Song Showdown – The Greatest Lyrics of the Century: Janelle Monáe’s Dance Apocalyptic

Before we begin, watch Monáe’s performance of her funky song here:

Excited yet? When I first heard the song, I was amazed by the energy and total abandon in her voice, which complemented the lyrics’ unapologetic insistence on her central theme.  

While there are hints of general plot, the song’s real weight lies in the Monáe’s main motif: Rebellion. This song is about separating ourselves from the stereotypes, claustrophobia, and societal norms of the modern world. In the repeated chorus and bridge, Monáe sings to the audience that we ‘found a way to break up!’ and that we’re ‘not afraid to break out’. These two lines are also instances of anaphora. She goes even further by asking: ‘If the world says it’s time to go, tell me will you freak out?’, almost demanding that the audience join her in her defiance to the world.

The chorus then tumbles into the cheerful onomatopoeia of ‘smash, smash, bang, bang … chalangalangalang.’ These stanzas are echoed throughout the song, reminding the audience of Monáe’s call to action: to destroy any restrictions in sight.  She establishes herself as a revolutionary figure with her direct narration, where the audience is told exactly what to do. The total absence of dialogue also shows that this isn’t just any ordinary conversation – it is an instruction manual to shatter the mold.

Part of Monáe’s success in creating her theme is through her use of diction. The word ‘apocalyptic’ by itself sets the tone for the listener, who now has images of a science-fiction-dystopian future in mind. Contributing to these images are phrases like ‘zombie in the front yard’, ‘it’s all built like a comic book’, and ‘food tasting plastic’, which have similar connotations. There’s even an allusion to the 1950s cold war era thrown in with ‘worried about the bomb threats’. It was common for families to build fallout shelters in their backyards. Later on, mentions of ‘a new wife’ and ‘bought a house’ support the earlier allusion by referencing the idea of the ‘perfect housewife’ which was common in post-WW2 times.

The motif of the ‘perfect family’ is a suitable starting point for what Monáe is revolting against: mundanity. She also uses characterization to enrich the song, using the dichotomy of the normal family (i.e. ‘you’re working nine to five’) versus those who are already ‘going crazy’ (i.e. ‘exploding in the bathroom stall’). These two characters merge into one with Monáe’s resolution, which proudly exclaims ‘Look at you! You look just like a little old earthquake.’ Her final stanza also reveals the audience as active characters, who move the story forward even though they make mistakes (i.e. breaking things). This makes Dance Apocalyptic that much more relatable, because real people are active characters.  

These literary devices are just scratching the surface of Monáe’s lyrics. There is much more, including puns, metaphors, diacope, pacing, and plot to uncover. Dance Apocalyptic also pulls off something not many songs can pull off – groovy satire. Much of what she tells us is applicable to our modern situation, for example ‘the hitmen always find you’ could refer to the NSA scandal over spying on American citizens, which happened in the same year the song was released. In this sense, Dance Apocalyptic is one huge hyperbole, greatly exaggerating our current situation, and providing similarly exaggerated reactions in order to draw attention to the world we’re living in.

In all, Janelle Monáe’s Dance Apocalyptic is the anthem of mutiny. It’s allusions and references cement it’s relevancy in our time and context, and it uses elements of plot to guide the audience through a strongly charged theme of rebellion. Combine flawless lyrics with an irresistible beat and a confident, almost aggressive delivery, and you get the song of the century. Dance Apocalyptic encourages listeners not just to defy expectations, but to dance our way to a new world.   

Sources:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-23123964

http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0900/frameset_reset.html?http://www.nebraskastudies.o rg/0900/stories/0901_0132.html