Catcher in the Rye Song Project
“Under the Bridge” – Red Hot Chili Peppers Analysis In this song, the lead singer, Anthony Kiedis, is describing how after a drug addiction he moved to a different city to start a new life. This relates to Holden in Catcher in the Rye because after he was kicked out of school he had a hard decision to make. He either could go to his home before his parents knew about the expulsion, or he could run away to New York. Anthony and Holden both choose to go to the city. Also in the song and the book, the singer and Holden turn to drugs as a way to help their lives. Obviously that is the wrong choice, but anyways Holden, although underage, drinks as a means of an anti-depressant. “…The more depressed I got, and I decided, while I was walking and all, to stop off and have a drink somewhere” (90). This quote shows just one of a couple instances where Holden wants to drink because he is depressed or lonely. Anthony Kiedis, just like Holden, turned to hard drugs because he felt lonely from his family and friends. “Shake Me Down” – Cage the Elephant Analysis This song is about how the lead singer, Matt Shultz, dealt with the death of his last family member. He talks about how people usually grief and turn to drugs to help deal with someone’s loss. The line “I’ll keep my eyes fixed on the sun” shows how Matt is being optimistic and trying to make his life better from the death. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s brother Allie dies and Holden has a bold reaction to his death. “I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage” (38-39). Although Holden has a completely different reaction to a family member’s death, this song relates to Holden because it shows the different ways that people deal with a person’s death. “Use Somebody” – King’s of Leon Analysis Throughout this song, the writer describes a person that is trying to find somebody to accompany him that has similar personalities. Holden