?  From a Biblical perspective, I can see some truth to the line "Cut me down but it's you who'll have further to fall." In 1 Peter 2 there is a teaching to slaves that they should obey their masters whether they are good and gentle or cruel. Peter sites Jesus as the example for this: "when He was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he was suffering, he did not threaten but entrusted himself to the One who judges justly." 

 

The tone of these lyrics -  confirmed by the video - is all about confrontation. A lot of the confrontation seem to come from other people, and I get the impression this is probably the story of an outcast who is often the target of bullying. Still, from the lyrics I don't see that the kid is backing down at all; what I read is that he essentially says, "Bring it!" This is not helped by the line "I'm talking loud not saying much." No matter how much he's gone through or been made fun of, it is not right for him to take an attitude of indifference or even retaliation. Despite all this, I can still hold onto the basic idea: as challenges come and people oppose me for being who I believe God made me to be, they are ultimately the ones who will have to be accountable. Jesus' teaching is also clear that we must forgive if we hope to be forgiven (Matthew 6:14-15).

2. Is there anything true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, or praiseworthy in this song? I'm not sure that I really see anything that fits these categories.

3. Does this song encourage me to conform more to the patterns of this age? If the main character's attitude is an influence to me, then yes, I think the song does. In the video, we see the character has superhuman powers, and by the repeated expression "I am titanium," I see him elevating his invincibility. Sure, he has been through some hard times (I know that I'm reading that element into the lyrics, but it is the common angle by which these sorts of stories are approached), but I don't hear a trace of humility in the words. As I hear this song, I want to stand taller and hold my chest out a little, thinking that I can take on the attitude of the character, which as I said before, seems to tell the world to "Bring it!"

This attitude, though, is in direct opposition to the attitude that followers of Jesus are called to. Even a cursory look at Philippians 2 will present a shocking contrast: he who truly was a "superman" so to speak did not come onto the world scene and defiantly cry, "Bring it!" Instead, he took on a form of humility - a humility that ultimately led to his death.

Besides the aspect of the character's attitude, I can't help but think of Friedrich Nietzsche's "Übermensch" when I watch the video. I would never claim to be an expert in Nietzsche's philosophy, but from the teachings I've heard before, Nietzsche's original writings have been used many times by others to theorize that there is or will evolve a race of man that is superior to all others. That sort of thinking is without question a "pattern of this age."

4. Does this song encourage me to set my mind on things above or on earthly things? The story of this song doesn't give any consideration to a spiritual element in the situation - and why would it? If we are going down the path of the"Übermensch," then we are living in a world where Nietzsche said "God is dead." If I place myself inside the video and start to travel down its implications, then I quickly have no need for the spiritual, since life is all about us and the various powers that we have.

5. Is this song leading me to feel anger, rage, malice, or slander? This depends on what angle you take with this song. I admit that it's possible the kid just lost control of his power, and that's what we see with the destroyed school at the beginning of the video. But then,  more likely based on the lyrics, we are looking at a kid who unleashed on a school because of being bullied. That would mean that there is a lot of anger, rage, and malice in this song. I would especially see malice in the "Cut me down but it's you who'll have further to fall" (see the answer to #1 for how this is different from the Biblical standpoint).

What's interesting is that this song is not musically constructed to be an "angry" sort of song. That is why I primarily feel the emotions of defiance and pride. There is a sort of controlled yet uncontrolled confidence based on the melody and instrumental buildup. Regardless of which it is, none of those emotions fit in line with the responses that Jesus calls his followers to. And again, as we read in Philippians, he was able to call his followers to different responses because he himself triumphed through humility rather than through power.

6. Does this song contain filthy language or encourage me to use filthy language? No - I would say that the language of the song is clean.

7. Is this song calling me to pursue youthful passions?  I don't really see the events and message of this song as youthful passions. I think of youthful passions as something that a person pursues. In this song, I get more of an impression about what is pursuing the main character.

8. Can I listen to this song in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him? After thinking through these questions, there are two different viewpoints by which I can think of this song. Strictly speaking on the level of the song lyrics and video, I don't see much redemptive value in it(being able to glorify God for his work in the world despite of and through the conditions of the world).

If this song is just telling a story, then we don't really get a clear picture of where the story is going. Maybe the character has suffered some difficult times, but we don't see that he has come around to any good from it - other than maybe pride and resilience, both of which (Biblically speaking) are downfalls when applied to the wrong context - which I would say is the context of the song.

If the video was not the main focus of the song and we just consider the lyrics, then I'm not left with a much better picture of what the song is trying to communicate. If the artists want me to just consider the attitude of the song by itself, I can't really approve of it from Biblical grounds. If this is an attitude I am to consider taking on for myself, then just as bad - as I would say it clearly defies Jesus' reminder that: "Apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15).

However, I have to say that I do like the music of this song. The first time I heard it was from The Piano Guys, and I was immediately drawn to the melodic line and harmonic progression (especially as it was juxtaposed with Gabriel Fauré's "Pavane"). The calm, arpeggiated chords at the beginning lead nicely into the opening vocals (which in the case of The Piano Guys allows the cello to "sing" well enough) - which are repetitive and effective in its use of steps and leaps in the notes.

At the bridge section, I like how the texture clears a little and initiates a slow crescendo (both through volume and texture) leading to the interval (distance between two notes) of a minor 6th at "I am titanium." It is somewhat haunting and captivating to me. 

Rhythmically speaking, the artists knew what they were doing with the concept of "arsis/thesis" - the idea of flow in music, with weak beats leading to strong beats. Most of the lyrics start somewhere around beat 3 (often on the beat, sometimes off the beat), and by keeping the rhythms simple, there is a strong pull towards beat 1, which the artists then maximize by their choice of note.

As I analyze more and more music, my opinion may change, but for some reason (I can't even completely define it), I find a certain uniqueness to this song. For that reason, I can see myself continuing to appreciate the instrumental version by The Piano Guys and praising God for what I find to be a well-written pop song.

Here is the link to The Piano Guys playing Titanium: