Song Analysis

“Keep Holding On” by Avril Lavigne--Lolo
This song speaks primarily about staying strong and not losing the people you love in your life. So I decided to place my song on page 179, right after Holden begins to cry. This, being one of the first times in the book that Holden expresses his feelings, is the time where he needs true companionship and needs to “keep holding on” to make it through the day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmukW1sNlIk
“Keep Holding On” by Avril Lavigne conveys the need for Holden to hold on to the things and people he loves in order to stay mentally and emotionally sane. In the very first lines in the first verse, she sings, “You’re not alone. Together we stand.” These words speak true to what Phoebe wants Holden to feel like in this scene; she will forever be with him (physically, emotionally, or mentally) no matter where he goes or what he does. The next lines are, “I’ll be by your side, you know I’ll take your hand.” Phoebe, literally, at this point, is by Holden’s side and she wants him to get that even though he feels lost, he can always count on her to be there for him. Instead of taking his hand, she puts her arm around him to actually display her companionship. The following lines consist of, “When it gets cold and it feels like the end, there's no place to go, you know I won't give in.” These lyrics simply reiterate what they say earlier about (Phoebe) always being there for a shoulder to lean on. This song truly displays the relationship and compassion between Holden and Phoebe.

World Spins Madly On - The Weepies

The song, "World Spins Madly On" by The Weepies should be placed on page 156, at the end of the first paragraph. The lyrics deal with wishing that someone would still be there, and stay with you, like Allie stays with Holden. Since Holden talks about not liking Allie's grave because people who visit him leave while he is stuck in the ground, I thought it was the perfect spot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4sa2HoXpsE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sexG8787A-s

(One link has pictures of the characters from One Tree Hill [Awful show] but also has lyrics, so do not mind the pictures)

The song “World Spins Madly On” best represents Holden’s attitude towards his brother’s death, because it conveys his inability to get past Allie’s death. The third verse states, “I let the day go by, I always say goodbye. I watch the stars from my windowsill. The whole world is moving and I'm standing still.” Like when he visits Allie’s grave, he “always say[s] goodbye,” however he cannot move on. He still remains, “standing still,” because he cannot shed the need for Allie to be with him, he has not moved on. Instead of moving past the death, and moving with the world, he remains in a deep melancholy because of Allie’s death. This is why Holden gets so angry when visiting graves, because the visitors can leave and the person in the grave cannot. Symbolically, grave-visitors can move on and put a loved one out of their mind, but Holden does not have that capability. He remains attached, “[thinking] of [Allie] and where [Allie]’d gone.”

Crimson Door - H.I.M.

Crimson Door

The song I have chosen is Crimson Door by H.I.M. (His Infernal Majesty). The song Crimson Door, conveys how Holden constantly protects himself from uncomfortable situations and how he is always on a journey of a child and man. I would place this song when Holden is leaving Pency. He shows that he doesnt care and that he is glad that he is leaving but in reality he is full of sorrow. As he is leaving Pency he puts on his red hat as protection or he hides behind the "Crimson Door". "We hide behind the crimson door, While the summer is killed by the fall" He hides from the uncontrollable scene and he faces the decisions of being a adult and child.

Sounds of Silence- SImon and Garfunkel by Brian Francis

This song should be placed on page 198 when Holden is walking up Fifth Avenue and begins to obsess about disappearing as he steps off the curb. This song fits this section of the book perfectly because it illustrates the pain of depression Holden is going through.

The lyrics in the Sounds of Silence conveys Holden's depressed visions and actions during his long walk up Fifth Avenue. While walking up Fifth Avenue, he begins to think that when he steps off the curb he will just “go down, down” and disappear. Holden’s thinking demonstrates his deep depression and his inability to think of anything positive. Also, Holden’s walking alone illustrates his complete loneliness and that he has no idea where to go in life. These ideas are also shown in the Sounds of Silence with the lyrics “in restless dreams I walked alone, narrow streets of cobblestone”. Simon and Garfunkel’s used “restless” which conveys the lack of passion and happiness which mirrors Holden’s depressed state of mind. The similarity of these ideas of loneliness and having no direction demonstrate the depth of Holden’s downward spiral. The song Sounds of Silence is perfect for Holden’s walk up Fifth Avenue because Holden’s state of mind is lonely and extremely depressed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDYxgDO5bCI

