Emotional in Michael Learns to Rock Selected Songs

Abstract

Background: Music constitutes a powerful medium for articulating human emotions. Michael Learns to Rock (MLTR), a Danish soft rock band, is widely recognized for lyrics that are imbued with emotional depth and resonate profoundly with listeners. Their repertoire frequently engages with themes such as love, loss, sorrow, and hope. Analyzing the emotional content of their songs provides valuable insight into the linguistic and thematic devices that elicit such responses. Objective: This study seeks to examine the emotional dimensions manifested in selected songs by MLTR, with a particular focus on identifying emotionally charged lexical items and analyzing the manner in which these emotions are embedded within the lyrical context. Method: Employing a descriptive qualitative approach, the study analyzes a selection of MLTR’s songs based on their lyrical content. Emotional words were systematically identified and categorized according to semantic fields within an established framework of emotion classification, encompassing joy, sadness, anger, fear, and love. Each song was subsequently interpreted in terms of how its emotional tone contributes to the overarching thematic construction. Results: The findings indicate that the predominant emotional expressions in MLTR’s songs are sadness and love, which are frequently articulated through motifs of heartbreak, longing, and hope. Songs such as “25 Minutes,” “Out of the Blue,” and “Paint My Love” contain salient emotional lexemes including “sorry,” “lonely,” “longing,” and “love,” which effectively communicate emotional vulnerability and romantic sentiment. While traces of joy and nostalgia are also present, they occur less prominently. Conclusion: The selected works of MLTR exhibit a rich spectrum of emotional expression, primarily centered on the themes of love and sadness. The strategic use of emotionally charged vocabulary amplifies both lyrical depth and affective resonance, thereby contributing to the memorability and enduring popularity of the band’s music.