Publication Search

The study of meaning in language, whether found in words, phrases, or sentences, is known as semantics. Language often has diverse or metaphorical meanings in literary works such as songs, which can confuse listeners. This becomes a problem when listeners understand song lyrics differently from what the artist intended. The song “Kembali Pulang” by Suara Kayu and Feby Putri, which is currently popular, is an example of lyrics rich in symbolism and meaning, making it interesting to study semantically. Abdul Chaer's semantic theory, which focuses on determining lexical and grammatical meaning, forms the basis of this approach. Lexical meaning, which includes synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, hyponyms, polysemy, redundancy, and ambiguity, is the dictionary meaning or actual meaning. However, meanings that have undergone composition, reduplication, and affixation are known as grammatical meanings. To correctly and thoroughly understand the message conveyed by the song “Kembali Pulang” by Suara Kayu and Feby Putri, this study aims to clarify the lexical and grammatical meanings contained in the song lyrics. A descriptive qualitative approach was used in this study, which included analysis of the song lyrics along with recording, listening, and reading strategies.

This study aims to analyze the forms of assertive persuasion found in a collection of song lyrics by The Peal by employing a pragmatic approach, specifically Searle’s classification of speech acts. The focus of the research is to examine how the lyrics represent assertive functions as a means of conveying messages, attitudes, and perspectives intended by the songwriter. This study uses a descriptive qualitative method involving several stages: listening closely to the lyrics, identifying linguistic indicators of assertive persuasion, and explaining the meanings and communicative functions embedded in the utterances.The findings reveal that six selected songs by The Peal contain various forms of assertive persuasion. The song Isak Tangis demonstrates an assertive act of warning, while Berbahagialah reflects an act of suggesting. The song Porak Poranda represents the act of complaining, whereas Kehancuran shows elements of asserting or criticizing. The song Cinta Mana yang Kau Bela? contains elements of boasting, and Belum Waktunya reflects the act of reporting or presenting information. These results indicate that The Peal’s song lyrics function not only as artistic expressions but also as persuasive communicative media that convey social and emotional messages through diverse assertive speech acts.

Music and song lyrics serve as a means of self-expression capable of conveying messages, feelings, and representing a person's self-concept in the face of reality and social expectations. This research focuses on a semiotic analysis of the lyrics of the song "Mengenal Lebih Jauh" by Nuca to identify the representation of self-concept and individual understanding of themselves amidst complex social demands. This research aims to reveal an analysis of self-concept representation in the lyrics of the song "Mengenal Lebih Jauh" by Nuca. Using Ferdinand de Saussure's semiotic analysis approach, the researcher attempts to uncover the meaning within the lyrics of the song "Mengenal Lebih Jauh." The results of this study reveal that the lyrics of the song "Mengenal Lebih Jauh" by Nuca contain a relationship between the signified and the signifier. The lyrics of this song are not just a beautiful sequence of words, but also a form of communication that expresses very human feelings and emotional experiences. The lyrics from the first to the sixth stanzas are a series of stories that depict a person's journey in understanding themselves and others.

This research aims to understand how the meaning of loss is constructed in the lyrics of the song “Cutting My Fingers Off” by Turnover, using Ferdinand de Saussure’s semiotic approach. The song was chosen as the object of study because it expresses the emotion of loss intensely through poetic and emotional lyrical symbols. According to Saussure’s theory, meaning is formed through the relationship between the signifier and the signified, where words in the lyrics function as signs that carry deep meaning. This study uses a descriptive qualitative method with interview, textual analysis techniques, supported by literature review and observation of listener Turnover’s “Cutting My Fingers Off”. The analysis involves breaking down each verse to identify signifiers and signifieds that shape the emotional meaning of loss. The findings show that the lyrics reflect not only physical loss but also psychological experiences such as alienation, regret, and severed emotional attachment. Symbols like “Cutting My Fingers Off” form a visual metaphor for deep emotional pain. This research concludes that music particularly lyrics is an effective medium of symbolic communication to convey personal experiences. “Cutting My Fingers Off” successfully constructs a complex meaning of loss that resonates personally with its listeners.

This study investigates the metaphorical expressions in the song Golden Hour by JVKE using Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) by Lakoff and Johnson (1980). The research aims to identify and analyze metaphors that represent emotional experiences, particularly romantic feelings, through the use of concrete and sensory imagery. Using a qualitative descriptive method, the lyrics of Golden Hour were analyzed to uncover how metaphorical language shapes the expression of love and emotional transitions. The findings reveal several dominant metaphor categories such as LOVE IS LIGHT, LOVE IS A JOURNEY, and EMOTION IS ELEVATION. These metaphors transform abstract emotions into vivid, relatable experiences by linking them to concepts like time, nature, and movement. The study concludes that metaphor in song lyrics functions as a cognitive and poetic device that enhances meaning and emotional resonance. The implications of this research highlight the relevance of metaphor analysis in understanding language, thought, and culture, especially in modern musical texts.

