The Application of Roland Barthes Theory

about Connotation and Denotation in Melanie

Martinez’s Song entitled “Teddy Bear”

Created by Third group

Members of group :

1. Dewi Retno Indawati (160511100002)

2. Qurrotul Aini (160511100007)
3. Aisyah(160511100011)
4. Mega Aprilia Sobirin (160511100012)
5. Aisyah Dewi Suciati (160511100017)
6. Sari Mardiana (160511100018)

UNIVERSITY OF TRUNOJOYO MADURA

FACULTY OF SOCIAL AND CULTURAL SCIENCES

ENGLISH STUDY PROGRAM

2018
 BAB I
Introduction
1.1 Background

Song is a composition of music and lyric united in rhythm that control in different
tempo. A song can be called as a communication medium because in a song contained a
message deliver by the songwriter with lyric as a medium and sense of music from various
genre. The lyric of the song itself is usually the representative of composer’s feeling, or
even social critic of hierarchy system. According to Dallin (1994), “Lyric is madeby the
songwriter to communicate with their listener. Most of them, bring a message (whatever it
is) with an aim to motivate the listener. Such as an aim and interaction’s form which
appropriate with musical preferences.
Song usually can be stated as the levelof human's feeling that sometimes can
increased and decreased drastically per second without any permission from the owner
(human). It makes everyone who have completed with a creative brain like to use it for
expressing their feeling through it just like what the songwriters do.Almost all of them said
if it is easy to expresswhat they feel through the song they made. Sometimes the song they
made have deep meaning that really touch their listener’s heart and it happens because
there are similarities between the lyric with what the listeners feel. For example, when
someone feels sad; they tend to listen up to mellow song that represent what they feel at
that time.
Based on explanation above, the writerstry to focus to do their research about
connotative meaning in lyrics of song the entitled Teddy Bear as an object of research. The
writers realize that almost all of the lyric of the song contains connotative and explain the
reality of life such as, broken heart and feel afraid. Besides that, the lyrics is familiar
especially for teenagers at that moment.
Talking about song, absolutely we would also talk about the singer. One of the
singer that deliver a message with a unique lyric is Melanie Martinez, that born April 28,
1995 in Astoria, Queens, and raises in Baldwin, New York. She is a songwriter of the song
entitled Teddy Bear that included in album Doll House. In fact, almost all of lyric of the
song contained of connotative word rather denotative one that make it becomes mysterious.

Problem Statement
1. What is the deep meaning of the Melanie’s song entitled Teddy Bear?
2. What does Teddy Bear in that song refers to?
 BAB II
The Basic Theory

2.1 Who is Melanie Martinez

Melanie Adele Martinez or Melanie Martinez is an American singer and songwriter.
Born on April 28, 1995 in Astoria, Queens, and raised in Baldwin, New York. She
subsequently rose to prominence in 2012 after appearing on the American television vocal
talent show “The Voice”. Following the show, she released her debut single titled
"Dollhouse". Signing to Atlantic Records, she released her debut EP, also named
Dollhouse in 2014. Martinez later released her debut studio album, Cry Baby in 2015.
In album Cry Baby there is one song that become one of the best song in that era,
the tittle is "Teddy Bear". Teddy Bear is the fifteenth song by Melanie Martinez, featured
on the deluxe version of Cry Baby. It is the second featured track on the deluxe version of
the album, the first being Play Date and the third being Cake.
The theme of Cry Baby's or "Teddy Bear" is she built a relationship with nothing
but kindness and love, is beginning to act strangely. She begins to lose hope in her bear,
and she’s unsure if she should trust him anymore. As the song goes on, the more
dangerous and insane their relationship becomes. It takes a turn for the worse after her
lover attempts to "kill her". She doesn’t understand where everything went wrong and why
her bear suddenly wants to kill her. The song and the teddy bear is metaphorically
interpreted as a relationship that took a turn for the worse.

