Language is an important communication tool which can be utilized in culture, politics, art, and education, among others. It is used in art to describe poetry and in songs and photographs to dramatize events, ultimately allowing an audience to understand the author’s or artist’s feelings or their reasons for creating the artwork. Celine Dion has many popular tracks, and “Falling into You” is an emotional song which depicts the love partners have for each other. The single, whose title is similar to the album, was written by Billy Steinberg and Rick Nowels, and released in 1996 (“Falling Into You: Celine Dion”). It contains three verses, two choruses, and an outro. This paper examines the song’s lyrics and determines that Dion clearly uses metaphors, emotions, similes, and symbolism to show that love is a strong emotion.
Figurative language shows a writer’s thoughts and it also gives text a richer meaning. It can be used in the form of metaphors, allusion, similes, personification, hyperbole, and alliteration, among others. Songs can therefore contain lyrics which tell a captivating story and also communicate to listeners much in the same way people converse with one another. By analyzing a song’s lyrics, an audience will ultimately be able to discern its inner meaning and determine how it applies to their personal context.
Metaphors are figures of speech which have symbolic meaning, and in Dion’s song, there are some lyrics which are used to provide an indirect connotation. For instance, the singer states that “And in your eyes, I see ribbons of color” (“Falling Into You: Celine Dion” verse 1). Although a person cannot literally see colors in another’s eyes, in this line the singer implies that she can see happiness her lover experiences as a result of their relationship. In the same verse, Dion notes that “I see us inside of each other” (“Falling Into You: Celine Dion” verse 1). It is also not a literal phenomenon, but it demonstrates that the singer realizes that they are falling deep in love. When Dion sings “catch me, don’t let me drop” (“Falling Into You: Celine Dion” verse 3), listeners discern that she does not imply being literally dropped from another person’s arms. Rather, the lyrics refer to the ability of partners to support and trust each other and never to hurt their beloved ones with offensive words or actions. These metaphors create sensory details, which make Dion’s words more persuasive and interesting, and they help develop the listeners’ imagination about the characters in the song.
Celine Dion’s track also contains similes making comparisons between seemingly unrelated events. The words “Falling like a leaf, falling like a star” (“Falling Into You: Celine Dion” chorus 2) demonstrate that the two people are deeply in love. Partners form strong romantic connections without realizing it and without feeling pressured to do so because it happens naturally. Dion intends to prove that love is a natural process in much the same way that stars fall from the sky or leaves drift to the ground, and when the time is right, people form passionate relationships. Moreover, the title of the song literally means that an individual is falling into another’s arms, and it also indicates the formation of a romantic attachment to another person.
This paper analyzed Celine Dion’s song “Falling into You” which was released in 1996. The song is highly emotional and touching because it discusses the beauty of love and how two people can become deeply committed to each other. It contains metaphors and similes, which provide contextual meaning ensuring that listeners enjoy the song and understand the hidden implications within the lyrics. Through the song, Dion describes the emotions that people feel when they are attracted to each other and fall in love.
Work Cited
“Falling Into You: Celine Dion.” Genius Media Group, 2020. Web.