Music is a form of expression; it is art, and what makes it of highest or lowest value can often be a matter of personal choice. There are, however, universal ways of looking at a song’s value. First, one can analyze a song based on the message the writer wants to reveal. Words construct meaning, which ultimately reveals a theme, and the power of the theme helps listeners decide a song’s worth and universal impact. Closely linked to a song’s theme is the song’s literary aspect. This aspect looks at the ways the lyrics are crafted using imagery, figurative language, diction, mood and voice. Vivid imagery and memorable literary devices etch s multi-sensory experience into the listener’s mind; this experience is not easily forgotten. Finally, as song’s value is linked to its musical appeal: melody, rhythm, harmony, texture (back-up vocals), loudness, (dynamic) and tone help make a song memorable-or not. These three ways of analyzing a song’s worth can be applied to any song. One song, in particular, which is worth analyzing using this model is “Please be careful with my heart” by Jose Mari Chan. By looking at this song’s theme, literary style, and its musical qualities, one could argue that it should rank high on the ART-O-METER scale.
When analyzing a song for its artistic merit, it is important to look at the theme or writer’s purpose. “Please be careful with my heart” is purposefully crafted and relevant song about love and lessons from the past. The lyric reveals something related about falling in love for the first time. A girl wanted a promise from the boy that she will be the only one and he will be careful with her heart. The boy has heard lies from the past and had his heart badly broken. That feeling of getting hurt motivated him to made that promise to that girl because he understands how afraid that girl to fall in love. The song ends with a powerful and universally recognized message because there was that back-up vocals