Lost Ones:
An opening track that’s as surprising as the realisation that Lauryn Hill is a lyrical masterpiece. She takes the simplicity of her imagery to paint a very complex picture of the deprecation of humanity’s own vanity, a very visceral image of those lost to their own self-righteous egoism:
Now, now, how come your talk turn cold?
Gained the whole world for the price of your soul.
Tryin’ to grab hold of what you can control.
Now, you’re all floss, what a sight to behold.
It’s also a representation of the naturally poetic slide and swagger of Ms. Hill’s delivery. She’s very deliberate with her wordplay, giving rise to intelligent conversation and deep thought:
Some might listen and some might shun.
Some might think that they’ve reached perfection.
If you look closely you’ll see what you’ve become.
See, you might win some but you just lost one.
Ex-Factor:
Probably one of the most heartbreaking songs to come out of the 90s, it’ a testament to Lauryn’s ability to craft her life experiences into poetic lilts of emotion. It’s a song about regret, deep-loving regret that aches the soul from the moment she opens her mouth to express her pain:
It could all be so simple.
But you’d rather make it hard.
Loving you is like a battle.
And we both end up with scars.
Just when you think Lauryn has purged herself of the demons of never letting go (“I keep letting you back in. / How can I explain myself? / As painful as this thing has been, I just can’t be with no one else”), you find that her soul is forever intermingled with the life of the one who’s managed to make her life as dark and wretched as it’s become:
I know what we’ve got to do.
You let go, and I’ll let go too.
‘Cuz no one’s hurt me more than you.
And no one ever will.
What manages to stick with you is the echoing jubilee that takes the song to its climax while crying and fading away:
Care for me, care for me.
I know you care for me.
There for me, there for me.
Said you’d be there for me.
Cry for me cry for me.
You said you’d die for me.
Give to me, give to me.
Why won’t you live for me?
With her pain reaching a head she yearns, “Where were you when I needed you”, crying out into a classroom full of laughing students reaching within themselves to unmask the mysteries of love.
I don’t like hype, and as a rule I’m suspicious of any album that’s too widely praised. Nonetheless, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill proved to be an exception to the unfortunate trend of hyping mediocrity. Her sentiments are refreshing, she’s emotional without being sentimental, she’s devout without being proselytizing, and perhaps most importantly she writes interesting, ecclectic music with roots in Jazz, Rock, Soul, Gospel, R&B, ad. inf. Quite frankly, I’m completely bemused by the reviews claiming that her beats are predictable or her lyrics are less than insightful. I found the opposite to be true; her mixing and producing were exceptional and her collaborators were well-chosen and well-utilized. I was further confused by two reviews below, one of which claimed that Brandy was superior and another which claimed Celine Dion was. Putting my personal opinions of those performers aside for a moment, I would like to point out that neither Brandy nor Dion write or produce their own songs. They perform the work of other songwriters and musicians and then allow it to be mixed by studio employees. Ms. Hill is not a performer. She’s a real artist and “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” is an amazing album. Everybody should listen it regardless of their musical taste.
Thanks,
Sara lopez
Couldn’t agree with you more. Her sound was and remains unique and distinguishable from milieu others who portend to claim the title “artist”.
Miseducation was a work of art, a pinpoint in time in which art was at its apex… everything concerning love, peace, anger, happiness, and yes, education found itself on this carefully constructed album. I’m the type that doesn’t listen to hype and judges a piece on its own merits, regardless of what countless others may say. As such, my love of this album will never fade because it dared to be different and honest.
Thanks for reading. I hope you get a chance to experience more music like this and spread its beauty with others.