People Misinterpreting Jay Z's "Forever Young"
I have heard people and schools are using Jay Z’s (footnote 1) Alphaville sampling song “Forever Young” as a graduation anthem type of song about literally wanting to stay young forever. That is fine and people have the right to interpret and use a song any way they please, but the lyrical snob in me must point out that even a cursory listen to Jay Z’s lyrics will reveal that is clearly not what Jay Z is talking about. Let me explain…
The key is that in the song the word “young” is not an adjective meaning “being in the early stages of life or development” but it is actually a noun; in fact it is a proper noun naming a specific thing in this case Jay Z. Pretty much all rappers go by multiple monikers or nick names. (footnote 2) This is an oral poetry tradition that goes back to Homer’s Iliad and The Odyssey and is employed for two reasons. 1. Using different monikers for a person allows the poet to pick which ever moniker fits best the rhyme scheme and beat of the line. 2. The different monikers are used in order to conjure up different character traits about a person.
Rakim is one of the greatest rappers of all-time and one of his monikers was The God MC. Jay Z has always strived to be considered in a class with Rakim and the other great MCs of hip hop history. Thus, he took a similar extra moniker as Rakim. Jay Z could not also go by The God MC so he started calling himself Jehovah or Young Hova. Jehovah is the proper name for god from the bible and Jay Z calling himself Young Hova was a way of saying he was the young God MC. In order to fit with the rhyme scheme and beat of the line sometimes Jay Z would just use the word “Young” to mean himself and his young god mc status.
Now let’s get back to the song “Forever Young.” Throughout the song, Jay Z is proclaiming that he wants his name (Young) to live forever. Check part of the lyrics to the second verse:
“Fear not die
I'll be alive for a million years bye bye
are not for legends I'm forever Young my name shall survive
Through the darkest blocks, over kitchen stoves, over Pyrex pots,
My name shall be passed down to generations while debatin' up in barber shops
Young slung, hung here, Showed that a nigga from here,
With a little ambition, just what we can become here.
And as the father pass the story down to his son's ear
Young get younger every year”
At the start of the first and third versus he describes how “Young” lived, but it the last lines of each verse that are key. At the end of the first verse he states
“leave a mark they can't erase. Neither space nor time
So when the director yells cut
I'll be fine
I'm forever Young”
At the end of the third verse he asks a question “ Did you get the picture yet? I am painting you a portrait of Young.”
Interesting enough this whole idea of wanting ones name to live forever again goes back to Homer’s Iliad with Achilles talking about wanting his name to live forever through history.
Like I stated at the start people can interpret a song any way they want but to those who sing along to the chorus longng to be forever young, I say I’d much rather be Young forever than forever young.
Footnote 1: Sean Carter’s primary rapper moniker Jay Z comes from the fact that he grew up in The Marcy Projects in Brooklyn which are on the intersection of the J and Z subway lines.
Footnote 2: i.e. Christopher Wallace=The Notorious Big=Biggie Smalls=Frank White=Biggie
Sean Carter= Jay Z=Jigga=Jay Hova=Young Hova=Hov=Young
The key is that in the song the word “young” is not an adjective meaning “being in the early stages of life or development” but it is actually a noun; in fact it is a proper noun naming a specific thing in this case Jay Z. Pretty much all rappers go by multiple monikers or nick names. (footnote 2) This is an oral poetry tradition that goes back to Homer’s Iliad and The Odyssey and is employed for two reasons. 1. Using different monikers for a person allows the poet to pick which ever moniker fits best the rhyme scheme and beat of the line. 2. The different monikers are used in order to conjure up different character traits about a person.
Rakim is one of the greatest rappers of all-time and one of his monikers was The God MC. Jay Z has always strived to be considered in a class with Rakim and the other great MCs of hip hop history. Thus, he took a similar extra moniker as Rakim. Jay Z could not also go by The God MC so he started calling himself Jehovah or Young Hova. Jehovah is the proper name for god from the bible and Jay Z calling himself Young Hova was a way of saying he was the young God MC. In order to fit with the rhyme scheme and beat of the line sometimes Jay Z would just use the word “Young” to mean himself and his young god mc status.
Now let’s get back to the song “Forever Young.” Throughout the song, Jay Z is proclaiming that he wants his name (Young) to live forever. Check part of the lyrics to the second verse:
“Fear not die
I'll be alive for a million years bye bye
are not for legends I'm forever Young my name shall survive
Through the darkest blocks, over kitchen stoves, over Pyrex pots,
My name shall be passed down to generations while debatin' up in barber shops
Young slung, hung here, Showed that a nigga from here,
With a little ambition, just what we can become here.
And as the father pass the story down to his son's ear
Young get younger every year”
At the start of the first and third versus he describes how “Young” lived, but it the last lines of each verse that are key. At the end of the first verse he states
“leave a mark they can't erase. Neither space nor time
So when the director yells cut
I'll be fine
I'm forever Young”
At the end of the third verse he asks a question “ Did you get the picture yet? I am painting you a portrait of Young.”
Interesting enough this whole idea of wanting ones name to live forever again goes back to Homer’s Iliad with Achilles talking about wanting his name to live forever through history.
Like I stated at the start people can interpret a song any way they want but to those who sing along to the chorus longng to be forever young, I say I’d much rather be Young forever than forever young.
Footnote 1: Sean Carter’s primary rapper moniker Jay Z comes from the fact that he grew up in The Marcy Projects in Brooklyn which are on the intersection of the J and Z subway lines.
Footnote 2: i.e. Christopher Wallace=The Notorious Big=Biggie Smalls=Frank White=Biggie
Sean Carter= Jay Z=Jigga=Jay Hova=Young Hova=Hov=Young
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