Beautiful Day-Sofia

By U2

I thought this song “Beautiful Day” would be played after Holden gets drunk and the piano player instructs him, “Go home Mac like a good guy. Go home a hit the sack.”(152)
U2’s Beautiful Day captures Holden’s depression and his need for companionship. The line “ You thought you'd found a friend, to take you out of this place” expresses his desire for a companion to help him escape from his depression. In the Catcher In the Rye Holden asks Sally to run away with him but Sally rejects him. He came to Sally to help him get away from his depression but the encounter with her backfired and instead caused him more pain. Holden started crying when he realizes, “I guess it was because I was feeling so damn depressed and lonesome” (153). Like the song says “You thought you’d found a friend” Holden thought he could escape his misery but he will not escape it until he faces his depression.

A Drop in the Ocean-Helena

A Drop in the Ocean-Ron Pope (link)

This song fits on pages 212-213, in the instance when Phoebe tells Holden that she forgives him, and directly following that. This song is talking about wanting to achieve joy, and holding onto, and caring about those you depend on and love. In Holden's case, I think that this one person is Phoebe, making this song appropriate in the moment when Holden re-connects to Phoebe.

The song, "A Drop In the Ocean," by Ron Pope, represents Holden's close relationship with Phoebe. There are many moments in the song that represent a connection between two people, one being "I'm holding you closer than most/ 'cause you are my heaven". This mirrors Holden's feelings for his sister, in that he knows he would be completely lost without her in his life, and when she becomes mad at him he is willing to do anything to gain back her good favor. His heaven includes being needed to protect innocence, while having a sense of family and love, both of which are provided by his relationship with Phoebe, making them so close. In the book this same feeling comes across when she is on the carousel and Holden says, "I felt so damn happy...she looked so damn nice, the way she kept going around and around, in her blue coat". Just sitting there, watching Phoebe Holden is in his heaven, it makes him the happiest we have seen him all book. Holden's heaven comes in the form of his sister, and so he clings to her, making their relationship so close.

Truth - Caroline Glazer

I chose the song "Truth" by Serena Ryder. I would place this song on page 199, when Holden is walking up Fifth Avenue, thinking about the cabin he will build for himself alone. I chose this moment because it shows Holden fantasizing about a true home, an escape from reality. The third verse in "Truth" talks about finding home "up in the sky" or imagining a place that is better than reality.

The song "Truth" by Serena Ryder represents Holden's fantasies about escaping from the world. Holden repeatedly fantasizes about a haven from the world, first when he is with Sally Hayes. He says "How would you like to get the hell out of here...we'll stay in these cabin camps...we could live somewhere with a brook and all..." (132) This quote shows his frustration with society and tendency to dream about what is realistically an unattainable goal. In the song "Truth", Serena Ryder sings "Went to the river to lie/Found my body on the ground/Found my home up in the sky." This reminds me of Holden going to places from his past - the museum and his old school - expecting to find the innocence he remembered. However, in both places "Fuck you" is written on the walls, he finds his "body on the ground", a symbol for death or complete lack of faith in the "home" that society provides. As Holden says, "It's hopeless, anyway. If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the "Fuck you" signs in the world." (202) In response to this realization, Holden begins to imagine a new home for himself. "I'd build me a little cabin somewhere with the dough I made and live there for the rest of my life...I'd want it to be sunny as hell all the time", (199) he says. "I'd have this rule that nobody could do anything phony when they visited me. " (205) Holden is creating an ideal life for himself, a fantastical haven for everything he sees as good, a "home up in the sky". Holden Caulfield and the song "Truth" by Serena Ryder both express fantasies about havens away from society.

YouTube link (I could only find one video of this song, and it's a live performance and kind of hard to understand, so here are the lyrics)

Boulevard of Broken Dreams- Ryan

Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

This song by Green Day, while it can unfortunately fit Holden in many places, fits Holden best on page 153: "I was crying and all...I walked over to Madison Avenue...I started walking over to the park...I didn't have anyplace else special to go- I didn't even know where I was going... I just felt blue as hell" (Salinger 153-154). This quote matches almost perfectly to the opening lines of Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams: "I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known, don't know where it goes, but it's only me, I walk alone." Holden wanders from place to place, with nowhere to go and nowhere to stay. He leads a lonely life, because no one, to him, suits what he needs, or they don't want him. He constantly ignored people who reach out to him, solely because he can't accept any companion. His only one, Allie, is dead. Even so, Holden still talks to Allie. Holden has no companion that he can be with, because he always disappoints himself or others, and just doesn't want to set them up for disappointment. Holden seems to be destined to "walk the lonely road" for the rest of his life, because he never fits into a place and then wants to stay.

