Heaven and hell in popular music from 2000-2015
Heaven and Hell are what Christians consider to be where life after death occurs. Based on the life that you live, you go to one or the other after your life on Earth ends. Heaven and Hell have both become words that are often use as descriptive language - people will say things like "go to Hell" or "this place is like Heaven." While they likely do not mean the words literally, they have become regular words in the English language, and musicians have incorporated them into their lyrics.
The first example called "Heaven" by well-known rapper Jay Z was released in 2013 on his album Magna Carta Holy Grail. The song touches on subjects of religious allegory and an interrogation of organized religion. The song has made it to charts, including the Billboard charts. Jay Z often uses religion within his songs, and this one is clearly an example of the use of religion - more specifically Heaven and Hell - in popular music.
*Warning, this song contains extreme language that some people may find offensive.
The first example called "Heaven" by well-known rapper Jay Z was released in 2013 on his album Magna Carta Holy Grail. The song touches on subjects of religious allegory and an interrogation of organized religion. The song has made it to charts, including the Billboard charts. Jay Z often uses religion within his songs, and this one is clearly an example of the use of religion - more specifically Heaven and Hell - in popular music.
*Warning, this song contains extreme language that some people may find offensive.
The next example if "Heaven's Gonna Wait" by Canadian band Hedley. The song was released in 2011 from Hedley's album Storms. The song revolves around death, and the thought that someone is meant to go to Heaven - and Heaven is waiting for that person. Including the topics of prayers, angels, and the good dying young, this song closely links death with popular music.
As the final example of themes of Heaven and Hell being portrayed in popular music, Bruno Mars' anthem of 2012 cannot go undiscussed. "Locked Out Of Heaven" was from the album Unorthodox Jukebox. This song also links to sexuality in pop music, but more obviously can be used as a clear example of the use of Heaven and Hell. The way the lyrics are written explains Heaven as a desirable place - a woman has locked him out of Heaven, and he wants to be back in. The song reached countless charts around the world, and was nominated and won several awards.
The concept of Heaven and Hell in music often goes unnoticed, for me anyways. But when you stop and notice how many songs use these concepts, it is quite eye opening. To think that Religion has had this much of an impact on popular music of today proves how strong an influencer it still is.
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