Monday, September 5, 2011
Re-Evaluating "Beverly Hills"
Since I began writing about this song I have noticed a few things about the lyrics in the song "Beverly Hills" by Weezer. Both at the beginning and the end of the song, the lead singer and writer, River Cuomo, tries to emphasize this sense of self pity in the song. He talks about how average and nearly depressing his life is, which I interpret as a chance for Cuomo to manipulate and persuade the audience to feel bad for him or the average person, who will never succeed in California like the celebrities and the affluent have. This is an idea expressed in the theory of social slots existing in the United States. For example, some people believe that those not given advantages early in life don't stand a chance of rising up above what they already are in society. I believe this is a point Weezer may be trying to get across, because Rivers Cuomo believes social slots may be a restriction for many people trying to succeed in the eyes of the California dream. My views of the dream have not changed though since I have written about it. I still firmly believe the California dream is something far superior and more demanding than the typical American dream, because it consists of extreme wealth and over indulgence in material items. This is not to mention of course how the ideas of stardom and excessive fame tie into the dream, a position in society that many long for.
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Fun song, I almost chose this one myself. I think you got to a really interesting point with the social slots concept. When I listen to the song, it is hard to think about the serious issues since the song is so lighthearted. I think by looking deeper into that issue of separation and inability to rise up, it reveals a bit of disappointment or frustration in the fact that this California dream is somewhat unattainable to the average person. There are a bunch of other songs about getting famous and living lavish lifestyles that I bet would be interesting to look at with this lens as well.
ReplyDeleteThe points you brought up about social slots is definitely an important theme in this song. Although the singer says that he wishes he lived the beverly hills lifestyle, he seems to believe with a strong certainty that he will forever be of the lower class. This is clear especially when he claims that he does not stand a chance because he was not born into old money.
ReplyDeleteYour re-evaluation brought to the table some extremely well thought out points. I really enjoyed how you really dove into the lyrics. I completely agree that the song writer is definitely showing that social slots in society really do hold a large amount of people back from their dreams. However I also think that for many people the idea/goal of grabbing a part of the California Dream is what keeps them motivated.
ReplyDeleteI had never thought about the California dream as being superior and more demanding than the American dream because to me the California dream was about relaxation and escape whereas the American dream was about hard work. However I completely agree that the California dream is more demanding because it is a lot less realistic.
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