Awkwardisms

Lyrics are really a universal language, right? I mean, apart from the obvious difficulties in the average American understanding something like "99 Luftballoons," the form of spoken communication set to music really transcends cultural barriers in order to deliver its message.



I mean, a song written in the Pacific Northwest is going to be understood just as well as one written in Boston, right? Or they both will be on the same level as another from across the pond. You get what I'm saying? Lyrics, while complex, are also very sincere and direct a good portion of the time, and thus erase the peculiarities of cultural tendencies.

Or do they disappear? I myself can think of several occasions where awkward terminology can either confuse the listener, or at the least, catch them up in a particularly irregular substitution.

For example, look at Midnight Oil's "Beds Are Burning." One line in particular makes this song a great awkwardism subject:

"Holden wrecks and boiling diesels steam in 45 degrees."

For one, outside of Australia, most people have no idea what the term Holden is referring to. In fact, Holden is the Australian branch of General Motors, and one of the nation's largest automobile manufacturers.
Or how about the reference to 45 degrees, not very hot, right? Well, when Celsius is converted to Fahrenheit, that rather unexciting temperature becomes a toasty 113 degrees. An extreme that definitely loses it's effect in its transit to America.

How about from across the other pond? A good example is The Jam's "That's Entertainment."
numerous word's particular to British English drift through, such 'as "flat," "petrol," "tele," and "tarmac." To those of us more versed in their American counterparts, these terms just seem out of place, even if in their native Britain, they only add to the feel of the song.

Perhaps, the truth is that lyrics aren't as universal as we think. Some songs are better suited t conveying their message to their native culture. To those of us outside it, they instead serve as a little source of entertainment.

But, the funny thing to realize is that songs we think are normal, probably serve the same purpose overseas in one big circle. When Springsteen sings of Chevrolets, hemis, and Highway 9, the lyrics have to conjure this same response to those not versed in Americana. It's just kind of funny to think about, music sometimes isn't as universal as we think.