A SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS: TAYLOR SWIFT GORGEOUS SONGS USING

BARTHES THEORY

Introduction

Lietrature is a literary work that consists of various aspects that have lasting benefits.
Literature does not only consist of novels or poetry, but literature also includes films and
music. Today, many people are pouring their ideas into a song that is poetic and has a deep
meaning. Not only that, music is also a combination of melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre
which is presented very elegantly by the singer who performs it.

In this modern era, people prefer to listen to music to ward off boredom or accompany
them through the day. Therefore they spend more time listening to the music they are
interested in. According to Jamalus, the art of music is considered as something that produces
a work of art, which in this case is in the form of sound which is a composition. in the form
of songs, the outpouring of thoughts and feelings of the maker by combining the main
elements of music, namely rhythm, harmony, and melody. The form or arrangement of songs,
expressions and feelings as a unified whole.

Music itself has a very diverse genre such as pop, rock, ballat, and others. The pop genre
is a genre that can be listened to by everyone from small children to adults because the lyrics
are simple and easy to understand. Not only that, this genre has also become a universal genre
because it is very well received by everyone and also the lyrics are easy to memorize. One of
the musicians whose musical works can be enjoyed by everyone is Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift
is a successful musician with extraordinary achievements. His song was accepted by
everyone because he poured all the stories of his personal life in the songs he wrote so that
many people liked his music. Like the example of a song called Gorgeous from Taylor
Swift's Reputation album, this song tells the story of the beauty of falling in love and the
heartache of not being able to have the man to love.

The researcher wants to analyze Taylor Swift's song, entitled Gorgeous by using the
connotative, denotative, andmite theory of Roland Barthes (1972). Because of analyzing the
song, the researcher uses a qualitative descriptive method to analyze the meaning of the song.
The researcher also wants to reveal the purpose of this study is to find out the meaning in a
song using the theory of Barthes and also to describe the meaning of using the signs in this
song using the theory of Barthes.

The reason the researcher uses music as a data source is because the researcher is very
interested in analyzing songs using Barthes' theory. The purpose of this study is the author
wants to know and understand the concept of Barthes' connotative and dennotative theory by
using a song. The researcher chose to use Barthes theory as the main theory because Barthes
theory is one of the tools to find meaning in this music.

Theoritical Framework

Semiotic is study about sign. Semiotics involves the study not only of what we refer to as
‘signs’ in everyday speech, but of anything which ‘stands for’ something else. In a semiotic
sense, signs take the form of words, images, sounds, gestures and objects. Contemporary
semioticians study signs not in isolation but as part of semiotic ‘sign-systems’ (such as a
medium or genre). They study how meanings are made and how reality is represented.
(Chandler, 2007).

Semiotics also focuses on the meaning of the sign itself. In Saussurean terminology, the
signs can be classified into the signifier and the signified. The signifier is related to the
expression and the signified is related to the content. The signs in semiotics not only include
the visual signs like drawings, paintings, and photograph but also include the sounds, words
and body language. The signs show the other things. The meanings of signs are produced
from the code which relates to the social manners and the signs. (Isfandiyary, 2017).

Roland Barthes state that every sign have connotative and denotative meaning. (Nadira,
2018) state that The existences of denotation and connotation are the difference between
Saussure and Barthes semiology although Barthes still applies the signifier-signifier of
Saussure’s term. Barthes also adds the myth in his semiotics to mark society. According to
the Cambridge dictionary denotative is meaning of a word is its main meaning, not including
the feelings and ideas that people may connect with that word. Furthermore, connotative
meaning is meaning of a word includes the feelings and ideas that people may connect with
that word. Barthes uses Myth in semiotic analysis, which deals with cultural values, beliefs,
and ideological criticism.
Literature Review

There are several earlier studies that analyzed the semiotic elements of denotative and
connotative meanings. First is semiotic analysis with title semiotic analysis of Jonas Blue’s
music video rise thourgh Roland Barthes’ theory by Dennis Suswanto Kadiman from Buddhi
Dharma University (2019). The researcher found the several meaning and semiotic aspect
from Jonas Blue’s video music Rise and the researcher discovered that conotative, denotative
in Jonas Blue’s music video Rise shows a concept of young generation that struggle against
the old genration point of view. Researcher aslo found 10 data that contain the denotative and
connotative menaing.

Furthermore, another previous study about semiotic analysis has the title the portrayal of
women in selected Billboard’s top 100 chart songs (2015-2018): A semiotic analysis. By
Kusmadewi, Sudana, Imperiani from Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (2020). The
researcher reval that connotation level women are portrayed as powerful and resailent. The
researcher also focus on discuss women posses certaion types of power which particular
qualities of resilence.

The third previous study about semiotic analysis is from Sagimin and Sari from Univeristas
Pamulang (2019) with the title A semiotic analysis on LAY’s and EXO’s selected music
video. The researcher focus study of denotation, connotation, and myth in these video using
Barthe’s theory. The researcher also found that the visual images communicate implied
meaning conveyed through the visual images.

