Orange by Pinegrove is a song off their most recent album 11:11. While the entire album is trying to address the climate issue, I believe this song in particular does a good job of bringing their concerns to the forefront. Orange is a pretty direct call for help from the North Jersey band to pay attention to the climate crisis in our world. The singer of Pinegrove, Evan Stephens Hall, is very outspoken about his position on the climate issue. I believe this song would be challenging for the project because it will allow me to research different corners of the climate crisis and indulge in researching the specific political groups that Evan Stephens Hall is affiliated with. There is no doubt that Pinegrove is addressing the issues they are most passionate about because their lyrics are so direct and simple, while simultaneously being full of complexity. There is also not a lot of previous research done on this song (not much found on Genius or other sites). This will add the challenge of trying to dissect the song for myself, which I am interested in doing.

This song also addresses a very significant moment in time that I myself got to witness via the internet. The chorus brings up the orange skies that were found in Oregon in 2020. This was a very surreal experience that we all kind of lived through in that time since we were all at home and staring at our phones. I think this song is very relevant to my own life and brings up very important issues that we are currently dealing with in today’s society.

Another song I’d be interested in researching for my podcast project is Brazil by Declan McKenna. This more upbeat indie tune addresses the corrupt decision(s) made by FIFA during the 2014 World Cup which was held in Brazil. I remember first hearing this song and not thinking much of it since the literal music of it was so uplifting and fun. When listening again it’s evident that McKenna is concerned about the rising poverty issue in Brazil and how FIFA and its corrupt leaders excused these issues and poured money into the World Cup without paying mind to the residents in the country. Unlike Pinegrove’s very direct message, this is a more hidden message that can be taken a couple different ways. I think will help me explore different interpretations if I decide to go with this song. This song will also lead me to research the exact issues that were/are occurring in  Brazil and the later firing of the FIFA president only a year after this protest song was released.

This song has significance in my life because I remember watching the 2014 World Cup and thinking nothing of it, while all of these terrible issues were occurring. I also think the corruption of FIFA is a very real and present issue that is happening still today and something that I would love to learn more about.

I think my only concerns with this project in its entirety will be having to find new definitions and discoveries about these songs. It’s so easy today to just google the lyrics and immediately find interpretations all over the internet, but I want to curate my own meaning for these songs. I just feel anxious that I will be overwhelmed with information and  opinions and not be able to come up with my own.

Emily Cuccio