Lyric
Analysis:
The lyrics seem to be a
little depressing at the beginning of the song saying that he has to leave what
he loves and go through pain, which is hard, but it doesn’t give him an excuse
to make a big deal about it. He knows what it is like when change becomes
overwhelming and affecting every part of his life and its tough not having
anything to do about it or even knowing what he wants to do instead. He wants
to rock and have fun like he is young again. That is the only thing that he can
know will make him feel good again because it has made him feel that way
before.
The second
verse explains how he is figuring things out now knowing what he can handle and
knowing what he needs. When things aren’t good enough, he has the power to just
leave and move on to something else. He explains that even though he can do
that, sometimes it’s easy to just leave, but sometimes its difficult to abandon
what is loved. But he always goes back to what he loves, which is rocking the
night to be youthful and find entertainment again.
Music Video Analysis:
The video starts off with the band
Europe leaving their tour bus and entering the hard rock café. This implies
that they have been traveling and changing locations and stop for a moment only
to leave soon after. When the lyrics start, contrary to the meaning portrayed
from the lyrics, it seems like he is boasting that he has done all of the hard
things and gotten through fine. He has gone through the change and pain without
even going insane. The band shows that they have all gone through the feeling
of rage and they all know that it isn’t easy, but they have all overcome it and
deemed it as easy because they can just go rock the night.
When the
second verse comes around for the music video, there is a lot more pride shown
in the band’s attitude. He sings that he knows his limits and knows what to do
in this situation and he shows that he has power over the situation now by
being able to “pull the brakes” whenever he isn’t satisfied. He knows that
sometimes it’s still hard to leave, but now sometimes it’s easy and even when
it is tough, he can’t get enough and it is all worth it.
Hot
Rod Analysis:
At the
beginning of the clip, Rod explains that there is only a little bit left in the
journey to save his Stepfather. He explains the next steps and rallies up his
crew. The song in this clip is more suited as a life story for Rod when it says
he has gone through changes with his dad dying as a kid and he has gone through
pain trying to earn the respect of his new stepfather. But when the song says that
it hasn’t been bad enough for him to go insane, it is implying through the
movie that that is no reason for Rod to give up, but it is more reason to push
him forward. He has had a rough life and he understands the overwhelming
pressure to prove himself in his world. He knows it isn’t easy to live how he
is living. It isn’t easy not knowing what to do next, but Rod is showing that
he does know the next step and he does have what it takes to push through the
difficult times. Instead of rocking like young people described in the other
interpretations, rock the night simply means to work for Rod. It means to work
nonstop “until early in the morning light” for what he needs to accomplish.
The second verse starts as Rod is
doing a stunt for an audience to raise money for his stepfather. It is a
portrait of rod knowing his limits and what it takes to do it. Sometimes it is
easy to make money because this is what Rod has done his whole life and he
knows what he is doing, but sometimes it is tough coming to the realization
that Frank does not support his efforts to save
