Literary Criticism Applied to Popular Music Other

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One of Phil Collins’s most recognizable and best-selling hits, “In the Air Tonight” can be analyzed using the tools of literary criticism. The formalist approach takes the text at face value, ignoring extraneous elements that would interfere with the meanings embedded in the text. A biographical approach takes into account Collins’s personal history and how it impacts the lyrics of “In the Air Tonight.” Finally, the psychological approach to literary criticism lends a psychoanalytic lens towards the embedded meaning of Collins’s lyrics.

The formalist approach focuses on the literal interpretation of the lyrics, which initially stress the titular motif of air. The speaker can “feel it coming in the air tonight,” intuiting a new inspiration. With the words “Oh Lord,” the narrator also reveals a prayerful state of mind, which builds tension throughout the song. The lyrics also indicate the underlying bitter tone of the song, with lines like “You can wipe off the grin, I know where you’ve been / It’s all been a pack of lies.”

The biographical approach takes into account what Collins may have been going through in his personal life when he wrote the song, also incorporating important elements from his background.

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In recent interviews, Collins has admitted that “In the Air Tonight” is about his reaction to a painful divorce (“Phil Collins shares the real story behind 'In the Air Tonight'” p. 1). Therefore, the lyrics of the song can be interpreted to show the singer’s bitterness about the divorce, clarifying the meaning behind the lines indicating a possible infidelity: “I was there and I saw what you did...I know where you’ve been / It’s all been a pack of lies.”

Finally, the psychological approach to literary criticism delves deeper into Collins’s psyche. Analyzing the lyrics of “In the Air Tonight”….....

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