Line #14 Music/TheMiseducationOfLaurynHill


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/01dbc5021c3343ec41fc5104bfb4852e.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: ''And deep in my heart, the answer it was in me\
3	And I made up my mind to define my own destiny'']]
4
5	-> ''"Lauryn Hill was groundbreaking because for the first time since Music/SaltNPepa the world was hearing a heterosexual woman rap and couldn't believe it. This is a masterpiece of a record. I know there's a lot of singing on there, but there's a lot of rapping, too. People don't have a problem with [[ConsciousHipHop conscious rap]]; they have a problem with conscious beats. If you make some ignorant beats, you can say all the smart shit you want."''
6	-->-- '''Creator/ChrisRock''', who put ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' on #23 in his personal top 25 favorite HipHop albums, ''Magazine/RollingStone'', 2006.
7
8	''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' is Music/LaurynHill's first and only solo album, released in 1998 after Music/TheFugees broke up. An impressive debut, ''Miseducation'' was notable because of both its thematic matter and its production.
9
10	The album's lyrics spoke on the in-house turmoil within the Fugees alongside Lauryn's wider perspectives on life through subjects like love, womanhood and God, all of which were influenced by her being pregnant at the time.
11
12	Furthermore, the album was unique since Lauryn actually sang more than she rapped and didn't overly rely on [[{{Sampling}} samples]] or contemporary references, giving the record a more timeless quality than most other rap albums from TheNineties.
13
14	The album's success was unprecedented for not only a female artist but an artist in her genres of rap and soul. It debuted atop the ''Billboard'' 200 and won several awards, including five [[UsefulNotes/GrammyAward Grammys]] from ten nominations, one of which was Album of the Year. Three singles released in promotion for the album -- "Doo Wop (That Thing)", "Ex-Factor" and "Everything Is Everything" -- were all worldwide hits.
15
16	Sadly, despite a promising start, Lauryn's career was quickly cut short. She suffered a CreatorBreakdown, and apart from one LiveAlbum, ''MTV Unplugged 2.0.'' (2002), she never released anything else, effectively [[ReclusiveArtist disappearing from the public limelight]].
17
18	In 2014, the album was added to the UsefulNotes/NationalRecordingRegistry for being "culturally, historically and aesthetically important."
19
20	In 2018, she starting touring in support of this album's twentieth anniversary.
21
22	!!Tracklist
23	# "Intro" (0:47)
24	# "Lost Ones" (5:33)
25	# "Ex-Factor" (5:26)
26	# "To Zion" (6:08)
27	# "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (5:19)
28	# "Superstar" (4:56)
29	# "Final Hour" (4:15)
30	# "When It Hurts So Bad" (5:42)
31	# "I Used To Love Him" (5:39)
32	# "Forgive Them Father" (5:15)
33	# "Every Ghetto, Every City" (5:14)
34	# "Nothing Even Matters" (5:49)
35	# "Everything Is Everything" (4:58)
36	# "The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill" (4:17)
37
38	[[AC:US bonus tracks]]
39	# "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (3:41)
40	# "Sweetest Thing (Mahogany Mix)" (4:42)
41
42	[[AC:Import bonus/hidden tracks]]
43	# "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (3:41)
44	# "Tell Him" (4:38)
45
46	!!''That was the trope that did Jezebel in''
47	* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: In "Doo Wop (That Thing)" she rallies against this trope, telling young women not to go with men they know will treat them badly as "respect is just a minimum". Interestingly, it also warns ''guys'' not to go with women that are only about "that thing".
48	--> ''Showing off your ass cause you're thinking it's a trend''
49	--> ''Girlfriend, let me break it down for you again''
50	--> ''You know I only say it cause I'm truly genuine''
51	--> ''Don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem''
52	--> ''Baby girl, respect is just a minimum''
53	--> ''Niggas fucked up and you still defending 'em''
54	* AlliterativeTitle: "'''F'''orgive Them '''F'''ather", "'''E'''verything Is '''E'''verything".
