*Note* This is the draft copy, I have the full thing in my room somewhere on pal-cards but I really cbf writing it all out again, it's practically the same anyways, so yeah, just enjoy.

'Smash' Analysis:

INTRODUCTION:
This song is written by The Offspring, specifically Dexter Holland, who are based in the U.S and have released five albums; Ignition, Smash, Exnay on the Hombre, Americana and Conspiracy of One. They are based in America and subsequently many of their songs try to illustrate the problems with American society. Things like gang warfare, political greed, cults and the gaps between higher and lower society. It is the latter that this song is about and I believe it paints the picture very well.

TECHNICAL STUFF:
The song has a very angry and disappointed tone, as if the singer has been betrayed or let down in some way; or has seen a side of something that he didn't realise was there. This mood is further enhanced by the rhythm of the song, fast and furious and full of passion; instead of slow and thoughtful. These are words that are coming straight from the heart without any editing or thought; they are what the singer really thinks.
The song is written in a conversational way, as if the singer is talking to a second party and the listener is a third person listening to what he has to say to the second party. This serves to give the song an emotive tone, as the words he is saying come straight from his experience and the feelings that he is going through. This is reflected in the very colloquial language used and the way that is non-edited to get the maximum effect. As the lyrics say, "Don't give a shit cos I'm not gunna budge", these are the words of someone that doesn't care what anyone says anymore.

MAIN BODY
The songwriter (Dexter Holland), uses powerful symbols in this song. In the third and forth lines of the first stanza, the person describes how he has 'held it all in with blood on my face, built it up man so bad you can taste'. This conjures up a very powerful image, for me anyway, of a guy being beaten up but not retaliating for fear of a greater punishment, in this case loneliness. He's held in his feelings while others just continually emotionally hammer him, and finally he's had enough and has let loose at the world.
Another symbol in this song is the word smash, also the title of the song. Used in the first and third lines of the stanza after the first chorus, this word is used to symbolise some of the ways we as humans behave.
The first use of the word is to symbolise the way that we behave and act when we don't have anyone to judge us. It's the way that we are when we don't have anything to prove. The person involved in the song uses similes to liken this feeling to being an outcast. As outcasts usually don't interact with other people, their thought would be the most truthful to themselves, as they have absolutely nothing to prove to anyone, and no reason to lie to themselves.
The second use of the word is to symbolise the way that we deal with all that happens in our life, and often the way that we hide our true feelings and views to agree with the feelings and views presented by someone else. Once again he likens this symbol to being an outcast, but instead of an outcast that is alone, it is one that is 'smashing his strife'. What I think is meant by this sentence is that the outcast is trying to clear away the strife that caused his being made an outcast. In other words, instead of defending his actions, the outcast is accepting that he did wrongly and is trying to become integrated into society again.
However, as deep as these two symbols are, I think that the way that the author of the song has used the same word for the two is even more intriguing and symbolic than either of the two straightforward meanings. By using the same word for both, I believe that the author is trying to say that both these behaviours, eg. Our behaviour when alone and true to ourselves, and our behaviour in front of others when we are trying to fit in, are completely interchangeable. We, as human beings, are incredibly talented at hiding what we really believe and want in favour of conforming to what the normal person thinks. As we put away one behaviour, we seamlessly bring out another, adapting to any situation with the 'smash' that is appropriate.

Songwriter's motive and purpose: CONCLUSION
I think that the poet's purpose in writing this song was to serve as a warning to those people that would continue to encourage people to act and judge on appearances and outward 'group' behaviour. If they continue to do so, more people may snap, just like the person involved in the song did. After all, who decides what is trendy, what is fashionable for people to wear, to own, and to talk about? The answer to this is the people who work for big corporations that specialise in selling the notion of being cool. However, easy as it might be to blame these corporations, we can't. They don't force you to use their products, and to use an analogy, they merely supply the ammunition, they don't choose the target and pull the trigger. Really, the only thing that we can hold responsible is our own vanity and our desire to be better than someone else. This desire stems from a basic need to feel like we've accomplished something in life, and what better way to measure how much you've achieved than to compare yourself to another human being. It's like a social Olympics; with how popular you are and how good you look being the prerequisites to win. But, like the Olympics this victory is only short lived, because as soon as you get off the pedestal you have to get back to training to continue to be number one and it's this point that I'm getting at. Who do you think is more self satisfied and happier with themselves, the person who has to constantly keep up the appearance that they are the in thing and that they don't have a care in the world even if they are torn up inside? Or the person that has no problem with just being themselves and to hell to the people who think that they're better than him or her?
As the song says, 'I don't give a fuck if it's good enough for you, cause I'm alive'. Whatever anyone thinks they have over you, there is always one thing that they can't have more than you. They can have more money, they can have more clothes, they can have a better car, but they can't have more life than you, and that's what I think this song is trying to say to all those people that think they aren't good enough to be in society.