"Breakdown"
by jack johnson
“I hope this old train breaks down, then I could take a walk around and see what there is to see,” Jack Johnson sings in his hit song “Breakdown”. “I need this old train to breakdown. Oh please just let me breakdown,” Jack Johnson sings. Though music is typically very ambiguous, if you pay attention to the lyrics, one can see the meaning that Jack Johnson has put into this song. He wants to experience life and walk around and just observe the world and the people. “Cause it’s gonna sting me when I leave this town, all the people in the street that I’ll never get to meet,” he sings. Jack Johnson simply states that he wants to meet people and live life with a meaning, by making relationships and immersing himself in the world and its natural amazingness. “And I got no time,” he says. Jack Johnson has taken notice of the fact that life is truly short, despite how cliche that is, and one should spend it by doing stuff that matters, such as connecting with people and experiencing the world, instead of getting caught up in how much money you are making and how much stuff you physically have. Also, if one listens to the music that Johnson sings to, one will notice that the music is simple, too. The music itself embodies the simplicity that is being strived for in the song. “Breakdown” is a great song in itself, but it much more great in its meaning.
“Breakdown” emphasizes that one needs to notice the simplicity in life and just experience it. Life can be very simple if one makes it, and life is most beautiful when it is in its simplest state. It is in its simplest state when nothing gets in the way of how it functions and occurs naturally. Jack Johnson is able to recognize that people will achieve so much by just relaxing for a while, letting go of their worries, and experiencing the beauty of the planet. This is the modern American Dream. The modern American Dream has people wanting to be able to just experience the greatness of life as it is, as it is often hard for people to leave behind their lives in order to search for a greater meaning to life. “Breakdown” demonstrates the struggle that people who want to achieve the dream have to deal with, which is wanting to simplify and live with more meaning, but not being able to. Most Americans have this issue, and it is the ones who are dedicated to having their lives mean more that are able to actually experience the dream. “Breakdown” lets people know that the dream is attainable, but you just have to be able to let the old train breakdown.
Though decades apart, the meaning within "Breakdown" is largely comparable to the meaning within "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.
“Breakdown” emphasizes that one needs to notice the simplicity in life and just experience it. Life can be very simple if one makes it, and life is most beautiful when it is in its simplest state. It is in its simplest state when nothing gets in the way of how it functions and occurs naturally. Jack Johnson is able to recognize that people will achieve so much by just relaxing for a while, letting go of their worries, and experiencing the beauty of the planet. This is the modern American Dream. The modern American Dream has people wanting to be able to just experience the greatness of life as it is, as it is often hard for people to leave behind their lives in order to search for a greater meaning to life. “Breakdown” demonstrates the struggle that people who want to achieve the dream have to deal with, which is wanting to simplify and live with more meaning, but not being able to. Most Americans have this issue, and it is the ones who are dedicated to having their lives mean more that are able to actually experience the dream. “Breakdown” lets people know that the dream is attainable, but you just have to be able to let the old train breakdown.
Though decades apart, the meaning within "Breakdown" is largely comparable to the meaning within "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.