Lyrics and Learning, Essay Example

Economics and Michael Buble’s “Hold On”

One of Michael Buble’s songs, “Hold On” (Buble, Chang, & Foster, 2009) reflects the economic aspect of the current business environment. This is a brief critique of the song with explanations as to how the lyrics relate to this topic.

“Didn’t they always say we were the lucky ones,” the song begins. This can be a reference to the present recessionary environment. Our markets, once strong, and considered lucky, in a global sense, now face high unemployment and lower salary structures that will last for years to come.  “Luck will leave you cursed, it is a faithless friend,” Buble says. This appears to be the case for our economy. It resists rebounding even after tremendous amounts of economic stimulus dollars pour in.

Buble continues with the admonition, “There’s a thousand ways for things to fall apart. Maybe all the plans we made might not work out…” This means, economically speaking, that sagging state revenues and consistently bad forecasts of recovery mean, at best, our upturn will be slow (Smith, 2010). We are looking for answers, and our brightest minds cannot seem to agree on solutions to our complicated financial problems. We have to look no farther than Japan, now rescuing itself still from its collapse almost two decades ago, to find an example of that lesson.

In the song’s chorus, Buble reflects the kind of optimism that is the trademark of the American spirit: “Hold on, I promise it will be alright. Cuz it’s you and me together.” Americans are optimistic, despite numerous forecasts that spell gloom and doom. “There’s so many dreams that we have given up. Take a look at what we’ve got,” are words from among Buble’s closing lines. They demonstrate the reality of our bailout efforts, and simultaneously cause us to take inventory of our blessings and move ahead.

References

Buble, M., Chang, A., & Foster, A. (2009). Hold On, on Crazy Love Compact Disc. Burbank, CA: Warner Bros. + Reprise Records.

Smith, E. (2010). Don’t hold your breath. State Legislatures, 36(2), February.