Sunday, February 5, 2012

Do you think about me now and then?


 While Kanye West produces some lyrics that embrace the theme of “braggadocio”, I find that his song “Homecoming” (link posted below) from the Graduation album is one of his more humbling pieces. I really enjoy this lyric not only because of the fact that I have a soft spot for piano-based beats or because of the nostalgic hook, but more because it possesses a sentimental value that makes me think of home and my own relationships as an adolescent.
In this song, Kanye describes a girl with whom he had a camera relationship, and how his career and life in the fast lane affected that relationship. Then at the end of the track, West reveals in the last line of verse: “If you don’t know by now, I’m talkin’ bout Chi town”, that the “girl” is really his hometown, Chicago. The meaning of this song is one that resonates agreeably with listeners because almost all people feel a sense of loyalty, pride, or other strong feelings about going back “home.”
West uses the metaphor of a childhood sweetheart to represent how much he cares about his hometown. He uses the girl to show that there is no love like first love (which most people can agree with), and that where you come from becomes a part of who you are later in life (especially when you’re making millions off of record labels, thanks for the words of wisdom Kanye). 



3 comments:

  1. I also love this track. I agree with you that it is one of his more humbling tracks, and I think that is why I like it so much. He doesn't take credit for how he is; Chicago was the thing, or love, that made him the way he is.

    I think that Kanye's Graduation album was his best, with smaller, less known tracks, like Homecoming, being what made it so great.

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  2. I loved how Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, was the hook to this song. It was an extremely refreshing blend of Coldplay's soothing vibe and Kanye's masterful flow. Kanye displays a type of love that is almost charming and extremely enjoyable to listen to. It is indeed true that "home" holds a special place in most of our hearts, but Kanye insinuates an extremely deep and spiritual connection with Chicago. Going off of likening Chicago to a woman, Kanye doesn't have a mere closeness with Chi-Town, but a meaningful relationship that he wil undoubtably honor and cherish for the rest of his life.

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  3. It's awesome to hear a song from Kanye that doesn't follow his usual Braggadocio-style. More specifically, this song is humbling as it forges a strong connection between him and his original fans in Chicago. In this song he proves that he is capable of showing gratitude and respect to those that helped him achieve his fame.

    The song itself is one of my favorites. My favorite line is, "I guess it's why last winter she got so cold on me. She said, Ye keep making that, keep making that platinum and gold for me"

    This is a play on words in itself. His sweetheart, a metaphor for his hometown, gets cold on him which can have a number of meanings. Either that his hometown turned it's back on him, or a more literally translation would be that it actually got cold last winter. Judging by the context, Kanye was implying that Chicago turned its back on him.

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