A Response to "Dare You to Move"

Original: www.chloesmc305.blogspot.com

I agree with Chloe, Switchfoot are a transformationist band. Their songs contain meanings for those inside and outside the Christian audience. The band's name reflects this referring to a technique in board sports where the rider takes the opposite to their traditional stance, much like the band is influenced by their traditional Christian background while embracing those outside it. When asked about their name the band said, “It's about change and movement, a different way of approaching life and music".

The band's songs often have more than one meaning and offer different interpretations for different audiences. In describing Switchfoot Spin writer Andrew Beaujon wrote “They're sort of interesting because their lyrics often have two different meanings, one meaning for a Christian audience and one meaning for the rest of us. They try to relate to two different groups of people at once.”

The band is influenced by more then just their faith. The band cite their influences are U2, T.S. Eliot, the Beatles, Miles Davis, and Stevie Wonder. This reflects the concept we talked about in class about Christian music not being a genre but a multifaceted music expression which can take on many forms.

“Stars” is a good example of dual meanings for both Christian and non-christian audiences. Using contrasting perspectives the song discusses the forces that hold the world together. The first verse looks at the universe from a Descartes humanistic view suggesting that the centre of the universe is the individual, 'Maybe I've been the problem, maybe I'm overcast, falling apart'. The second verse uses the perspective of the heavens looking over the earth 'Stars looking at our planet watching entropy and pain And maybe start to wonder how the chaos in our lives could pass as sane' . The second verse balances secular and religious themes such as entropy and an entity in space watching over the world. 

A dimension that I don't feel we address enough in class discussion is the possibility for a song or other cultural artefact to allow for dual meanings that are often very reconcilable. In class we will sometimes neglect alternate interpretations based solely on the fact that the author is Christian and that must be the overriding influence on their work.