Songtell - An Attempt to Interpret Lyrics via AI

Music
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The intro on the Songtell website states “Delve deeper into your favorite songs with Songtell, revealing the captivating stories and meaning behind their lyrics through the power of AI”.

So for example, the following lyrics to “Fresh Born” by Deerhoof:

Bambi boo stand push up
Born born born born born
Bambi totters foot foot
Tot tot tot tot tot

Mini body S.O.S. dotty
Downy hairy tip toeing moony
Tiny hoofies bend oh bend bonny
Puffy butty stand up now waggy

…prompted the resulting analysis from the Songtell website:

The song “Fresh Born” by Deerhoof seems to have lyrics that are focused on portraying the innocence and playfulness of a young animal, specifically a fawn or a deer (as hinted by the mention of “Bambi” and “hoofies”). The repetitive nature of the lyrics, with the constant repetition of words like “born,” “tot,” and “fawn,” creates a sense of childlike joy and excitement.

Throughout the song, there is a strong emphasis on the physical attributes and actions of a young deer. The lyrics emphasize the tottering feet, softness (“downy hairy”), and small size (“mini body”) of the animal. This suggests a theme of fragility and vulnerability, as well as the beauty and delicateness of youth.

The line “S.O.S. dotty” seems to allude to a cry for help, but in the context of the song, it may represent the sound a young deer makes, especially as it learns to navigate its surroundings. Additionally, phrases like “tip toeing moony” and “puffy butty” evoke images of a deer trying to find its way in the world, tentatively exploring its environment and learning to stand and walk.

I really can’t decide if that is either a load of word salad, or a pretty decent interpretation of the lyrics?

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those are some absolutely honking lyrics there

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The song “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” by Eiffel 65 is a reflection on loneliness and feeling forgotten and left alone. The use of a police box as the protagonist suggests a sense of being trapped and unable to escape a life of loneliness. The chorus sings “She’s blue dabadee dabadie” to emphasize the feeling of being blue and lonely, with the repetition further driving home the point. Furthermore, other references to blue-colored items throughout the song, such as a “slim Dorian Maldovar” and “the blue eye of a Dalek”, are symbols of this feeling. In the end, the song serves as an exploration of the deep emotions of loneliness and being left behind.

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It’s a weird thing. I put in Amelia by Joni Mitchell, which is a song about yearning, loneliness and travel but all personified through the story of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart (the Amelia of the title). The AI picked up some of the themes but completely missed that it was actually about a real historical person (referring instead to ‘the mysterious Amelia’).

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Gonna use this on Skinny Puppy lyrics.

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Because that particular choice of lyrics were too obscure for meaningful analysis, or because the site itself is just a bit rubbish?

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I can’t remember who it was and it always drives me mad trying to remember… But I read something once in an interview with a singer/lyricist who said that they don’t choose any words/sentences with meaning. They choose strings of words that have the right sound and cadence to match the instruments much like a guitarist chooses their chords and notes.

I reckon that’s definitely the kind of thing Anthony kleidis would say about his lyrics but I don’t think it was him.

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I’m not sure I believe AI is capable of interpreting art. Like, the blurb you’ve pasted there is the output of a kind of data analysis, performed by a complex language model.

For me, true interpretation of art requires the interpreter to have experienced the art, and I don’t think AI experiences anything.

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11

They are aren’t they, it’s like an AI interpretation of Doop :rofl:

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Yeah it seems to be a bit inconsistent in that respect. I entered “Spanish Bombs” by The Clash, a song which is absolutely 100% about a precise historical event (The Spanish Civil War) and was expecting a similarly vague interpretation. But in fairness, the resulting summary directly referenced the Franco regime of the 1930s and the resistance movement, so :person_shrugging:

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