By Brittney McLaws
Emo is the anthem for the sensitive and the vulnerable. Emo is the music you save for a rainy day. Emo is harsh and bitter and for the emotionally frustrated, emo is real.
Made popular by bands such as Jimmy Eat World and Dashboard Confessional, emo is the musical genre filled with emotionally charged lyrics and complex melodies.
According to about.com, ' ... epitomized by post-Grunge, edgy rock with explosive energy mixed with sensitivity. Emotional lyrics about sadness, love and even anger are common lyrical themes.'
Emo lyrics are not flashy. Rather, these lyrics are simple poetic phrases that reveal emotional hardships, personal insecurities and feelings of despair.
Generally, emo lyrics are characterized by short and often obscure phrases that carry implicit meanings. These phrases address different themes and describe a variety of volatile human emotions.
One of the most common themes in the emo world is love, or rather, the lack thereof.
Emo artists tend to capitalize on the dark abyss known as the broken heart. They explore every emotion, feeling and frustration that accompanies the every-day, bitter breakup.
The song 'Saints And Sailors,' by Dashboard Confessional is an emo ballad that speaks specifically to broken hearts and addresses angry post-breakup feelings.
The lyrics are so emotionally generic that almost anyone who has experienced a broken heart at some point in their past believes this song is their personal vendetta against the world.
Chris Carabba, the solo voice behind Dashboard Confessional, speaks of 'open wounds' and 'trophy display of bruises.' Not only are these graphic phrases Carabba''s way of illustrating the physical pain that accompanies a breakup, but they are so classically emo.
Emo lyric seeks to define the emotional roller coasters of life by illustrating feelings through music. Emo is perhaps the first genre of music to effectively capture the harsh realities and vast spectrum of the human emotions.
The great thing about emo is its universality. Fans of the genre seem to be screaming, 'finally, someone understands me'. Little do these emo junkies realize, they are not alone in feeling emotionally justified.
Ironically, millions of disgruntled and heartbroken young adults are feeling the same connection to emo because, 'dude-that song was totally written about me'. Consequently, the emo genre has spawned an entire emo culture.
This subculture is generally characterized by certain distinct fashion trends. The hard-core emo fans sport faded blue jeans, vintage t-shirts, low top converse, cardigans, and buddy-holly glasses.
'Saints And Sailors'
By Dashboard Confessional
This is where I say I''ve had enough
and no one should ever feel the way that I feel now.
A walking open wound,
a trophy display of bruises
and I don''t believe that I''m getting any better.
Waiting here with hopes the phone will ring
and I''m thinking awful things
and I''m pretty sure that few would notice.
And this apartment
is starving for an argument.
Anything at all to break the silence.
Wandering the house
like I''ve never wanted out
and this is about as social as I get now.
And I''m throwing away the letters that I am writing you
''cause they would never do,
I would never do.
So don''t be a liar,
don''t say that 'everything''s working'
when everything''s broken.
And you smile like a saint
but you curse like a sailor
and your eyes say the joke''s on me.
Top 10 Emo Bands
By about.com
1. Texas Is The Reason
2. Sunny Day Real Estate
3. Jimmy Eat World
4. Thursday
5. Braid
6. Dashboard Confessional
7. Further Seems Forever
8. Saves The Day
9. Rites Of Spring
10. Embrace