2.2 Brief information about Teddy Bear Song

Teddy Bear is one of Melanie Martinez song that published in 2015 with Indie
genre. The term Indie is taken from the word Independent which means free, independent,
independent, and not dependent. Many people think that indie is a genre of music, like
rock, jazz, or so. The assumption is unfortunately wrong. Indie itself is not a music genre,
but a free and independent music movement, it does not depend on a music label or
something. Indie bands tend to create songs according to what they like and the genre they
want. Not infrequently if the songs they create are mostly very anti-mainstream of the
songs on the market.
As Loop said before, Indie bands do not have a label for shelter. Not infrequently
they make their own labels to record and market their works. Their marketing is usually
through friends or social media. They often do small concerts in big cities to promote their
songs. Indie bands do not involve major labels or record companies to popularize their
work.
2.3 The Explanation about Teddy Bear

A teddy bear is a soft toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently

simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff in Germany
in the early years of the 20th century, and named after President Theodore "Teddy"
Roosevelt, the teddy bear became an iconic children's toy, celebrated in story, song, and
film. Since the creation of the first teddy bears which sought to imitate the form of real
bear cubs, "teddies" have greatly varied in form, style, color, and material. They have
become collector's items, with older and rarer "teddies" appearing at public auctions.
Teddy bears are among the most popular gifts for children and are often given to adults to
signify love, congratulations, or sympathy.

It is normally a cub or baby bear. In Russia, bears were used as children's toys for
many years before they became popular in the United States. The teddy bear in Russia has
been the subject of folklore or stories for many years.Teddy bears are often toys for
children they are also used to comfort people and also to teach. It is a popular and well-
known toy in Europe, London, New York. It may often have human-like features. They are
usually small and soft. Teddy Bears are found all over the world. Early 20th century teddy
bears were made from mohair, the hair of goats. Now they are usually made from synthetic
fabrics.

This cute doll has symbolic meaning which is love, care, tenderness, children,
humanity, philanthropy. Being watched over by someone kind. Empathetic, compassionate.
Gentleness. Responsibilities, sensitivity.It also reminds that we need to open our hearts to
being gentle and caring and understanding the situation or question. Perhaps there is
someone in your life who may need your loving kindness, rather than your judgment.

2.4 Understanding The Signifier and Signified

The terms signified and signifier are most commonly related to semiotics, which is
defined by Oxford Dictionaries Online as "the study of signs and symbols and their use or
interpretation". Ferdinand de Saussure, a Swiss linguist, was one of the two founders of
semiotics. His book, Course in General Linguistics "is considered to be one of the most
influential books published in the twentieth century". Saussure explained that a sign was
not only a sound-image but also a concept. Thus he divided the sign into two components:
the signifier (or "sound-image") and the signified (or "concept"). For Saussure, the
signified and signifier were purely psychological; they were form rather than substance.
Today, following Hjelmslev, the signifier is interpreted as the material form (something
which can be seen, heard, touched, smelled or tasted) and the signified as the mental
concept.

The signifier and signified, whilst superficially simple, form a core element
of semiotics.Saussure's ideas are contrary to Plato's notion of ideas being eternally stable.
Plato saw ideas as the root concept that was implemented in individual instances. A
signifier without signified has no meaning, and the signified changes with person and
context. For Saussure, even the root concept is malleable.

The relationship between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary (Saussure
called this 'unmotivated'). A real object need not actually exist 'out there'. Whilst the
letters 'c-a-t' spell cat, they do not embody 'catness'. The French 'chat' is not identical to
the English 'cat' in the signified that it creates (to the French, 'chat' has differences of
meaning). In French, 'mouton' means both 'mutton' and a living 'sheep', whilst the English
does not differentiate.

Saussure inverts the usual reflection view that the signifier reflects the signified:
the signifier creates the signified in terms of the meaning it triggers for us. The meaning
of a sign needs both the signifier and the signified as created by an interpreter. A signifier
without a signified is noise. A signified without a signifier is impossible.Language is a
series of 'negative' values in that each sign marks a divergence of meaning between signs.
Words have meaning in the difference and relationships with other words.The language
forms a 'conceptual grid', as defined by structural anthropologist Edmund Leach, which
we impose on the world in order to make sense.