This study aims to analyze and identify the use of language styles in the song "Kuyamu to Kaite Mirai." Language style refers to the technique of utilizing the richness of language, both in written works and oral communication, to create deeper aesthetic and communicative effects. In song lyrics, the use of language style becomes a crucial element that can strengthen the meaning and artistic appeal of a literary work. This research employs Gorys Keraf's language style theory as the theoretical foundation for classifying and identifying language styles. The study utilizes a descriptive qualitative research method with primary data sources consisting of the lyrics of "Kuyamu to Kaite Mirai." The qualitative approach was chosen to enable in-depth analysis of figurative language usage within the song lyrics. The research findings reveal the presence of five types of language styles employed in the lyrics of "Kuyamu to Kaite Mirai." The identified language styles include asyndeton, assonance, erotesis, metaphor, and simile. Asyndeton was found in the use of word sequences without conjunctions to create dramatic effects. Assonance was identified through the repetition of vowel sounds that create sound harmony. The esoteric figurative language style emerges in the use of the particle の at the end of sentences, indicating that this verse constitutes an interrogative sentence. Metaphors and similes are employed to create comparisons that strengthen the song's emotional meaning. The utilization of language styles in the lyrics of "Kuyamu to Kaite Mirai" functions not merely as aesthetic ornamentation, but also as a means to convey messages and emotions more effectively to listeners. This research is expected to contribute to the understanding of language style usage in popular music works and serve as a reference for similar studies in the future.

This study aims to uncover the meaning of loyalty and sacrifice in the lyrics of the song "Sumpah dan Cinta Matiku" by Nidji through Roland Barthes' semiotic approach. The analysis is conducted at three levels of meaning, namely denotative, connotative, and myth, to understand how song lyrics form emotional messages as well as ideologies in Indonesian popular culture. At the denotative level, a literal meaning is found regarding the pledge of loyalty and commitment of love between two people who are emotionally bound to each other. The connotative level displays emotional and cultural meanings in the form of a willingness to sacrifice and steadfastness in maintaining love, which is often depicted as a heroic and struggle-filled act. Meanwhile, at the mythical level, this song brings up the ideology of romantic love that is absolute, eternal, and demands unconditional sacrifice, as often found in love narratives in other popular media. Lyrics such as "Sumpah mati hanya kau yang kucinta" and "Meski badanku has become one with the ground, cintaku tetap hidup bagi bagi" reflect the cultural construction that true love must be proven by suffering, extreme loyalty, and even sacrifice of life. This meaning emphasizes that love is not merely an emotional connection, but a form of total devotion that cannot be shaken by any circumstances. This song indirectly instills the idea that love means being willing to lose everything, including one's life, to maintain that love. The results of this study indicate that these songs not only convey personal messages of love but also play a role in shaping and perpetuating the myth of love in society. This finding is reinforced by various previous studies that state that popular music plays a role as a medium for reproducing cultural values, particularly regarding idealized, sacrificial, and irrational love.

This study explores the semantic fields of love and loss in Lord Huron’s song "The Night We Met," using a lexical semantics framework. Song lyrics, known for their emotional depth, serve as a rich source for analyzing affective meaning, particularly through word selection and repetition. The primary research question addresses how semantic fields are constructed within minimalist lyrical compositions to convey complex emotional states. In this analysis, a qualitative descriptive method is applied to examine the song's lexical items and group them into thematic semantic fields. The study finds that the song uses a concise set of lexemes connected to themes of memory, temporal disorientation, grief, and love. These thematic fields intertwine, interacting to depict a narrative that encapsulates unresolved emotional pain. Love and loss are not presented in isolation but are embedded in a broader emotional context, where words evoke both the sweetness of past affection and the sorrow of its absence. The overlap of these semantic fields reflects the internal conflict experienced by the narrator, torn between cherished memories and the painful realization of loss. The study concludes that despite the song’s brevity, the lyrics effectively evoke profound emotional responses through a meticulous choice of words and thematic consistency. The semantic fields constructed within the song illustrate how even minimal language can convey intense emotional content, providing valuable linguistic insight into the function of lyricism in popular music. The research demonstrates the ability of short, poignant lyrics to engage listeners emotionally, revealing how lyricists use limited language to encapsulate complex feelings of love and loss.