55	* AsTheGoodBookSays:
56	** "Lost Ones" refers to Matthew 16:26 and Mark 8:36.
57	--> ''Gain the whole world for the price of your soul''
58	--> ''Every man wanna act like he's exempt''
59	--> ''Need to get down on his knees and repent''
60	--> ''Can't slick talk on the day of judgment''
61	--> ''Your movement's similar to a serpent''
62	** "Doowop That Thing"
63	--> ''Talking out your neck, sayin' you're a Christian''
64	--> ''A Muslim, sleeping with the gin''
65	--> ''Now that was the sin that did Jezebel in''
66	** "Tell Him" incorporates several verses from "Corinthians 13".
67	** "Doowop That Thing" refers to the first Surah in the Qu'ran, about the straight path, or the way of life which makes God happy.
68	--> ''Don't forget about the deen, Sirat al-Mustaqeem''
69	** "Final Hour":
70	--> ''Our survival since our arrival documented in The Bible''
71	--> ''Like Moses and Aaron''
72	--> ''Things gon' change, it's apparent''
73	--> ''And all the transparent gonna be seen through''
74	--> ''Let God redeem you, keep your deen true''
75	--> ''You can get the green too''
76	--> ''Watch out what you cling to, observe how a queen do''
77	--> ''And I remain calm reading the 73rd Psalm''
78	--> ''Cause with all that’s going on I got the world in my palm''
79	** In "I Used To Love Him" Lauryn says her faith in God helped her get over a breakup.
80	** "Forgive Them Father" is literally full of biblical metaphors and references to religious icons and phrases. The title refers to [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Jesus Christ]]'s request to God to forgive the people who crucified them. Throughout the song Lauryn namedrops Menelik [[note]] the first Jewish emperor of Ethiopia [[/note]], [[Literature/BookOfGenesis Cain, Abel]], [[Literature/TheFourGospels Jesus and Judas]].
81	* BewareTheNiceOnes: "Forgive Them Father"
82	--> ''Beware the false motives of others''
83	--> ''Be careful of those who pretend to be brothers''
84	--> ''And you never suppose it's those who are closest to you''
85	* BilingualBonus: "Forgive Them Father" and "Lost Ones" both feature singing in patois, the local dialect of UsefulNotes/{{Jamaica}}.
86	* BreakUpSong: "When It Hurts So Bad", "I Used To Love Him" and "Ex-Factor"
87	--> ''Is this just a silly game''
88	--> ''That forces you to act this way?''
89	--> ''Forces you to scream my name''
90	--> ''Then pretend that you can't stay''
91	--> ''Tell me, who I have to be''
92	--> ''To get some reciprocity''
93	--> ''No one loves you more than me''
94	--> ''And no one ever will''
95	* CallBack: "Superstar" reflects back on Lauryn's career with the Fugees and namedrops the first Fugees' album "Blunted On Reality". During "Final Hour" she also references ''Music/TheScore'':
96	--> ''Collecting residuals from "The Score"''
97	* CallToAdventure: "The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill":
98	--> ''I hear so many cry for help''
99	--> ''Searching outside of themselves''
100	--> ''Now I know his strength is within me''
101	--> ''And deep in my heart, the answer it was in me''
102	--> ''And I made up my mind to define my own destiny''
103	* CapitalismIsBad: "Forgive Them Father"
104	--> ''Get yours in this capitalistic system''
105	--> ''So many caught or got bought you can't list them''
106	* CoverVersion: "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", a Frankie Valli cover which appeared earlier on the soundtrack of ''Film/ConspiracyTheory'' (1997).
107	* FaceOnTheCover: Lauryn's face carved in wood.
108	* GenreMashup: The album incorporates HipHop, GospelMusic, {{Soul}}, ContemporaryRAndB and {{Reggae}}.
109	* GodIsLoveSongs: See AsTheGoodBookSays above.
110	* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: "Zion" addresses that Lauryn was advised to abort her pregnancy, as not to conflict with her blossoming career, but she actually chose for her child instead.
