AN ANALYSIS OF METAPHOR USED IN BRUNO MARS’ SONGS

This study discussed the use of metaphors in the lyrics of Bruno Mars‘ songs. A
metaphor is a form of figurative language that applies a phrase or expression to
something beyond its literal meaning. The purpose of this research is to identify
the types of metaphors used in Bruno Mars‘ songs and to interpret the possible
meanings of these metaphors. This study employs a qualitative method with
content analysis techniques. The data were obtained from transcripts of Bruno
Mars‘ song lyrics, which were analyzed using a checklist instrument table as a
data collection tool. The theory used to analyze the data is the classification of
metaphors according to Lakoff and Johnson (1980). The results show that there
are three types of metaphors in Bruno Mars‘ song lyrics: 13 structural metaphor
data, 33 ontological metaphor data, and 11 orientational metaphor data. It can be
concluded that ontological metaphors are the most dominant type. This is because
Bruno Mars tends to express his emotions by attributing human characteristics to
inanimate objects, thereby creating a more vivid visualization of experience for
the listener. The implication of this study is to increase awareness and
appreciation of metaphor usage in everyday language as well as in educational
contexts.
Keywords: Bruno Mars, Lyric, Metaphor, Song