Weakness In “Slave
To The Rhythm”
BY: THE ATOMIC BOMBER
Weakness
and abuse
All lock combinations except one will be words
Jackson’s
Jackson’s deeper
dance meaning
tracks songs
SLAVE TO
THE RHYTHM
Ambiguous song
Overall theme of weakness is
presented through:
Storytelling (explicitly and
implicitly)
Structure
WOMAN’S STORY
Jackson presents the overall theme of weakness through the explicit
aspect of his lyrics
Jackson highlights a woman’s story and the severity of her situation
IN THE STORY…
“Dancing” = The woman’s submission and compliance
“Slave to the Rhythm” = The woman being a “slave” to the toxic
individuals/relationships in her life
She dances to her husband by enduring sexual, physical, emotional, and
verbal abuse.
She dances for the man at work by being worked harder than everyone
else.
She is a “Slave to the Rhythm”
IN THE STORY…
In the bridge and verse three, Jackson documents a fight between the
woman and her husband
The woman is fed up because she now realizes the severity of her
situation
She attempts to leave but is unsuccessful and goes back
The woman chooses to endure her constant pain out of her love for her
children
WEAKNESS
IS SHOWN?
The woman does not make a
responsible decision in terms of her
overall well being but makes a
responsible decision in terms of
looking out for the overall well being
of her children
Jackson allows the listener to feel a
connection to the woman and her
problems through exploring the
depth of her story
SECOND MEANING OF STORY
(SYMBOLISM)
Jackson presents another meaning to his story through the implicit
nature of his lyrics
This deeper meaning documents artists/celebrities and the pain that
they put themselves through in order to serve their fans
Each character presented in the explicit lyrics serve as a different aspect
of the deeper story
The
Woman Celebritie
s/Music
Artists
Higher-Ups
in the
The Man at entertain
Work and the ment
Woman’s industry
Husband
The The
Woman’s Fans
Kids
WEAKNESS IS SHOWN?
The celebrities know how much their fans need them and they do not
want to let them down
The celebrities make a selfless choice as they endure negative situations
in order to keep their fans’ best interests at heart
Jackson’s implicit story shows that the human condition can entail
weakening ourselves to build up others
JACKSON’S DIRECT CONNECTIONS TO THE
LISTENER
Jackson connects the listener to the themes/stories he presents through
the overall sound and presentation of the song
The overall sound of the song is very upbeat which contrasts his deep
lyrics
Jackson presents the song as a party song and forces you to be a “Slave
to the Rhythm” as you first notice the animated nature of the song
instead of the depth presented in his lyrics
Jackson subliminally forces you to bob your head to the music and
directs your attention to the sound of the song initially
WEAKNESS IS SHOWN?
The nature and presentation of the song allows the listener to have a
deeper understanding and connection to the stories that Jackson has
shared
Just as the woman is a slave to the rhythm of her abusive relationships,
and just as celebrities/performers are slaves to the industry, the
listener’s perceptions are weakened as we become slaves to the actual
rhythm and nature of the song
Jackson creates a personal connection between the listener and the
stories he presents, which leads to a deeper understanding of the
themes he presents
