Black Song Analysis

Christian DeLano

Kefor, G

Black, by Pearl Jam

Many songs on the radio today, and the radio of the past, have an underlying theme of love, or the ending of love known as the break up. Usually these songs are popular do to the fact that most everyone can relate to a time in their life where they experienced love, or experienced a break up. The song Black by the group Pearl Jam utilizes many literary devices, such as caliginous imagery, spiritual symbolism, and melancholic tone, to give the song a sensual feel, and allow the listener to experience the hardship of heartbreak.

       

The song contains dark, powerful imagery in order to give the listener a sense of heartbreak, and emptiness. The lyrics “Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay were laid spread out before me as her body once did.”  gives the feeling that her belongings had been left behind, and that was all he had left of her. Another example of the caliginous imagery would be “Now the air I tasted and breathed has taken a turn” which  means that she had once been everything to him, “the air he breathed” and now something has happened and that the “air” is different. Also, lyrics such as “Oh, the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed everything” tells us that the experiences they had together just bring more pain into his life, and reminds him that he no longer has her in his life. Eddie Vedder’s use of caliginous imagery really enhances the feeling the listener gets while listening to the song.

Another utilized device in the song is spiritual symbolism. the phrase “all five horizons” could be a symbol for the five sense that the human body has. He obviously loved this girl with all his senses, and now that she is gone, its hard to function. another symbol used in this song is the earth and the sun. He uses “earth” as a symbol for himself, while the “sun” is used as a symbol for his lover. He does this to show that his life revolved around this girl, and now that she is gone his whole universe is destroyed. In the line “And now my bitter hands cradle broken glass” he uses broken glass as a symbol for the failed relationship, and the loss of a loved one. The use of the spiritual symbolism adds many different layers to this song, and gives a deeper meaning.

Another powerful device is Vedder’s melancholic tone. First off, the title of the song is a great starting point. The title is powerful because of its simplicity. Black is depressing and saddening, which is exactly what the song is supposed to convey. Also, his view toward the children I'm surrounded by some kids at play I can feel their laughter, so why do I sear?” shows how other peoples happiness just makes him even more depressed because he can no longer feel happiness now that she left. Tone is a key device used in this song, and really delivers the message Vedder is trying to send.

The use of caliginous imagery, spiritual symbolism, and melancholic tone really help to convey the feeling of lost love. The darkness of the imagery shows us how to feel his pain, while the symbolism adds depth and complexity to the song. Finally the tone just ties everything together, making this song a truly epic ballad, and making it one of the best songs of the 90’s.