This study explores the meaning of love and courage in the lyrics of Nadin Amizah's song "Taruh". Music serves as a cultural medium that reflects the construction of social reality, and song lyrics often become a space for expressing personal and collective experiences. The song "Taruh" illustrates the emotional complexity present in human relationships, particularly in interpreting the feelings of love intertwined with acts of bravery. This research employs Ferdinand de Saussure's semiotic theory by examining the syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations within the song's lyrics. The descriptive qualitative method is applied, with data obtained through non-participant observation and literature study. The findings indicate that the lyrics of "Taruh" do not portray an idealized version of love; instead, they express a more realistic view of love as something that includes pain, vulnerability, and imperfection. Interestingly, within those imperfections, there is a profound sense of courage—a willingness to endure, to remain, and to accept wounds as a part of emotional life. The syntagmatic analysis highlights how the arrangement of words in each stanza reflects stages of emotional struggle, longing, acceptance, and resilience. On the other hand, the paradigmatic analysis reveals that while alternative words could have been chosen, the selected diction intensifies the emotional nuance without shifting the central message of the narrative. Overall, the song constructs a layered narrative of love, where courage is found not in grand gestures but in silent endurance. This study shows how popular music, through its poetic structure, can communicate complex emotional truths and contribute to deeper cultural understandings of human emotion.

This study aims to identify and analyze the types of figurative language found in the song lyrics of Boygenius’s album “The Record.” The research specifically seeks to determine the various figurative language devices present in selected tracks and to interpret the meanings behind these expressions using Leech’s theory of meaning. By focusing on figurative language, the study aims to enhance the understanding of how artistic language in indie music conveys complex emotions and themes, enriching both literary appreciation and linguistic analysis. The data source for this research consists of the lyrics from four selected songs: “Emily I’m Sorry,” “True Blue,” “Cool About It,” and “Not Strong Enough” from Boygenius’s album “The Record.” Data collection was conducted through an observation and note-taking technique: the researcher listened to the songs on Spotify and obtained the lyrics from www.genius.com. The method of analysis employed a descriptive qualitative approach, with the researcher identifying and categorizing instances of figurative language in the lyrics. The study was guided by the framework of Knickerbocker and Reninger for figurative language types and Leech’s theory for interpreting the meanings, which include conceptual, connotative, social, affective, reflected, collocative, and thematic meanings. The study's results revealed a total of 36 instances of figurative language across the selected songs, encompassing similes, metaphors, personification, synecdoche, metonymy, hyperbole, irony, and paradox. Of these, 36 examples were analyzed in detail to explore their meanings. The findings demonstrate that Boygenius’s lyrics utilize a diverse range of figurative language,

This study aims to analyze the symbolic meanings contained in the lyrics of the song “One Last Breath” by the band Creed using Charles Sanders Peirce’s semiotic theory. The song was selected due to its strong themes of existential crisis, despair, and hope, which are expressed through rich and meaningful linguistic signs. The method used in this research is qualitative descriptive, employing Peirce’s triadic model of signs—icon, index, and symbol—as the basis of data analysis. The primary data source consists of selected lyrics, which were examined to identify the types of signs and their interpreted meanings. The findings reveal that the song's lyrics are filled with emotional symbols reflecting the protagonist's psychological condition, such as the phrase “six feet” as an icon of death, “falling” as an index of mental collapse, and “last breath” as a symbol of the remaining hope. The song also represents Western cultural values related to openness about mental health issues. It is concluded that “One Last Breath” functions not only as a musical work but also as a reflective medium that conveys profound messages about the human struggle and existential meaning. This study is expected to contribute to the development of semiotic analysis in music lyrics and inspire future research on other musical genre.

The present study aims to identify and analyze idiomatic expressions in the lyrics of “Do I Wanna Know?” by Arctic Monkeys. Idioms are non-literal expressions that often cause difficulty for English learners due to their figurative nature. This study employs a descriptive qualitative approach with a focus on semantic and contextual analysis based on the theories of Palmer (2007), Larson (2010), and Halliday (2014). The results indicate that the song contains several idiomatic expressions that reflect emotional states such as longing, regret, and insecurity. These findings suggest that song lyrics can serve as effective, authentic, and engaging media for learning idioms in EFL contexts. The study also highlights the pedagogical and cultural implications of using popular songs as teaching materials.

This article explores the song lyrics of “Somebody’s Pleasure” by Indonesian artist Aziz Hedra through the lens of Teun A. van Dijk’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The song reveals a narrative of emotional neglect, objectification, and the yearning for genuine affection. Van Dijk’s three-dimensional model—textual structure, cognitive processes, and social context—is applied to dissect how the language in the song reflects individual mental states and broader social ideologies regarding love, self-worth, and power relations in modern relationships.  

