That Song Does Not Mean What You Think That Song Means
//Everything is awesome!!! Everything is cool when you're part of the team! Everything is awesome!!! When—//
"Hey Dad. Yeah. Yeah, I'm at AJ's. Yeah. Yeah, I'll be home late. Yeah. Okay. No, I...yeah. Okay. Later!"
As Rainbow Dash hung up, she noticed Sunset, Rarity, and Fluttershy staring at her stonily. She blinked. "What?"
Applejack groaned and covered her head with her hands.
"Seriously?" Sunset asked. "That's your ringtone?"
"Yeah, why?" Rainbow said in a challenging, defensive tone. "It's a cool song. It's got my favorite word! It's awesome, like me!" She started to sing. "Everything is awesome! Everything is—"
Fluttershy pressed a finger to her lips to stop her.
Rarity pinched the bridge of her nose. "Rainbow, darling," she said patiently, "do you even understand the purpose of that song?"
Rainbow pushed Fluttershy's finger away. "Yeah, of course," she said. "It's just a cool party song about how awesome everything is."
"Oy," Pinkie grunted, rolling her eyes.
Rarity grimaced. "Rainbow...the song is satirical."
Rainbow tilted her head. "Huh?"
"Think about th' movie it came from, sugarcube," Applejack said. "An' how it was th' anthem of th' company th' bad guy ran."
"Remember how that song was used to keep everyone happy and ignorant?" Sunset said.
Rainbow's brow furrowed. "Dude, I only saw the movie once, I only went because you guys went, and all I did was laugh at the funny parts and love all the exploding-stuff parts."
The others sighed.
"Okay, okay, look," Sunset said. "You remember that movie with the guy with the sunglasses who could see the aliens, right?"
Rainbow brightened. "Oh yeah! That was so awesome!" She pulled out her own sunglasses and put them on. "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum."
"Right, right, well," Sunset said, "the bad guy in this movie was kind of like those aliens, keeping everyone ignorant and asleep, and that song was like all those subliminal messages." At Rainbow's blank look, she clarified, "you know, how all the books and magazines and signs were just blank with one word when he had the sunglasses on, telling people to behave?"
"Oh yeah," Rainbow said slowly. "Wait. So how's the awesome song like that?"
Applejack sighed. "That song an' that show about th' guy lookin' fer his pants was how th' bad guy was keepin' everyone from noticin' him sayin' stuff like he was gonna end th' world."
Rainbow blinked. Comprehension slowly dawned. She looked down at her phone. "Oh."
"Besides, it's just...a really annoying song," Fluttershy said.
Rainbow stared at her. "Oh, you wanna talk about annoying songs?" she said hotly. "How about that week you wouldn't stop singing 'Let It Go'?"
"Yeah, Fluttershy, you really should've let it go," Pinkie quipped.
Fluttershy frowned. "That...that isn't the same," she said. "It's a beautiful, powerful song." She picked at her skirt. "Oh, I wish I could be as brave as Elsa and just...just express myself..."
"Whoa whoa whoa," Applejack said. "Is that whut you got outta that song?"
"Umm...yes? Because it was about not worrying about what other people think, and—"
Rarity held up a hand to interrupt her, a pained grimace on her face. "No," she said. "Just...no."
Rainbow groaned. "Jeez, Fluttershy, even I know what that song was really sayin'!"
Fluttershy blinked. "Huh?"
Sunset sighed. "Fluttershy...that song wasn't about free self-expression or being brave. It was about Elsa turning her back on the world and running away."
"Yeah," Pinkie said. "Didn't you pay attention to what she was doing? She wasn't happy, she was pissed! She basically said 'Screw you all, I'm outta here!' But in a really pretty song."
Fluttershy froze, her lips pursed. The others could practically see her mentally reviewing the lyrics. Her eyes widened. "Oh," she said quietly, shrinking into herself. "Oh."
Rarity patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry, dear. You're hardly the only person who misunderstood that song." She looked at Rainbow. "Remember what Lyra and Bon Bon thought it was?"
Rainbow snickered. "Oh god," she said. "They thought it was a lesbian pride anthem."
"Ah guess there's all kinda songs people misunderstand," Applejack said.
"Tell me about it," Pinkie moaned. "I'll never forget Maud's thirteenth birthday. I was tired of the old birthday song and wanted to change things up, so I decided to sing 'Today'." At everyone's blank looks, she rolled her eyes. "You know! 'Today is the greatest day I've ever known', that one?"
"Oh, THAT one!" Rainbow said. "Yeah, I remember that one."
"Yeah," Pinkie said, deflating slightly. "I didn't know at the time that song was about suicide. Awk-waaaaaard!"
"Oooh! What about 'Every Breath You Take'?" Rarity said.
"Oh GOD that song is creepy," Sunset moaned. "Flash tried to serenade me with that song once."
The others, except for Fluttershy, cringed.
"I...I don't know that one," Fluttershy said. "Sorry."
"Seriously?" Rainbow asked. She scrolled through her phone for a minute, then passed it to Fluttershy. Fluttershy plugged her own earbuds into it and listened for a minute. Her eyes widened in recognition.
