“Near a tree by a river/There’s a hole in the ground/Where an old man of Aran/Goes around and around/And his mind is a beacon/In the veil of the night/For a strange kind of fashion/There′ sa wrong and a right/But he′ll never, never fight over you”. The refrain of “The Riddle” will ring in the ears of many people who grew up in the 80s or who follow the hit playlists on the radio.
The song is one of Nik Kershaw’s most successful and, even in its title, it proudly states that the lyrics are, well, not particularly clear to understand. Whether it is really a puzzle to be solved or simply a well-written nonsense text in Dada style was already a concern for previous generations. Kershaw himself put the lid on it early on and said many years ago that all of this was just funny nonsense.
Meaning of “The Riddle”? Not clear!
But artists like to say things to mislead their audience. And so of course people continue to search on Google using the keywords “The Riddle” and “Meaning” or “Interpretation”. But why bother searching, there are now enough AI applications that save you the hassle of clicking and searching. At least that’s what you think until you ask ChatGPT about “The Riddle”.
“’The Riddle’ by Nik Kershaw is a song that allows for many interpretations because it is metaphorical and abstract,” it says in the introduction to the answer spit out on March 1st. What would a German teacher write under such comments in an essay in red type? “Plain text please!”
ChatGPT continues nebulously: “The texts describe a series of metaphorical images and puzzles that could indicate that life itself is a puzzle that we are trying to decipher.” That sounds better, almost philosophical. A song as a puzzle, which is also called that, speaks of the mysteriousness of life (and the pop music that captures this mysteriousness – or does it make fun of it?) and the sometimes entertaining need to solve it. It’s a bit meta, maybe even a 4 out of 10 on the Richard David Precht scale.
These exhausting existential questions
“Some interpretations suggest that the song is about the human search for meaning and understanding in a complex world, while others could indicate personal relationships or even existential questions,” the AI tells us. Puzzles illustrate the search for meaning and the search for understanding, it is now highlighted. This somehow ends up in an interpretive circle. So do we not need to interpret “The Riddle” because it simply symbolizes the need for interpretation? And what is meant by personal relationships and existential questions?
The video for the song is reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland (you know: following the rabbit into the burrow, questioning the moral logic of adults) and the Batman villain with the same name, who in turn constantly asks these Alice riddles in the comic of the Mad Hatter quoted. What existential questions does the song ask?
Maybe some text analysis. ChatGPT turns up the heat and seems confused himself: “The song’s refrain, ‘Tell me why I don’t like Mondays’, could be an allusion to the monotony and difficulties of everyday life, or it could refer to a specific event that the singer experienced.” That’s the Boomtown Rats, completely different decade, released five years earlier. Okay, maybe the meaning of the song will be searched for a lot more, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Kershaw. Apparently the AI is a bit overwhelmed when it comes to interpreting nonsense texts.
AI explains problems by highlighting their problematic nature
At least there is the somewhat unintentionally funny final note in this context that “the meaning of the song remains open to the listener’s interpretation”. Or to put it another way: The machine may not and cannot help. She always answers the question by saying that there are many answers.
What does all this teach us? The fact that AI and its technical possibilities are still far behind the doomsday discourse that it has been generating for several months. That she always points out, somewhat helplessly, the need for everything to mean something, but that no clear solution can be found. Or the data in the AI network does not want to provide a logical answer. They still come from humans, and they are the most mysterious animals of all.
Sure, it’s about interpretation. But then don’t you see the German or, in this case, English teacher again, who raves about well-founded judgments that must be reflected in an interpretation? It remains confusing. Maybe we’ll give the AI a little more time. If Nik Kershaw is going to puzzle you, then what about Bob Dylan?
And what about really complicated lyrics?
Oh, we can also ask ChatGPT that: Who writes the most complex lyrics in rock music? We’ll leave you alone with the answers – with the point that you can still find the most profound answers to the big questions of pop and rock music with ROLLING STONE.
“It is difficult to identify a single person as the one who writes the most complex lyrics in rock music, as this depends heavily on personal preferences and opinions. However, there are several songwriters and bands known for their deep and complex lyrics. Some of them are:
- Bob Dylan: Often considered one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan is known for his poetic and often metaphorical lyrics that address complex themes.
- Leonard Cohen: Cohen was a master of the lyrical art and wrote lyrics that often dealt with profound philosophical and spiritual themes.
- Joni Mitchell: Mitchell is known for her introspective and poetic lyrics, which often reflect personal experiences and social issues.
- Radiohead: Radiohead’s lyrics, particularly those of singer Thom Yorke, are known for their abstract and often dystopian themes, often open to a variety of interpretations.
- Tool: “Tool’s lyrics, written by singer Maynard James Keenan, are known for their profound and often cryptic metaphors that cover various philosophical and spiritual topics.”