Decoding Figurative Languages Found in the Selected Songs’ Lyrics of Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft Album
Abstract
This study investigated the types and functions of figurative languages found in the lyrics of selected songs from Billie Eilish's Hit Me Hard and Soft (2024) album. Employing a mixed-methods approach with an explanatory-sequential design, the study identified and analyzed 232 instances of figurative expressions. The entire analysis was guided by Kennedy’s (2019) framework, which categorized figurative language into comparative, correlative, and contradictory forms. The findings revealed that metaphor was the most frequently employed comparative device, effectively conveying abstract and complex ideas, followed by simile and personification. Correlative expressions, such as metonymy and synecdoche, occurred less frequently, whereas contradictory expressions, including hyperbole, paradox, and irony, significantly contributed to emphasis and emotional depth. These rhetorical strategies enhanced the expressive quality of the lyrics, enabling nuanced emotional and symbolic interpretations. Besides, this study also underscored the critical role of figurative language in songwriting as a mechanism for bridging literal and symbolic meanings, thereby enriching audience engagement through the interplay of language, music, and performance.
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References
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Arifatin, F. W. (2019). Stylistics and Figurative Language in Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees. Journey (Journal of English Language and Pedagogy), 2(2), 131–145. https://doi.org/10.33503/journey.v2i2.544
Beaty, R. E., & Silvia, P. J. (2013). Metaphorically speaking: Cognitive abilities and the production of figurative language. Memory & Cognition, 41(2), 255–267. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-012-0258-5
Cacciari, C. (2001). Figurative Thought and Figurative Language, Cognitive Psychology of. In International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (pp. 5632–5637). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-08-043076-7/01532-1
Carter, R. (2004). Language and Creativity: The Art of Common Talk. Routledge.
Colston, H. L. (2015). Using Figurative Language. Cambridge University Press.
Dancygier, B., & Sweetser, E. (2014). Figurative Language. Cambridge University Press.
Fabb, N. (1997). Linguistics and Literature. Blackwell Publishers.
Fahas, R., Husaini, R., Puput Jianggimahastu L.S, & Dedy Richi R. (2021). Linguistic Analysis: Figurative Language Used in Robert Frost’s Poem. Sabbhata Yatra: Jurnal Pariwisata Dan Budaya, 2(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.53565/sabbhatayatra.v2i1.262
Fussel, S. R., & Moss, M. M. (1998). Figurative language in emotional communication. In S. R. Fussel & R. J. Kreuz (Eds.), Social and Cognitive Approaches to Interpersonal Communication (pp. 113–141).
Gibbs, Jr, R. W., & Colston, H. L. (2012). Interpreting Figurative Meaning (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139168779
Gibbs, R. W., Leggit, J. S., & Turner, E. A. (2002). What’s unique about figurative language in emotional communication? In S. R. Fussel (Ed.), The Verbal Communication of Emotions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (pp. 125–149). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Glucksberg, S. (2008). How Metaphors Create Categories-Quickly. In R. W. Gibbs, Jr (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Metaphor and Thought (pp. 70–83). Cambridge University Press.
Indarti, D., Fikri, N. A., & Manar, M. (2023). Exploring Figurative Language in the Kite Runner Novel: Unveiling Semantic Depths for a Deeper Narrative Understanding. Journal of Languages and Language Teaching, 11(4), 786. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v11i4.7867
Jas, P., Candra, K. D. P., & Utami, N. M. V. (2023). Comparative Figurative Language Found in Maya Angelou Poems. ELYSIAN JOURNAL: English Literature, Linguistics and Translation Studies, 3(1), 74–83. https://doi.org/10.36733/elysian.v3i1.4678
Katz, A. N., Cacciari, C., Gibbs, Jr, R. W., & Turner, M. (1998). Figurative Language and Thought (M. Marschark, Ed.). Oxford University Press.
Kennedy, X. J., Gioia, D., & Stone, D. (2019). Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing (14th ed.). Pearson.
Kövecses, Z. (1990). Emotion Concepts. Springer-Verlag.
Kövecses, Z. (2003). Metaphor and Emotion: Language, Culture, and Body in Human Feeling. Cambridge University Press.
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors We Live By—University of Chicago Press.
Lismalinda, L., & Ismail, N. M. (2020). Figurative language in a translated children’s novel. EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka): Culture, Language, and Teaching of English, 5(2), 125–133. https://doi.org/10.26905/enjourme.v5i2.4698
Perrine, L. (1977). Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry. Brace Jovanovich.
Reaske, C. R. (1966). How to Analyze Poetry. Monarch Press.
Reyes, A., & Saldívar, R. (2022). Figurative Language in Atypical Contexts: Searching for Creativity in Narco Language. Applied Sciences, 12(3), 1642. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031642
Rezeki, S. (2021). Figurative Language and Messages in Poems About COVID-19. KnE Social Sciences, 601–611. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v5i4.8715
Schirova, I. A. (2006). How to Analyze Fiction. Борей Арт.
Sharma, L. R. (2022). Analysis of figurative language in Robert Frost’s poem: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Growth Evaluation, 253–257. https://doi.org/10.54660/anfo.2021.3.1.12
Sikos, L., Brown, S. W., Kim, A. E., Michaelis, L. A., & Palmer, M. (2008). Figurative Language: “Meaning” is often more than just a sum of the parts. Association for the Advancement of Artificial. Association for the Advancement of Artificial Symposium.
Sommer, E., & Weiss, D. (2001). Metaphors Dictionary. Visible Ink Press.
Sperber, D., & Wilson, D. (1986). Relevance: Communication and Cognition. Blackwell Publishers.
Syafitri, D., & Marlinton, M. (2018). An Analysis of Figurative Language Used in Edgar Allan Poe’s Poems. Linguistic, English Education and Art (LEEA) Journal, 2(1), 43–59. https://doi.org/10.31539/leea.v2i1.453
Turpin, M., & Stebbins, T. (2010). The Language of Song: Some Recent Approaches in Description and Analysis. Australian Journal of Linguistics, 30(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/07268600903133998
Yang, J., & Small, S. L. (2015). Language Processing, Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of. In International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (pp. 368–380). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.54033-1
Yu, N. (2020). Figurative Language. In J. Stanlaw (Ed.), The International Encyclopedia of Linguistic Anthropology (1st ed., pp. 1–5). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118786093.iela0129
Published
2025-08-13
How to Cite
WULANDARI, Ova; MA'SHUMAH, Nadia Khumairo.
Decoding Figurative Languages Found in the Selected Songs’ Lyrics of Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft Album.
e-Journal of Linguistics, [S.l.], v. 19, n. 2, p. 65--79, aug. 2025.
ISSN 2442-7586.
Available at: <https://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/eol/article/view/124193>. Date accessed: 18 oct. 2025.
doi: https://doi.org/10.24843/e-jl.2025.v19.i02.p07.
Section
Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