"Oh, THAT song!" she said. "I guess I've heard it before, it just...didn't stick in my mind." She listened for a moment longer. She blinked, her brow furrowing. "Wait. Is this..." She paled. "This is about stalking a girl, isn't it?"
"Yep!" the others chorused.
"Oh my goodness..."
"I guess there's all kinds of songs people don't get," Rainbow said thoughtfully as Fluttershy returned her phone. "Like...how every Prince song ever is about sex and some of them are really gross about it."
"Little Red Corvette," Rarity said with a distasteful grimace.
"Ugh, that one," Pinkie said. "The lyrics even talk about used condoms!"
"Gross!" Sunset said, shuddering.
//Everything is awesome!!! Everything is cool when you're part of the team! Everything is awesome!!! When—//
Rainbow answered her phone, listened for five seconds, then hung up. "Ugh, robocall." She noticed the others were staring at her. "What?"
"Seriously, Dashie. Change your ringtone."
Rainbow shrugged. "Nah. I mean, sure when you think about it, maybe it's not as cool anymore, but it still makes a good ringtone!"
Her friends facefaulted.
"Oh, like you all don't have weird ringtones," Rainbow said.
//Space Unicorn, soaring through the stars!//
Everyone slowly turned their heads to stare at Sunset Shimmer. She stared back, cheeks flushed. "What?"
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Mind if I ask what it is?
To be fair, it's very catchy and DAMN does Idina Menzel have one heck of a pair of lungs. And a beautiful voice. But, I admit, after the 300th cover/parody/whatever, it gets old. Some are good, sure, but, it does get old fast.
I suppose I should have seen that one coming.
Allow me to quote. "Turn away and slam the door. I don't care what they're going to say." Still a beautiful song though.
OK, HOW?! Oh, right, "I don't care what they're going to say."
Ooof, yeah.
Never heard of it.
Quite.
To be fair, a LOT of Taylor Swift songs are basically "I had a relationship. It went sour. Not happening again." Over and over.
Maybe because it's because of Lightning Bliss, but I half expected the Rainbow Brite theme.
Um...which movie is Everything is Awesome from? Sorry for my ignorance.
Also never heard of the Today song.
"screw you all, I'm outta here" is an expression of yourself. And really, you look at a lot of fiction you kind of end up feeling like a lot of heroes would be declaring the exact thing if the villains didn't decide to come after them
This might just be because I've never hated Flash Sentry (heck, I'd actually say that in the first EQG movie, he was a better character than Sunset), but I don't think the bit about him was necessary here.
The rest of the chapter was hilarious, though.
I'm surprised Lips of an Angel by Hinder didn't come up. The song got used for a lot of weddings even though it's a song about infidelity.
7321807
The Lego Movie.
I agree with Dash at the end. While the song might have a different context than she thought, it's still a catchy song.
7321807 The Lego Movie.
7321807 Lego moive.
I have had many conversations like this. My favorite was explaining that "Little Girls" by Oingo Boingo was not a good ring tone for your short girlfriend.
Wow. I'd expect that last ringtone from Pinkie, but I can't deny the appropriateness.
...the only songs I knew were "Everything is Awesome" and "Let It Go"....
I've never listened to anything by Prince and I don't recognize the names of the other songs.
7321807
"Today", by the Smashing Pumpkins.
Nonetheless, it is a damn fine ringtone.
And Sunset could probably justify herself with where she's from.
memesvault.com/wp-content/uploads/Nope-Meme-04.jpg
Kek.
7321805 Avoiding direct references to real-life things in Equestria Girls stories because the EG world Is Not Earth.
7321824 Scuse me. You..have read like, any of my stories, right? I'm not a Flash hater. But I do have something of a personal running gag about him trying to serenade Sunset when they were dating and failing miserably.
7321826 I decided to go with a smaller sampling of more broadly played songs that everyone is more likely to know. If it's as ong I haven't heard, it's a fair bet 90% of everyone reading this has never heard it. Even among the songs I did use, you can see some confusion in the comments.
7321860 YIKES.
7321881 It was a self-referential in-joke to one of my other fics. You know which one.
Couldn't resist.
7322015
Ah, right. Fair point.
7322015 I've only really read a few of your EQG stories, and it's been a while since then, so I don't remember that being a thing.
I'm sure if I go back through them, I'd notice it, but at the moment, I don't really have the time.
7321971
Oddly enough, I use that as my ringtone. (Well, one of the 'ringtone!' words at the end, looped.) I always know when it's my phone ringing.
Yeah those time when the meaning of the song is reveal to you.
Personally when I choose a ringtone I made sure it wouldn't be a common one and I also avoid ones with lyrics, but because sometimes they don't sound out very good depending your mobile device.
My actual one isn't also very liked by my surrounding, but just because they jump scare at the first note and also because of the title.
7321805
I must have gotten really lucky, because I only heard the song maybe once or twice after the movie came out.
And I've also seen two parodies of it, both of which I actually think are much better than the original:
Parody 1:
Parody 2:
I'm more partial to the second one, but both are excellent.