Going Back

Going Back

The song that I chose is What I've done by Linkin Park. The Song What I've Done, illustrates Holden's need for innocence by talking about how he wants to go back. Throughout the story, Holden Caulfield wants to be mature, but when he acts mature he wants to hold onto his innocence. When Holden visits Phoebe after coming back home from getting expelled from Pencey, he realizes how he is in desperate need of holding onto his innocence. He notices Phoebe's clothes and how she looked nice in the clothes she was wearing. He likes that she likes her clothes and that she is not being forced to wear them, because most kids are forced to wear certain clothes by their parents. He likes how Phoebe appreciates everything and loves life. Holden relates to the lines, "What I've Done. I'll face myself, To cross out what I've become. Erase myself, And let go of what I've done." because he wants to get rid of the phony things that he has done and he wants to be a youthful person like Phoebe. This is why Holden likes and looks up to Phoebe so much. Another example of this is when Holden gets back to his room and a prostitute gets sent to his room. He decides that he doesn't want to have sex with her but then he goes on talking about how he was ALMOST had sex but that he was still a virgin. This shows how Holden wants to stay attached to his innocent, youthful personality that he has inside.

Can't Buy Me Love by The Beatles

http://www.lyrics007.com/The%20Beatles%20Lyrics/Can't%20Buy%20Me%20Love%20Lyrics.html

This song by The Beatles conveys Holden's need for an emotional relationship, before physical. I would add my song right after sunny leaves. I would have the song play on the radio. I would add this on page 98. In Can't Buy me Love, by The Beatles they say " Tell me that you want the kind of thing that money just can't buy". Holden says before she leaves that he just wants to talk to her rather than have sex with her. This is showed many times that he wants to have this emotional connection. This emotional connection is something that can't be bought and has to take time to grow. This also occurs in the lavender room when he wants to talk with the girls. He wants to achieve this emotional connection.

Daughters-John Mayer

"Daughters"

I would put the song daughters by John Mayer in place of the poem lines of, "If a body catch a body coming through the rye."(115) That would be where I'd place it because both the song and the poem messages are the same, or at least their meanings to Holden. Their meanings lead Holden to figuring out that his place in the world is to protect people, women and children.

The song Daughters by John Mayer illustrates why Holden is protective over the women in his life. The lyrics represent a father figure's protection over his daughter and how much it matters, or what the effect of his love will do to her. The lyrics talk about why and what the fathers are protceting their daughters from, "Since the day she saw him walking away, Now I'm left, Cleaning up the mess he made". Daughters get their hearts broken and the fathers are "left cleaning up the mess he made". Holden wants to be the one to clean up the mess, and more then that Holden wants to prevent the mess from being made. Any broken heart is a heart that could have been prevented from breaking. Not only does Holden want to prevent hearts from being broken, but he wants to protect people in general, " I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it...and how they'd all think about it and maybe even worry about it for a couple days."(201) The concpet of having kids worry is overwhelming. Holden's place in the world is that of being the father who protects his daughter.

Bittersweet Symphony- Kendyl

Bittersweet Symphony- The Verve

This song would be placed on page 52 after Holden leaves Pencey feeling lost and unsure where his life will carry him. Holden’s exasperation in this moment corresponds to the dismal mood of the song Bittersweet Symphony.

The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony relates to Holden’s desolate state of mind, as the lyrics reveal a similar cynical outlook on life. Holden expresses a particular frustration with the world’s attachment to money and material possessions. While referring to his brother, Holden states, “Now he’s out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute” (Salinger 2). Holden regards others as “prostitutes,” ones who adapt phony natures only for the sake of money. The Verve translates this same perspective through the line, “You’re a slave to money then you die” (Bittersweet Symphony). The Verve conveys the idea that society has conformed to a corrupt cycle, revolving around the influence of money. Holden, enveloped in this same cycle, longs to break free of the grasp of materialism. However, he senses that his voice remains unheard to others, causing him to feel dismal and alone. Similarly, the Verve communicates a sense of forlornness through the line, “the airways are clean and there’s nobody singing to me now” (Bittersweet Symphony). Bittersweet Symphony and Holden both express a feeling of isolation while trying to escape the unjust nature of society.