This article explores the song lyrics of “Somebody’s Pleasure” by Indonesian artist Aziz Hedra through the lens of Teun A. van Dijk’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The song reveals a narrative of emotional neglect, objectification, and the yearning for genuine affection. Van Dijk’s three-dimensional model—textual structure, cognitive processes, and social context—is applied to dissect how the language in the song reflects individual mental states and broader social ideologies regarding love, self-worth, and power relations in modern relationships.  

This research is carried out to study the types and meanings of compound words found in Kendrick Lamar’s song lyrics on the GNX album. The main goal is to identify how the compound words are formed and to understand their meanings. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method. The theory from McCarthy (2002) is used to group the compound words into three types: noun compounds, verb compounds, and adjective compounds. To analyze the meanings, the study uses Booij’s (2007) theory, which explains two kinds of meaning in compounds: endocentric and exocentric. The data for this research are taken from all twelve songs on the album. The results show that the lyrics include all three types of compound words. The meanings found in the compounds include both endocentric and exocentric types. These findings are explained using simple written descriptions to give a clear understanding of the compounds found in the lyrics. The analysis shows that the lyrics contain many uncommon compound words, which shows the use of creative and modern language.

This study aims to analyze the figurative language used in the song lyrics of “Cause You Have To” by the American band LANY. Using a qualitative descriptive method, this research identifies and interprets various types of figurative language found in the lyrics, focusing on metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, symbolism, irony, allusion, and synecdoche. The findings reveal that these figurative devices play a significant role in conveying the emotional depth, psychological tension, and relational conflict expressed in the song. Metaphors and hyperboles dominate the lyrics, enhancing the emotional impact by illustrating themes of unreciprocated love, emotional detachment, and inner turmoil. For example, metaphors like “the silence is getting too cold” and hyperbolic expressions such as “I’d drive through the night” contribute to the song’s emotional intensity. The study concludes that figurative language is essential in shaping the narrative and emotional resonance of the song, allowing listeners to engage with the lyrics on a more personal and interpretive level. This research highlights the importance of figurative language in music and its role in deepening the listener’s emotional experience.

This study aims to analyze and determine the types of figurative language in the lyrics of Anaheim by Niki Zefanya using a descriptive qualitative approach by presenting the object of analysis and explaining it. In this study, the author will analyze the types of figurative language used in the lyrics of Anaheim by Niki Zefanya and explain the meaning conveyed by the lyrics. The analysis results show that the use of figurative language in the song Anaheim is dominated by metaphors and hyperbole. The use of metaphors and hyperbole in this song conveys emotions, sadness, and feelings of guilt, which are successfully conveyed through the use of figurative language. Thus, figurative language enriches and beautifies language and provides creative expression for songwriters or other creators.

This study examines the semiotic and mythological representation of song lyrics, taking RINI's "Aphrodite" as an example. Based on Roland Barthes' semiotics theory, this study examines the application of Greek mythology, specifically the character of Aphrodite, to convey love, beauty, and lust in the song. Qualitative descriptive approaches are used to examine the denotative, connotative, and mythological meanings inherent in the lyrics. The findings indicate that the song showcases Aphrodite both as a reference to Greek mythology and as an idealized figure of love and beauty in contemporary popular music. By way of metaphor, symbolism, and lyrical storytelling, RINI relates a story that intertwines personal emotion and cultural myth, demonstrating how antiquity's myths remain active in shaping contemporary creative work. The study emphasizes the use of music as a medium for rearticulating classical mythology in relation to depicting modern romantic ideals.

This study aims to analyze the idiomatic expressions found in the song lyrics of “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish. Idioms are an essential part of figurative language that enriches the meaning of lyrics and contributes to the emotional and cultural depth of a song. Using a qualitative descriptive method, this research identifies and classifies the idioms based on Makkai’s (1972) typology and interprets their contextual meanings through Leech’s (1981) theory of semantics. The analysis reveals various types of idioms, including phrasal verb idioms and tournure idioms, that reflect themes of emotional connection and loyalty. The findings demonstrate how idioms enhance lyrical expression and offer deeper insight into the artist’s intended message. This study contributes to the understanding of idiomatic usage in contemporary music and provides a linguistic perspective on lyrical interpretation.

This study examines the denotative and connotative meanings contained in the lyrics of the song Garam dan Madu (Sakit Dadaku) by Tenxi, Naykilla, and Jemsii, which raises the theme of doubt and longing for love. The purpose of the study is to reveal the literal meaning and implied meaning in the lyrics. The method used is descriptive qualitative with data in the form of song lyric texts obtained from official sources. The results of the study show that the lyrics of this song contain other complementary meanings, namely the denotative meaning describes doubt, longing, uncertainty, and a promise to give the best in their relationship while the connotative meaning contains deeper emotions and symbolism related to love, hope, and commitment. This study provides an in-depth understanding of the song's message and its contribution to the study of semantics and popular culture.