1. cardrey

   10

   Nickelback rocks out to a powerful song, “If Today Was Your Last Day,â€� showcasing more than great band talent, but also a challenging message. Nickelback has musical roots that trace back to The Rolling Stones with 1960’s Rock. The songwriter, Chad Kroeger, creates the tone of the song to be hortatory, strongly encouraging the listener to think about his/her own life; for example, he writes, “Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behindâ€� (3). In the context of the song, “If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late / Could you say goodbye to yesterday?â€� (7-8), Kroeger asks us what we would do if today was our last day; “Would you live each moment like your last / Leave old pictures in the past / Donate every dime you had, if today was your last day?â€� (9-11) He also compares using a metaphor, “He said each day’s a gift and not a given rightâ€� (2), causing us to think that each day is a gift that can be taken away, not a right like many of us think. The song definitely targets us at a personal level, causing us to look at our own life and reflect on how we are living. Kroeger writes, “So do whatever it takes / ‘Cause you can’t rewind a moment in this life / Let nothing stand in your way / ‘Cause the hands of time are never on your sideâ€� (38-41). Live your life and don’t let anything get in the way of who you want to be is the challenge given here. He also challenges us with “You know it’s never too late to shoot for the stars / Regardless of who you areâ€� (35-36). Here he talks about aiming for your biggest dreams and trying to succeed no matter who you are. On another personal level, Kroeger tells us “So live like your never living twice / Don’t take the free ride in your own lifeâ€� (17-18). Sometimes it can be easy to settle for less than your best, but in the song, Kroeger is telling you not to. Live your life like your not living twice, always doing your best, never settling for anything less. The song talks about the value of the mutant, a postmodernism idea, that values those that go against the rest of the crowd; “Against the grain should be a way of lifeâ€� (14). The theme of postmodernism continues with the emphasis of play and chance, “If today was your last day and tomorrow was too lateâ€� (7) where there is a sense that it could all suddenly end. But, Kroeger throws a theme from modernism into the song, the idea that truth is universal. “My best friend gave me the best advice / He said each day’s a gift and not a given rightâ€� (1-2). This shows that the friend is offering advice to him, and they both believe it, meaning it is not personal but universal. The overall message of the song is to live life to the fullest because you never know when your last day is going to be. The theme is summarized quite well in the middle of the song, “If today was your last day / Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart? / You know it’s never too late to shoot for the stars / Regardless of who you areâ€� (33-36). This song is a great challenge for us to think about how we want to live our lives everyday. Do you want to live it actively, participating in all that life has to offer, or passively, as if you are watching life pass by?… Expand

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2. michaelk

   5

   Nickleback has just gone down hill since Silver Side Up. All the originality is gone and now they just sound like any other mainstream Alt Rock band.

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3. YFinnau

   1

   Kurt is turning in his grave :( 1 mark because they chose an amazing band to imitate badly. Shocking. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… Expand

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