Bittersweet Symphony Song Link

Analytical Song

When I’m Gone – Eminem

There were a number of places I thought this song would be fitting. One was when Holden sees the words “Fuck You” written at Phoebe’s school, and he feels threatened by them, polluting her innocent mind. He threatens to kill whoever had written them, in order to save Phoebe’s innocence, pg 201. Another, is when he gives Phoebe the red hunting hat, as a symbol of protection for her, just like it was for him. pg 180.
The song When I’m Gone by Eminem, mirrors Holden’s father-like role and protectiveness of his sister Phoebe, through the relationship both people have with someone they feel compelled to protect because of their importance each others lives. Holden is protective and wants to shield Phoebe from the polluted world of adults and impurity. Like-wise, Eminem’s song is about his daughter, who as a father, he feels the duty to protect. In his song he says, “When they know they're your heart, And you know you were their armour, And you will destroy anyone who would try to harm 'her.” Holden has the same connection with Phoebe, as she is someone who keeps grounded, and represents content and comfort for Holden. When Holden finds the foul language written at her school, we wants to “I kept wanting to kill whoever’d written it… I kept picturing myself catching him at it, and how I’d smash his head on the stone steps tillhe was good and goddam dead and bloody” pg. 201. Yeah, that’s destroying someone. I also recognized a similar behavior conveyed in the chorus lyrics. And when I'm gone, just carry on, don't mourn, Rejoice every time you hear the sound of my voice, Just know that I'm looking down on you smiling, And I didn't feel a thing, So baby don't feel no pain just smile back.” Holden is constantly pondering his own death, and on many occasions wishes it upon himself. However, every single time this happens, he is brought back to the thought of how much this would hurt his family, in particular Phoebe, and doesn’t want her to feel any pain by his loss. For these reasons, I see the same characteristics of Holden, in the song When I’m Gone.

youtube link: (slideshow version of song)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkALr05XM9M

Catcher Song

For this assignment, I chose the song Help Me by Alkaline Trio. This song would fit in at page 98 right after the prostitute leaves. Holden said that he was so depressed that he started talking out loud to Allie. In the song, they say, "Help me, help me, somebody help me. Save me from myself" And in the book he is very lost in his thoughts and ends up talking to himself and obviously he needs somebody to help him and save him from falling apart.

"Save me from myself" really fits in well with the situation that Holden is in at that time because he is very depressed and just wants somebody to talk to. Also, he is so distraught that he is talking to himself, and just would like somebody to talk and relate to. Holden is so, "depressed" that he needs somebody to, "Help me". Since Holden is insecure, he can't recover from his depression himself so he needs somebody to, "save me from myself". This is important because is shows the reader how Holden is very alone and relies on others to keep him sane. This can be expressed when Holden said, "I started talking sort of out loud, to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed". (98) Holden feels as if he is, "in between" being loved and unloved, cared for, and forgotten, and therefore he often feels vulnerable and lost.

For lyrics and song go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbverj-FXHw&feature=related

Song/Catcher and the Rye

“Stay Close, Don’t Go” – Secondhand Serenade

I would place this song during the moment in the story when he is crying on Phoebes shoulder. As the reader, you get a sense of Holden’s soft side and how he truly wants to make Phoebe proud. (pg. 179-180)

“Stay Close, Don’t Go” by Secondhand Serenade illustrates that Holden truly values Phoebe and their relationship, plus gives the reader a sense of Holden’s desperate state of mind. He becomes very emotional at just the thought of leaving her because he understands that Phoebe is his one true good friend, a friend that he could always go to. When about to leave he states, “Then, all of the sudden, I started to cry. I couldn’t help it.” (179) He is so devastated by leaving that he breaks down. This shows Holden’s very serious state of mind, he only has one true friend and is so petrified of being alone. Holden’s thoughts while leaving Phoebe can be described in the song as, “If you leave me tonight, I'll wake up alone, don't tell me I will make it on my own, don't leave me tonight.” (Stay Close, Don’t Go – Secondhand Serenade) It shows how he does not want to be alone again, he finds so much comfort in Phoebe’s presence, she truly makes him feel well again. Holden has very severe thoughts and Phoebe is the only person that could make him happy again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTUzbUAHuSI

Isolation in Catcher in the Rye

I chose the song I am a Rock sung by Paul Simon, the song writer, and Art Garfunkel. I believe it fits at page 45. At this point, Holden mind is still relatively coherent and intact, "like a rock"and "shielded in armor". The "womb" reference at the end fits nicely with Holden Caulfield.

