"And it seems to me you lived your life Like a candle in the wind Never knowing who to cling to When the rain set in" The song, co- written by Bernie Taupin, uses an extended simile of comparing a life to a candle throughout the song: "I'm on your side When times get rough And friends just can't be found Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down"įinally, Elton John composed an ode to Marilyn Monroe, " Candle in the Wind" (1973). Man! I Feel Like a Woman!, Shania TwainĪnother classic song lyric with similes that uses "like" as a direct comparison is Simon & Garfunkel's (1970) " Bridge over Troubled Water." This song uses a simile to describe how friendship is an emotional bridge when there are problems:.And, now that Dylan is a Nobel Prize Laureate, the song-and the singer-can be a great jumping-off point for a class discussion of similes, the very meaning of literature and more.Īdditional songs with the word "like" used as a simile in a title include: "How does it feelTo be without a home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone?"Īrguably, the song's title may be the most famous simile in all of modern pop and rock music. His song " Like a Rolling Stone" is about a woman who has fallen from wealth to despair: The use of a simile in a title is in the 1965 song by Bob Dylan, who most recently won the Nobel Prize in literature. There are many classic folk, pop, and rock and roll songs from the 1960s-1990s that can be used to teach the concept of simile. In this example, the lyrics are not referring to the weather instead, these lyrics compare a woman to ice to illustrate her emotional state. "You're as cold as ice You're willing to sacrifice our love" A simile is a literary device, a figure of speech in which a direct comparison of two, unlike items, is used to reveal a much greater meaning:Ī simile draws resemblance with the help of the words “like” or “as”.įor example, "You're as cold as ice" is a simile in a song that has the same title by the rock group, Foreigner: