Song Analysis (Read All About It-Emeli Sande)

Read All About It (Part III) by Emeli Sande

You've got the words to change a nation

but you're biting your tongue
You've spent a life time stuck in silence
afraid you'll say something wrong
If no one ever hears it how we gonna learn your song
So come on ,come on
Come on, come on
You've got a heart as loud as lions
So why let your voice be tamed?
Maybe we're a little different
there's no need to be ashamed
You've got the light to fight the shadows
so stop hiding it away
Come on, Come on

I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream till the words dry out
so put it in all of the papers,
i'm not afraid
they can read all about it
read all about it oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh

At night we're waking up the neighbours
while we sing away the blues
making sure that we remember yeah
cause we all matter too
if the truth has been forbidden
then we're breaking all the rules
so come on, come on
come on, come on,
lets get the tv and the radio
to play our tune again
its 'bout time we got some airplay of our version of events
there's no need to be afraid
I will sing with you my friend
Come on, come on

I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream till the words dry out
so put it in all of the papers,
I'm not afraid
they can read all about it
read all about it oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh

Yeah we're all wonderful, wonderful people
so when did we all get so fearful?
Now we're finally finding our voices
so take a chance, come help me sing this
Yeah we're all wonderful, wonderful people
so when did we all get so fearful?
and now we're finally finding our voices
so take a chance, come help me sing this

I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream till the words dry out
so put it in all of the papers,
I'm not afraid
they can read all about it
read all about it oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh

I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream till the words dry out
so put it in all of the papers,
I'm not afraid
they can read all about it
read all about it oh....

   The form of a work refers to how the work is presented to an audience in order to deliver a specific message. In dealing with the song "Read All About It" by Emeli Sande, the first two main verses each contain 14 lines, while the chorus contains 12 lines, therefore we easily notice that the verses are equal in length. As for syllable counts in these lines there is no major repetition of lines containing the same syllable count, and furthermore the song has a wide range of syllable counts between lines, with some being significantly longer than others. Also, this song is a clear example of open form poetry because of these lines in varying length. Along with this, we notice that although the song has no distinguished rhyme scheme there are cases where the ending words of lines rhyme with other ending words. This includes the lines, "... sing away the blues" (stanza 3), and, "... we all matter too" (stanza 3). This can also be found in stanza 1 with the endings wrong and song, and tamed and ashamed. In dealing with poetic syntax this song is seen as having little to no punctuation and can be classified as enjambed. Finally the poem contains major emphasis of certain lines by using repetition, such lines as the refrain, "Come on, come on" are repeated throughout the song as a way of connecting to the audience by reinforcing that the speaker wants other people to take her advice and join him or her.

   This song has an incredible amount amount of stylistic elements that are commonly present in numerous literary works including songs. First of all, the speaker in the song really has no defined gender mainly due to the fact that the subject matter is able to be addressed to either a male or a female. Although we cannot formally conclude the gender of the speaker, we can notice that the speaker is very persuasive, and encouraging, as they want other people to join in with them in expressing their ideas to the world and letting their voices be heard loud and clear. They use phrases, "So why let your voice be tamed?", and "So stop hiding it away," to further inform people that it's okay to be yourself and let others see who you are. The speaker could possibly be someone who used to be quiet and very kept to themselves, but once they let their voice be heard and lost their fear of expressing themselves, has experienced great success and greater opportunities. The speaker is more likely at least age 30 as they seem to be speaking from past experiences that occurred over a longer period of time as seen in the line, "... spent a lifetime in silence." In dealing with another element, the tone of the lyrics, is one of great optimism as the central idea is based upon how we need to let others hear our ideas and opinions in order to move forward and achieve great things in life. The line, "There's no need to be afraid," is clearly building upon this tone, as it reassures the audience that we have nothing to worry about in expressing ourselves, and that there are no consequences to our actions of being who we really are. The speaker is optimistic about what's to come as long as we quite simply be ourselves and let go of what's holding us back. Other poetic elements in the song are simile as seen in the line, "A heart as loud as lions," which compares our inner abilities and foundations to that of a lions commanding roar. Hyperbole can be noticed in the line, "I wanna scream till the words dry out, " which is a massive exaggeration that is indicating that the speaker wants to express themselves as loud as they can until they can no longer talk which is clearly not possible. Finally alliteration can be seen in the line, "You've spent a lifetime stuck in silence afraid you'll say something wrong," which contains numerous words in close proximity to each other that begin with the same constant 's' sound. These elements provide the song with a greater ability to get the main message across to its audience. 

   I will admit that I have listened to many genres of music in my time and this particular song is associated with a genre I normally don't listen to. In this case though I really enjoy this song, simply because of its relevance to not just modern times but throughout history, and its ability to become associated with all walks of life from all areas of the globe. Currently we are in a world full of elections from municipal to federal, civil wars, and issues surrounding freedom of the public in developing countries. In each example we see people who are having difficulty with expressing themselves honestly, and truly being who they are. We see in the Middle East people who are now making their voices heard after decades of struggle and conflict. We see musical artists exposing themselves beyond what was normal years ago, as they want to have their voices heard. We see it in technology, fashion, and literature. Essentially its everywhere, people are letting their ideas be free, allowing them to grow and develop, and letting them influence others as they read or view them. We can't let external forces get in the way of our self-expression, we simply need to ignore everything working against us, and lose that fear of being heard. So all in all I do like this song, it encourages you to scream out what you have held inside for so long, because really where would we be today if people never let go of the fear of letting their voice be heard. Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., Alfred Hitchcock, where would science, social acceptance, and the art of film be today if these people had kept quiet and not pursue their ideas. This song tells us that we cannot worry about how people will perceive us if we be who we are, and it can be interpreted that the only thing holding us back is ourselves, and until we let go of our personal restraints who knows what we can achieve. This song is fully titled "Read All About It Part III" meaning that indeed it is a remake of a previous song who bears the same title. Emeli Sande  wrote her own personal interpretation of the original song after working with the original artist, and in fact her version is significantly different from the original. One key thing is that the central idea of the original was still kept in tack when this song was written.