"I am a Rock" reveals the fact that Holden warps reality about himself in his imagination to provide comfort. The lyrics mirror those Holden uses to describe his surroundings before being beat up by Stradlater. Similarly, Holden describes his appearance as "You never saw such gore in your life."(Salinger 45) when all he probably received was a bloody nose. He pretends he fought hard and that his injury was serious, warps the reality of the fight to hide his embarrassment at losing so easily, and even isolates himself further by antagonizing Stradlater. Similarly, "islands" isolate themselves through natural erosion of both itself and mainland, getting farther and farther away. Holden also imagines his images as being devoid of relationships when he is actually desperate for them. This is especially prominent in Holden's last fantasy of running away; "they'd leave alone." (199) and "That way I wouldn't have to have any goddam stupid useless conversations with anybody."(198) are prime examples of how Holden attempts to bend reality to comfort himself in being alone when the opposite is actually true. In reality, Holden wants companions and he wants conversations, but he won't accept he wants them because he hates some people and bends his fantasies accordingly. Holden is so wrapped up by his emotions that he starts to lose his hold on reality. Holden decides to wall himself in with these ideal images of the world that are chipped away by reality, forcing him to retreat even further into himself, becoming "a island" and "a rock"; he is trying to remain unaffected by the rest of the world.

Analytical Song

Analytical Song:

I'm Only Me When I'm With You by Taylor Swift

I feel as though the song I’m Only Me When I’m With You by Taylor Swift perfectly represents Holden’s affection towards and relationship with his sister Pheobe, this is so because of Holden’s unwillingness to be comforted by others enough to share his true feelings with them. The song would be placed on page 180 as he finished crying in the presence of Pheobe because that is the first time the reader gets to really see Holden open up to someone, showing how much he really depends on Pheobe so he can be himself. In A Catcher in the Rye Holden often finds himself in the company of people he does not like nor feels comfortable around, demonstrating his inability to share with those around him besides his sister. This idea is especially evident when he is interacting with Sally, “I sort of hated old Sally” (Salinger, 128). Here he is completely honest of his hatred towards Sally showing his dislike of the presence of others. This is the opposite when he is in the presence of Pheobe, for when he is with her he tells her, “‘I like it now … just sitting here with you’” (172) showing his love for her and her company alone. The song I’m Only Me When I’m With You by Taylor Swift has a line that represents Holden’s love of Pheobe’s companionship. That line is, “And I don't try to hide my tears… Through it all nobody gets me like you do.” This illustrates Holden’s comfort around Pheobe and how he relies on her and how he does not like the company of others as much as Pheobe for “nobody gets [him] like [she does]”. Holden has a need for companionship, but that need can only be fulfilled by Pheobe so he relies on her company more than others.

INDIVIDUAL SOUNDTRACK CONTRIBUTION

Purpose: In a creative format, demonstrate your understanding of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye by focusing on the characterization of Holden Caulfield and/or a major theme of the novel. Your song selection, placement, and analysis should showcase your knowledge of the text as well as your ability to write analytically.

Task: This assignment has 5 parts

1. Select a song that either: significantly connects with a concept, character, theme, or a motif in the novel.

2. Decide where to “place” the song in the novel. Include the page number and a 2-3 sentence explanation that addresses how your song captures the “moment.” Please include the title of your song and the artist at the beginning of your post.

3. Write an analytical Blog Post: Your post should take the form of an analytical paragraph. This paragraph should include a thesis statement that demonstrates what the song reveals about Holden’s state of mind and/or a major theme of the work. You then should develop and support your position by making references to both texts (concrete details/quotations from the song and the novel). (8-10 sentences in length)

4.Attach a YouTube video link of your song.

5.Listen to the song selection of TWO of your classmates and then respond to his/her post. In this response, you need to comment specifically on the song selection as well as their analysis. Your comment should be 4-6 sentences in length and should include references to both the song and novel.