Defying Convention: Song Analysis

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It is well recognized that rock songs often express the issues society faces in regards to defying convention. When you analyze the lyrics, these artists are portraying a storyline that most listeners can relate to, due to previous or current experiences. For example, Suicidal Tendencies “Institutionalized”, tells a story that all individuals can relate to, considering we all went through those gruesome teenage years. As you listen to “Institutionalized”, listeners are living an experience of a teenage boy, whose friends and family believe he is going insane. Continuing on, it is revealed that he is just the typical teenage boy going through hormonal changes. This song exemplifies how we often defy convention, due to the way the boy responds to these accusations. In the lyrics it’s stated, “They stuck me in an institution 
Said it was the only solution.“ (1:09-1:13) Taking personal experiences into account, this line shows how we are often faced with our parents, or peers, taking action on an issue that they are actually unaware about. Here, it states how he is institutionalized, due to the accusation of him going insane, when in reality the insanity is non-existent. Towards the middle of the song we hear, “She goes, "Don't tell me that, you're on drugs!"
I go, "No mom, I'm not on drugs, I'm okay, I'm …show more content…

This shows us that a simple action can be misunderstood

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