Home

            Although I first heard Daughtry and vowed to never listen to any song he wrote- strictly because he was on the American Idol show- I, like everyone else, first heard this song on the radio and it wasn’t until then that I actually listened to his music. The lyrics of this song truly are what attracted me to giving in and downloading his album. Accompanied by a rock acoustic, his words found somewhere in me that really made me listen. I connected with what he was saying, and heard the words that brought me to hear the track. I never had been into country or slow rock, so actually admitting to listening to him and now writing a paper on his top-chart hit perhaps shows a change in preference of music.

       Daughtry is a perfect illustration of what a person full of determination- to succeed-can do. He was born and raised in North Carolina until he was sixteen. He then moved in with his grandparents and found his inspiration to play music. His first band was called Absent Element, with Chris on the lead vocals and guitar. He originally auditioned for the show INXS but didn’t make the cut, but did catch the eyes of the producers from American Idol. He did participate in the show and dropped short of winning the record deal. That was not a problem however because he had already caught the ears of many and was quickly signed for a record deal anyway with RCA records. He began his career July 2006 and released his first album, self-titled Daughtry in November. This album contained the Billboard top hit Home (Wikipedia). The song ‘Home’ is a song that I had/have connected with. The rock mixed with some deep lyrical song merge to create a work of music that is pleasant to the ears and well as deep to contemplate. I do suppose that lyrics can go as deep as you want to take them, while also maintaining generality with others; however that’s what makes music a personal experience. One person may be on a completely different wavelength after a song in contrast to you. This song has been well over-played on the radio, however it’s truly something in the lyrics that I connect to my current life situations that I connect and relate to. I’ve just recently moved out on my own for the first time and looking for that comfort zone called home is a search I myself looking for. 

       To me, this song screams the search for a place to call home. Home is not just where you grew up, but a home that is being created by yourself, a place to be happy to go to no matter what the situation. The place that you can’t wait to race to after a long days work or a hard day at school. “I’m not running from, no, I think you got me all wrong, I don’t regret this life I chose for me” (AZlyrics). He explains here that it’s nothing that he is trying to neither escape nor something that he chooses to hide from, but a place where he feels at ‘home’. The sanctuary he has created and the love that radiates from the place he goes is all he has ever looked for. There is nothing better in the world than the unconditional love and the solace embraced. This place is something and somewhere he has longed for and searched for, now that it’s found it’s not taken for granted. Although some of life’s decisions put us in places we are not proud of, being able to have your ‘home’ in mind, it can be achieved 

Lyrics To Home by Daughtry

           Having great lyrics that are very relatable to a majority audience is valued as a great component toward having a song that will be “big-time”. However a song without an accompaniment of a lead guitar some beat and some bass to top it off is nothing more than a poem. The most overlooked part in a band is the actual acoustics. The acoustics are what strengthen the tone, set up the mood and prepare the audience for the changes in the experience. Daughtry performs these lyrics to a  s l o w e r  rock piece. The guitar and drums are at a crawling pace with crashing of the symbols and a slap of the bass. The chorus picks up the pace a bit while increasing the volume to solidify emotion into the refrain. The song stays solemn throughout it doesn’t pick up tempo or excitement. It creates a serious emotional search for the place called home. All of the components combine to create an emotional musical experience to which will relate to people. Created by music and lyrical words your brain receives an idea or place to go when you put everything being heard into your perspective. The song can create different emotions for everyone but this song really hits home for me.

 Official Music Video

       Being on my own for the first time, I myself am looking to create a place called home. This song made me go back and look at myself and how I am trying to create a ‘home’ and creating the aspects I was missing from living in a household. The last year has shown to me that true love is the only thing you need to make a house a home. No matter how you got to where you’re at, true love and no regrets will allow the peace of mind needed to have sanctuary. Being that I work a little under an hour away, after a long day, what makes me forget about the day is the thought of what is waiting for me at home. The verse miles getting longer; really hits home with me. The drive home late is terrible, and thinking about the warm embrace when I walk in the door and the tranquility melting about makes your foot heavy. Through this song I see the tribulations I’ve felt getting to where I am now. The pain, the disappointment and the hard work is all worthwhile when acknowledgment of where I am is realized. It has all been worth it.

       The song ‘Home’ by Chris Daughtry is the song I chose to analyze. It’s a song that took a while to really soak in with me, but a song I truly enjoy now. I connected first with the lyrics he chose and the way his words spoke to me after giving the song a chance. It spoke of trouble and tribulations of getting toward making a new safe haven to feel elated to race to. The feeling of love; being what’s truly important, and all that’s necessary to feel whole. The meaning of the song is personal in experience, but universal to individual evaluation, although the meaning needs to be the complete package. A song without lyrics is tough at times to follow, while lyrics without acoustics lack tone and depth. A song needs to have instruments in combination with well written lyrics. I connected with this song on the level of longing for the place to call my home. Daughtry does a great job with the imagery created of this exact search himself. I’ve gone from, not listening to his music at all, to connecting with him and his lyrics on a very deep level in this song. He created an easy path to follow along and capture your attention while also making his piece very relatable.

Chris Daughtry is a Christian. Many of his songs on his album Daughtry reflect his faith