Another previous study about semiotic analysis is from Mamduh Abidarda, Sarif
Hidayatullah State Islamic University (2010) with the title A connotative meaning analysis
on the word child in five lyrics of song. The researcher use Roland Barthes theory to analysis
connotative meaning. The step of analysis connotative meaning in word child is analyzed by
revealing the denotatvie meaning first and correlating the lyric to the historical background,
social condition, and also the phrases in the lyric themselves. The result is the researcher
found that the different connotative meanings of word child from each lyric.

The last previous study from Rifa Nadira, English Department Faculty of Letters,
University of Darma Persada (2018) with the title Roland Barthe’s denotation, connotation,
and myth in the change of four Starbucks logos: A study of semiotics. According to the study,
the researcher found that the four changes of the Starbucks logo are found in figure ‘siren’
which initially does not use cloth on the upper body become covered by the flowing hair on
siren. Denotation and connotation meaning of each logo has changes. The existence of myth
appears in the figure ‘Siren’ and in colors that symbolize a development, luxury, simple, and
others.

From the several previous study about semiotic using Barthes theory which is denotative,
connotative, and myth meaning. Furthermore there is previous study about the different
connotative meaning of word child from each lyric of song. And also there is previous study
about that conotative, denotative in Jonas Blue’s music video Rise shows a concept of young
generation that struggle against the old genration point of view. So from the previous study
the researcher get to know element about connotative, dennotative, and myth in music.

The Metodology

In this research, there are two types of source that the researcher is used. The types of
osurce are primary and secondary. The primary source used in this research is Gorgeous by
Taylor Swift’s song. The secondary source that researcher used are from books, journal, and
article. There are some important journal and books that are used in this research such as,
“Semiotics the Basics, Second Edition” by Chandler, D. “Sign: An Introduction to Semantic”
by Seobok, Thomas, A. “The Aspect of Semiotics Using Barthe’s Theory On A Series of
Unfortunate Events Movie Poster.” By Isfandiyary, Farah Hanum.

This study will used qualitative method for collect the data. Frist, the researcher did close
reading to the primary sources to gain an understanding of the theory of denotative and
connotative. Second, the researcher would focus on listening music Taylor Swift’s Gorgeous
carefully. Third, the researcher will anaylze the meaning of denotation, connotation, and
myth using Barthes theory in every lyric in Taylor Swift’s song.
 Result

This is the part that researcher discusses the result of the data analysis in Taylor Swift’s
Gorgeous song’s, there is denotative, connotative, and myth in this songs.

Lyric Denotative Connotative Myth

You're so cool, it makes He is too stiff or his attitude The singer revealed that she the myth of this song
me hate you so much is too cold and it makes the admired this man who had a is the singer wants to
singer dislike his attitude. cool attitude and made her convey that falling in
really admire him. love is the happiest
thing we have ever
felt. We can feel
happy, sad, and
anxious at the same
time.
You've ruined my life, by The singer revealed that she The singer feels her life is the myth of this song
not being mine. blames someone for ruinning so messy because she can't is the singer wants to
her life. have the person she loves. convey that falling in
love is the happiest
thing we have ever
felt. We can feel
happy, sad, and
anxious at the same
time.
You’re so gorgeous. I these lyrics are expressions of describe someone who is the myth of this song
can’t say anything to a singer who is fall in love, gorgeous by something and is the singer wants to
your face. ‘Cause look at marked when the singer is results in he/she being convey that falling in
your face. looking at someone she loves, unable to speak when love is the happiest
she can not say anything and looking at his/her face. thing we have ever
 is always nervous when she is felt. We can feel
next to her loves. happy, sad, and
anxious at the same
time.
But if you're single the meaning of the lyrics is the meaning of the lyrics is the myth of this song
that's honestly worse. that the singer doesn't believe that the singer feels is the singer wants to
‘Cause you're so that the person she likes frustrated and doesn't convey that falling in
gorgeous it actually doesn't have a girlfriend believe that the person she love is the happiest
hurts. because he's too gorgeous not likes doesn't have a thing we have ever
to have a girlfriend. girlfriend because he is very felt. We can feel
gorgeous and makes the happy, sad, and
singer feel humble and anxious at the same
unworthy of the person he time.
loves.
Ocean blue eyes looking the meaning of the lyrics on The meaning of the lyrics the myth of this song
in mine, I feel like I the side is that the singer feels on the side is that the singer is the singer wants to
might sink and drown like she will drown and die feels nervous and happy at convey that falling in
and die when she is stared at by the the same time because she is love is the happiest
blue eyed person. being stared at by the man thing we have ever
she likes who has blue eyes felt. We can feel
that are like the calming sea. happy, sad, and
anxious at the same
time.
You make me so happy it The meaning of the lyrics The meaning of the lyrics the myth of this song
turns back to sad, yeah, beside is that the singer feels on the side is that the singer is the singer wants to
There's nothing I hate when she is with the person feels when she is happy convey that falling in
more than what I can't she loves she feels both when she is close to the love is the happiest
have happy and sad. person she loves but he thing we have ever
realizes that it turns out that felt. We can feel
she cannot be the partner of happy, sad, and
the person she loves and anxious at the same
that makes the singer feel time.
sad.