2.4 Understanding The Denotation and Connotation

According to Roland Barthes, Denotation can be described as the literal meaning,

common sense anddictionary meaning of sign that can understand by our brain. So
that,denotative is what is exactly shown (the level of explaining the relation between
signifier and signified) or it is a sign which refers to the reality).

Connotation is point to the signified but has the deep meaning. In case that
connotation is a process of the relation between the signifier and signified that is
interpreted by sign used to develop the content, concept, signified. Connotation can be :
 1. Private : the result of individual experience

2. Group : just the member or a particular group know the meaning

3. General (Universal) : everyone know the meaning

Roland barthes also said that Denotation is what is exactly shown (the level of
explaining the relation (R1) between signifier/E1 and signified/C1) or it is a sign in which
refers to a reality and it is called primary sind system . In connotation , the relation (R)
between in the context E1 – R1 –C1 (primary sign system) will push to the extension of
secondary sign system which is E2 – R2 – C2 which called second sign system.

E2 (signifier) R2 C2 (signified)
Connotation

E1 (signifier) R1 C1(signified)
Denotation

Stitched
E2 (the definition of sew or stitch) R2 C2( improve relation/
close the scars)
Connotation
E1the word of stitched R1 C1 (the real of
sewing or stitching )
Denotation

The denotation and connotation are terms describing the relationship between the signifier
and it’s signified, an analytic distinction is made between two type of signified: a
denotative signified and a connotative signified.
 BAB III
ANALYZING
3.1 Teddy Bear Lyric written by Melanie Martinez
Stitched you up, put you together
With cotton and feather
Gave you love, put my heart inside you
Oh, what could I do
When you started talking in your sleep
Saying things you'd do to me
I didn't care, I wasn't scared
Now I'm finding knives under the sheets
Crumbled photographs of me
I'm in despair
Should I be scared?

Teddy bear, you were my teddy bear

You were comforting and quiet
How did love become so violent?
Oh, teddy bear, you were my teddy bear
Everything was so sweet until you tried to kill me

La, la, la, la, la

I threw you out, I didn't outgrow you

I just didn't know you
But now you're back
And it's so terrifying how you paralyze me
Now you're showing up inside my home
Breathing deep into the phone
I'm so unprepared, I'm fucking scared

Teddy bear, you were my teddy bear

You were comforting and quiet
How did love become so violent?
Teddy bear, you were my teddy bear
Everything was so sweet until you tried to kill me

La, la, la, la, la

I'm fucking scared

Teddy bear, you were my teddy bear

You were comforting and quiet
How did love become so violent?
Teddy bear, you were my teddy bear
Everything was so sweet until you tried to kill me

La, la, la, la, la

3.2 Analysis Connotation and Denotation Meaning from song entitles Teddy Bear based
on general knowledge.

1. Stitched you up, put you together with cotton and feather, here for this part of lyric
it tend to have denotation meaning behind it because the sentence does not use any kind
of figurative languages or even allegories. When we read it carefully and try to
understand this part, we can know that the songwriter just want to tell everyone if she
wants to make a Teddy Bear by using cotton and feather as the material.
2. Gave you love, put my heart inside you, for this part of lyric we can find if it use
figurative language in form of exaggeration. It makes this lyric tend to have connotative
meaning because if we choose to give meaning to this part denotatively, actually it can
be because this sentence of lyric syntactically right but semantically it is look awkward.
Like put my heart inside you so, the question is how can the songwriter feel alive if she
does not have any heart inside her body? We can conclude here if what the songwriter
means is giving the Teddy Bear a life just like a human.