7322129 Oooh, good thinking!
Rest in Peace Hot Rod.
7322015
If you ask me, that bit is perfect.
I like Flash Sentry. And one of his flaws is that he can be kinda... Let's say, clueless.
Uggghhhh... "Let It Go" is pretty much the most over-played song in history aside from "Eye of the Tiger". I'll never fucking forgive Walmart...
Is it sad that I was able to do Pinkie singing "Today"? In a high octave?
Ha! Sunset Shimmer stole Marco's ringtone! ...Dear God, pray Pinkie Pie and Star never meet. I don't think the multiverse could take it.
The Lego Movie is honest to God my favorite film. It's the best blending of humor, action, and sincere emotion I've ever seen. I'm happy to say that even though I only saw it once I understood the point of Everything is Awesome immediately, unlike Dashie.
As for Let it Go, I saw it as a blending of the self-expression and running away ideas. What Elsa was doing may have been technically wrong, and if she had continued down that path long term she could have become a straight up villain over time, but I feel that in the moment it was healthy and cathartic for her. The fact that not everyone will see it that way is a testament to the quality of the song. It can be taken multiple ways.
Why are people surprised that Prince songs are about sex? I mean if you have ever seen his Super Bowl performance should know this, or actually listened songs. Now to go and listen to Purple Rain.
7321836
7321854
7321857 Oh yeah. I remember the commercial now.
7322168 BTW, a little while ago I remembered the PERFECT song for what you wanted. Unfortunately, I've forgotten it now.
If I remember it again I'll try to let you know.
7321805
True dat.
7322417 Challenge accepted.
7322516 There's no point in telling me NOW, the chapter's written and posted.
7322520
The only real difference is how subtle she's being. In the case of Never Ever Getting Back Together, not even remotely. Still annoyingly catchy though.
7322527
Yeah, but...but...
I don't think either “Everything Is Awesome” or “Let It Go” are good examples of songs that people mistake to mean something else. You are conflating the context in which the song is used in a movie with the inherent meaning of the song itself.
“Everything Is Awesome" says exactly what it means and means what it says. The fact that it is used by a repressive, evil dictatorship to project a facade of happiness does not change its inherent meaning, which is why it can be played unironically over the montage of the heroes learning the value of teamwork and following a shared plan over excessive individuality at any cost.
Similarly, “Let It Go” is about Elsa shaking off years of self-repression and loathing, including a measure of “I don't care what anybody else thinks of me anymore”. In the context of the movie, her actions come along with a load of baggage and consequences, but those are neither what the song is about, nor even what it is meant to express in the movie itself.
There are loads of songs that seem happy and fun, provided you don't listen to the lyrics or don't think about them too much, and others where people only ever seem to remember the catchy chorus, not realising that it stands in stark contrast to the story told in the lyrics. Those are the songs that make you say to a friend, “Dude, did you even listen to what you're singing? That's not a song about the glorious freedom of the road, that's a song about a douchebag who abandoned his wife and family and is now drifting aimless and rudderless without anything left to live for. That chorus is supposed to represent the self-delusions and happy lies he tells himself, not an ode to the life on the road.” (fictional example, not referring to any specific song)
Delivering the rainbows, all around the world!
Talk about cartoons!!!
7322574 I agree a bit but Rainbowdash using Everything is awesome is still ironic because she's the least likely to work together and most likely to try to standout and rush forward alone to handle a problem.
7321890 Same here.
Hmm well I don't know basically any of these songs well except for 'let it go'. The only way to not have herd that song is if you were living under a rock or something. Well in my own opinion this is not the strongest chapter in this story but it is still a good and entertaining one.
-BFBL
I'll admit to not understanding the actual meaning of "Everything is Awesome" until I looked it up after reading your blog yesterday, but I'm still going to use my own (mis)interpretation:
Sometimes, you just have to try and find something positive, however slight, from even the shittiest of situations. Yes, that is from a couple of lines. (Lost my job, it's a new opportunity, More free time for my awesome community & Stepped in mud, got new brown shoes)
Sunset- "It's supposed to be ironic!"
Ha! Fun! Thanks!
7322574
I dare you to suggest that Sunset Shimmer could possibly pick a better ringtone than that.
Of course, there are always the classics, like Cherry Pie and I Want Candy. No really, look up the lyrics.
Also: you know the people behind Space Unicorn also did a song called Neon Pegasus, right?
If you've ever played Fallout 3, wait for the discussions about what Butcher Pete means.
7323271 "Cherry Pie" is completely unambiguous, dude. There was never any question as to what that song was about. Now, the other song, I'll grant you, that one gets misconstrued a lot.
Hmm... I suppose "Let It Go" is somewhat up to circumstance and interpretation. Yes, Elsa tried to hide from her problems by running away. However, the song was also about her experiencing real freedom for the first time -- irresponsible, foolish freedom, but she was decidedly happy about it. She was expressing hope and joy, and I think the song is more about that than it was about her running from her problems (other parts of the movie addressed that).
XD When I heard Sunset's ringtone I thought of Star vs the Forces of Evil XD