111	--> ''I knew his life deserved a chance''
112	--> ''But everybody told me to be smart''
113	--> ''"Look at your career," they said''
114	--> ''"Lauryn baby use your head."''
115	--> ''But instead I chose to use my heart''
116	* GospelChoirsAreJustBetter: "Zion" is accompanied by a gospel choir.
117	* HeavyMeta: "Superstar"
118	--> ''Say what? Hip-Hop, started out in the heart''
119	--> ''Yo, now everybody tryin to chart''
120	* HiddenTrack: A CoverVersion of "Can't Take My Eyes off of You" (originally recorded for the ''Film/ConspiracyTheory'' soundtrack) and the original song "Tell Him" appear at the end of the album following the TitleTrack, but go unlisted on the packaging. "Can't Take My Eyes off of You" ended up having its presence spoiled by the hype sticker (since it was included entirely to bank on its massive amounts of airplay), but the inclusion of "Tell Him" remained undisclosed.
121	* {{Homage}}: "To Zion" is a tribute to her first child of the same name.
122	* {{Karma}}: "Lost Ones"
123	--> ''Consequence is no conincidence''
124	--> ''(...)Never underestimate those who you scar''
125	--> ''Cause karma, karma, karma comes back to you hard!''
126	* LiteraryAllusionTitle: The title plays off the title ''The Mis-Education of the Negro'' (1933) by Carter G. Woodson, a sociological book about the notion that Afro-Americans of his day were being culturally indoctrinated, rather than taught, in American schools, causing them to seek out inferior places in the greater society of which they are a part.
127	* MamaBear: "Lost Ones"
128	--> ''Now understand "L-Boogie's" non-violent''
129	--> ''But if a thing test me, run for my gun''
130	--> ''Can't take a threat to my new born son''
131	* OneWordTitle: "Superstar".
132	* ParentalLoveSong: "To Zion" is about Hill's first child Zion.
133	* PepTalkSong: "Everything Is Everything"
134	--> ''Everything Is Everything''
135	--> ''What is meant to be, will be''
136	--> ''After winter, must come spring''
137	--> ''Change, it comes eventually''
138	* ThePowerOfLove: "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and "Tell Him". All throughout the record a classroom discussion about love can be heard.
139	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Hill reflects on her collaboration with fellow Fugees members Wyclef Jean, with whom she had a relationship, and Pras Michel. Several songs are even suspected to be subtle TakeThat attacks on them, such as "Lost Ones", "Superstar", "Ex-Factor" and "Forgive Them Father". "Superstar" and "Every Ghetto, Every City" specifically mention her past and how her career took off. She also addresses her first pregnancy and dedicated "To Zion" to her first child.
140	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: "Lost Ones", widely thought to be a TakeThat at Wyclef Jean.
141	--> ''My emancipation don't fit your equation''
142	--> ''I was on the humble you on every station''
143	--> ''Some wan' play young Lauryn like she dumb''
144	--> ''But remember not a game new under the sun''
145	--> ''Everything you did has already been done''
146	* {{Sampling}}:
147	** "Lost Ones" has a sample from "Super Hoe" by Boogie Down Productions and "Bam Bam" by Sister Nancy.
148	** "Ex-Factor" samples "Can It Be All So Simple?" by Music/WuTangClan.
149	** "To Zion" interpolates "And The Feeling's Good" by José Feliciano.
150	** "Doo Wop (That Thing)" samples "Together Let's Find Love" by The Fifth Dimension.
151	** "Superstar" has a sample from "Light My Fire" by Music/TheDoors from ''[[Music/TheDoorsAlbum The Doors]]''.
152	** "I Used To Love Him" samples "Ice Cream" by Music/{{Raekwon}}.
153	** "Forgive Them Father" relies on a sample from "Concrete Jungle" from ''Music/CatchAFire'' by Music/BobMarley.
