Analysis of Desert Rose

1200 Words3 Pages

For my analysis essay, I chose the song Desert Rose written and performed by Sting. Cheb Mami also wrote and performed the Arabic part of the song. The genre of the song is pop and “Desert Rose” was released in 1999 but it was well known around 2000 due to its music video which was used in a Jaguar auto mobile commercial. I chose this song because Sting and Cheb Mami speak of longing and desire which is what every human being feels at some point in their lives. In life people always want something they cannot have, which makes the person or object of one’s desire more intriguing because of the struggle to obtain it. I for one can relate to this song and know people who can feel what the lyrics are expressing through love, lust, and desire whether it is for love or desire for success, etc. This song is a way to relate to some people that it is human nature to want something they cannot have.

The lyrics of this song combined Cheb Mami’s voice in the background, and his mystical tone can make the listener feel what is being conveyed in the song. Whenever I hear this song, I think of what Sting is expressing to which I imagine is a man’s dream of love similar to a man desperate for water in the desert. “Desert Rose” has a lot of imagery in its lyrics. Its lyrics make me literally picture what is what Sting and Cheb Mami are singing about. In the song when Sting sings, “I dream of rain I dream of gardens in the desert sand...” (Azlyrics.com). I picture the impossibilities of love and compare to how it is impossible to have rain or gardens in a dry desert. It transports listeners to thinking of their dream soul mate or a lost love.

The song, “Desert Rose” has many references to ancient religious beliefs and old Arab s...

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...hat I saw from the lyrics in the montage. To me, “Desert Rose” is meaningful and inspirational because I interpret it as a reminder that we as human beings, it is part of our nature to long for something that we think is unattainable and is motivation to work towards it and the lessons we learn along the way are valuable lessons of life. We mature and learn through our goals, disappointments, successes, failures, rewards, and mistakes. Love for family, significant other, friends, and or each other helps make the world a better place and we are happier with the ones we love. Happiness is hard to come by these days because we are constantly looking for ways to better ourselves or look for a more valuable object to please us. People always want what they cannot have. It is just part of our nature and this song is a beautiful, lyrical way of reminding us of that.

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