Dignity - Song by Song Breakdown

As if my review wasn't long enough, I decided to write a little bit about each song:

Stranger: Supposedly is going to be the next single on the album. I’m not too crazy about it. I’m not saying it’s a bad song – and I like it as the first song on the album because it sets a tone – but I don’t know how radio friendly it would be with the ethnic sound and downbeat lyrics.

Dignity: Hilary lashes out at the Hollywood lifestyle in a song that is very fun and up-tempo, but has a cynical outlook. Hilary just seems disgusted at whoever the song is directed at, which is assumed to be the Paris and Britneys of the world.

With Love: By now everyone has heard this song a million times. It seems kind of out of place on the album, but that’s probably just because I’ve heard it so much. It’s really hard to me to compare a song that I’ve heard a lot with songs that I haven’t heard that much. Even today I have a hard time comparing Fly and So Yesterday with the other songs on their respective albums.

Danger: This song is about Hilary’s involvement with an older man. Of course there is going to be speculation about whom that older man is. The first line of the Danger is “Were you born in 74?” When I first heard the song I thought of Kevin Connolly, and what do you know, I just looked it up and he was born on March 5, 1974. Let the rumors start flying.

Gypsy Woman: Originally speculated to be about Nicole Richie, Gypsy Woman was actually confirmed by Hilary to be about the relationship her dad had with another woman. Obviously a serious topic, a Winston Churchill sound clip at the beginning and a hypnotizing chorus lightens up this song. This is one of the better songs on the album in my opinion.

Never Stop: Most likely directed at Joel Madden, this is a super slick, sugary sweet memoir about the ups and downs of their relationship. The song title pretty much says it all with the chorus repeating, “I’ll never stop loving you.” This song seems to reflect what Hilary and Joel have said publicly about their breakup. Although they are no longer together they still respect and in some ways “love” each other.

No Work, All Play: Not really sure about this song. I think it’s about the importance of work ethic and self-improvement. Pretty much saying that life isn’t perfect but you just have to deal with it. I think. Right now this isn’t one of my favorite songs, but I’ve only heard the album a few times, so that could change.

Between You and Me: Another song that I’m not crazy about. I don’t know what it is about the beat (maybe the xylophone?), but I don't really like it.

Dreamer: I really like this song. It is presumably about the stalker who was arrested and put in jail for stalking Hilary. The song is ultra-catchy, and pretty funny. Hilary gets back at her stalker by calling him out for being pathetic. The chorus repeats “Stop watching me.”

Happy: This was one of the first songs that we heard about a long time ago. It was actually featured in the Material Girls trailer, but with a different beat. It was speculated that Happy and Play With Fire were actually the same song, but we now know that they are in fact two different songs. Despite the title, I don’t think Hilary sounds very happy singing this song.

Burned: Another song that I really like. I don’t know how literal the song is, but Hilary really shows some insecurity here, asking questions like, “What's wrong with me?” “Why can't I just fit in?” and “Why can't I do what everyone else does?” Obviously you wouldn’t think someone like Hilary would ever have trouble fitting in, but I guess things aren’t always what they seem.

Outside of You: This is my favorite song on the album right now. This is the one song that Hilary didn’t co-write. She said that she wanted to write the whole album but this song was so good that they just had to add it. I agree. The first time I heard the song I couldn’t get it out of my head, and I still can’t.

I Wish: Another song where Hilary examines some of her shortcomings, saying she wishes she could be better, and that she was “Riding high, but now I’m feeling so low.” The song is so upbeat though that even though the lyrics may suggest that it’s a sad song, it really doesn’t come off that way.

Play With Fire: Like With Love, this is really a hard song to compare in terms of the album. They seemed to tweak the song slightly from the original radio version that was released, but it’s still pretty much the same.

Tags: Hilary Duff, Dignity, Review, Play With Fire, With Love