154	** "Every Ghetto, Every City" samples "Heaven And Hell Is On Earth" by the 20th Century Steel Band.
155	* ShoutOut:
156	** The album cover is a shout-out to the cover of Music/BobMarley and the Wailers' album ''Music/{{Burnin}}''.
157	** Near the end of "Lost Ones" the teacher asks the children in his classroom if they know any songs or films about love. As a result "Love" by Kirk Franklin, "I Will Always Love You" by Music/WhitneyHouston and ''Film/{{Titanic\|1997}}'' and "Romeo and Juliet" (probably meaning 1996's ''Film/WilliamShakespearesRomeoAndJuliet'') are mentioned.
158	** "Superstar" references ''Theatre/JesusChristSuperstar''
159	--> ''Just as Christ was a superstar, you stupid sir''
160	--> ''They hail you, then they nail you, no matter who you are''
161	** "Forgive Them Father" references the 1976 protests in Soweto, South Africa against apartheid, Geppetto from ''Literature/{{Pinocchio}}'', UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar and Brutus.
162	** "Every Ghetto, Every City" references Music/DougEFresh, Music/SlickRick and Music/BizMarkie.
163	** "Everything Is Everything" references UsefulNotes/CleopatraVII, Nefertiti and Betty El Shabazz, widow of UsefulNotes/MalcolmX.
164	* SingerNameDrop: Her name is mentioned during "Doowop That Thing", "Superstar" and "Final Hour"
165	* SpecialGuest: Music/CarlosSantana plays guitar during "To Zion", "I Used To Love Him" features Music/MaryJBlige and "Nothing Even Matters" D' Angelo. "Everything Is Everything" also features the first commercial appearance of a very young Music/JohnLegend on piano. Stephen Marley, son of Music/BobMarley, plays guitar on "Forgive Them Father", while dancehall artist Shelley Thunder also appears. The classroom skits between the tracks are done by Ras Baraka, a politician and activist, who is also a high school principal.
166	* SpellingSong: An unusual example. The track "Lost Ones" ends with a teacher telling his pupils to spell the word "love".
167	* StockSoundEffects: Throughout the album recordings are heard from a classroom discussion between a teacher and his pupils about love.
168	* TakeThat:
169	** "Lost Ones", "Superstar", "Ex-Factor" and "Forgive Them Father" are rumored to be aimed at her former Fugees band members.
170	** "Doowop That Thing" targets certain men:
171	--> ''Let's stop pretend, the ones that pack pistols by they waist men''
172	--> ''Cristal by the case men, still in they mother's basement''
173	--> ''The pretty face men claiming that they did a bid men''
174	--> ''Need to take care of they three or four kids''
175	--> ''And they face a court case when the child support late''
176	--> ''Money taking and heart breaking, now you wonder why women hate men''
177	--> ''The sneaky, silent men''
178	--> ''The punk, domestic violence men''
179	--> ''Quick to shoot the semen, stop acting like boys and be men''
180	--> ''How you gonna win when you ain't right within?''
181	** ... but the same song also targets certain women:
182	--> ''Baby girl, respect is just a minimum''
183	--> ''Niggas fucked up and you still defending 'em''
184	--> ''Now, Lauryn is only human''
185	--> ''Don't think I haven't been through the same predicament''
186	--> ''Let it sit inside your head like a million women in Philly, Penn''
187	--> ''It's silly when girls sell their souls because it's in''
188	--> ''Look at where you be in, hair weaves like Europeans''
189	--> ''Fake nails done by Koreans''
190	--> ''Guys you know you'd better watch out''
191	--> ''Some girls, some girls are only about''
192	--> ''That thing, that thing, that thing''
193	--> ''That thing, that thing, that thing''
194	** "Superstar" addresses the commercialization of hiphop:
195	--> ''Yo hip-hop, started out in the heart''
196	--> ''Uh-huh, yo''
197	--> ''Now everybody tryin to chart''
198	* TitleTrack: "The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill"

Context Music / TheMiseducationOfLaurynHill