The meaning of Wake Me Up When September Ends

[clairex]

I thought the Death of the Author theory was more an intentional, deliberate way to (not) read a work rather than the natural inclination to interpret a work using our own personal reference points?

I agree that to some degree the two are inextricably linked. However, wouldn't Death of the Author mean we intentionally forget everthing we know about Billie,intentionally strip away everything that could have influenced him to write this song, so that the lyrics may stand alone and all meaning is derived solely from the words?

I know that Billie writes his lyrics so that they can be interpreted in a couple different ways, but to say that his experiences or politics are irrelevent to the meaning of the song bothers me. I guess I'm splitting hairs and suggesting that the author can become invisible rather than the author is invisible.

This isn't an attack and I tried to word it so that it wouldn't come across as such... I just have major issues with a lot of that particular theory (as I understand it)

Yes I get what you are saying and it does makes sense. Thinking about it Death of the Author was probably the wrong example to use.

I think for me it is about applying your own meaning to words, I think it is incredibly hard to take words at face value and not give them meaning. If the meaning is not coming from the author, to me it must come from the self. I do feel that the artist becomes irrelevant once what they have created is put out there. Once something is being interpreted it is also being recreated as something new. The artist has no control over it.

I am not very good at expressing myself so what I wrote probably makes no sense.

[spark in the night]

I would say the song has three meanings:

Billie's meaning: the passing of his father in combination with the birth of his son - how September is a month of trying to balance out his polar opposite emotions.

Critics/general public meaning: the loss and remembrance of those who died on 9/11

Sam Bayer music video meaning: bringing the fictional storyline characters of American Idiot ( Whatsername and JOS) to life and placing them in an American teenage realistic environment- young soldiers going to Iraq and how that affects loved ones at home

[warding_off_regrets]

Yes I get what you are saying and it does makes sense. Thinking about it Death of the Author was probably the wrong example to use.

I think for me it is about applying your own meaning to words, I think it is incredibly hard to take words at face value and not give them meaning. If the meaning is not coming from the author, to me it must come from the self. I do feel that the artist becomes irrelevant once what they have created is put out there. Once something is being interpreted it is also being recreated as something new. The artist has no control over it.

I am not very good at expressing myself so what I wrote probably makes no sense.

Nope, it makes perfect sense! I even agree with you on some level. I guess I've just never been one for extremes, and I find Barthes' theory to be a bit extreme. The ultimate downside, for me, is that it elevates the critic above the artist.

However, I fully realize that's just me and the very fact that I'm left wondering what made Barthes feel the way he did in order to write that essay makes me a total lost cause to begin with