3. When you started talking in your sleep

Saying things you'd do to me
For this part of lyric we can conclude if they use figurative languages which is
personification so they tend to have connotative meaning behind. From my view I
think, what the songwriter mean is Teddy Bear here is not doll but human which is
close to the songwriter itself.

4. I didn't care, I wasn't scared

In this part it is clearly enough if it use denotation because there is no ambiguity in the
meaning of the lyric itself. It tend to use denotative meaning, the meaning is showing
bravery as a human indeed.

5. Now I'm finding knives under the sheets

Crumbled photographs of me
This part giving a clue if it uses connotative meaning because if when we read it
carefully, it is like telling if there is paranoid who want to kill the songwriter. We can
conclude if the meaning of this part is killing planned with the songwriter as the target.

6. Everything was so sweet until you tried to kill me

For this part, I think it tend to use connotative meaning also because there is a hiding
meaning behind it. What I catch from it is the songwriter wants to show us if the teddy
bear is the one who want to kill her.
3.4 The Authentic Evidence that Support Our Analysis about Connotative and
Denotative Meaning.

The real evidence if Teddy Bear itself not just a representative of a cute doll but a creepy
creature that can be place for very ghost or even being caller name of person who really
close to us :
1. From Someone’s explanation
For people from China and Japanese; they said if Teddy Bear has a funny
face turned out to be an object that is often inhabited by supernatural beings. There
are many events that explain this and to this day there are many dolls in the world
inhabited by supernatural beings such as the Annabelle doll.

On another hand, for Western people like America; they stated if Teddy
Bear is the most popular gift in some countries when Valentine and Christmas.
Teddy bear usually symbolizes love and affection because of its adorable shape and
can give warmth when hugged, by that teddy bear is often symbolized as a friend in
someone sleep

2. By watching the video clip of the song and capture the significant thing that
can solve the case
After we see and try to understand the explanation from people in part of world related to
their perspective about Teddy Bear and also by take a look at some pictures above, we can
concludeif Teddy Bear that the songwriter try to draw is connotative word that express
someone that really close to the songwriter itself, we can see it on the picture when the
songwriter sleep with the Teddy Bear and it is like a caller name from the songwriter for
that person. We also can say if the Teddy Bear here is someone who has a plan for killing
the songwriter, we can know from picture that showing Teddy Bear which hold a knife and
do a violence to the songwriter.
 BAB IV
CONCLUSION

Based on our analysis on The Application of Roland Barthes Theoryabout

Connotation and Denotationin Melanie Martinez’s Song entitled “Teddy Bear”, we find
out if Barthes theory can be applied to seek for a message that the songwriter want to say
to listener and reveal who the true Teddy Bear is. In doing our analysis, we try to collect
some supporting data from journal, book, or even internet. Then we combine the
explanation from three media that we have and try to make a best conclusion from them.
From that process, we know that by applying Barthes theory, we can know when a word
tend to have a denotation meaning only, or even both of denotation and connotation
meaning. We really hope that our project can be useful for everyone especially for whom
like to listen to, or sing someone’s song in purpose to minimize the mistranslation in a
song. So, it will make everyone in this world can understand meaning of a song easily.
 BAB V
REFERENCE

http://www.citrinitas.com/papers/research-update01.barthes.htm

loop.co.id/articles/mengenalbandindie

Allen, Graham. (2003).Roland Barthes.London.Taylor & Francis Group.

Yan, Sui and Fan Ming. Reinterpreting Some Key Concepts in Barthes’ Theory. Journal of
Media and Communication Studies.1-8.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/signifierandsignified

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/teddy-bear

http://changingminds.org/explanations/critical_theory/concepts/signifier_signified.htm

https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teddy_bear

https://quornesha.com/2015/11/07/the-symbolic-meaning-of-teddy-bears-4523/

http://beritamisterialamgaib.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/benda-benda-yang-sering-dihuni-
makhluk.html?m=1

http://www.loop.co.id/articles/ketahui-fakta-fakta-teddy-bear-sebelum-menjadikannya-hadiah-
valentine