Blog Post 4

1,2,3,4 by the Plain White T’s is probably one of the cutest songs I’ve ever heard. That being said, it’s quite simple and there’s not much to analyze. For anyone who hasn’t heard of the song, the lyrics go something like:

1-2-1-2-3-4
Give me more loving than I've ever had
Make me feel better when I'm feeling sad
Tell me I'm special even though I know I'm not
Make me feel good when I hurt so bad
Barely getting mad
I'm so glad I found you
I love being around you
You make it easy
Its as easy as 1-2-1-2-3-4
There's only ONE thing
TWO Do
THREE words
FOUR you
(I love you) I love you
…

There are more words, but that’s the general idea. Like I said before, the song is pretty simple, and I think the songwriters intended it to be that way. It says “easy as 1-2-1-2-3-4” and the title is 1,2,3,4 so there’s a reference to the entire song being pretty easy. Another way this carefreeness or easiness is conveyed is through the diction. Most of the song uses general, elementary words like “when I’m feeling sad” and “I love being around you.” These simple phrases suggest just how natural and effortless this love is. There’s also a lot of rhyming in this poem. Words like “glad,” “mad,” “bad,” and “sad” help the song to flow quickly. They also give the song a happy-go-lucky feeling. Lastly, the songwriter’s use of homophones gives the song a little bit of wit in an otherwise very simple song. The songwriters use homophones “to” and “two” along with “for” and “four” in the section “one thing two do, three words four you.” This ties “I love you” back to the easiness of basic counting. It’s adorable.