The National – Anna Freud

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  My Interpretation:This song is about a girl from a small town who is trying to prove herself to the people around her by becoming a beauty queen and entering a Miss America type contest. She has a friend in her town who believes in her as she is but she can't get past the opinions of the strangers in her town that want to use her to get attention to themselves. They support her as long as she is on top but will abandon her if she fails. I think in the end she is defeated by the process and pressure, meanwhile the one person who believes in her and who's opinion probably matters the most is just left waiting.
  
  I love the line "your independent declaration sounded too much like a prayer". I think it sums up her outcome of failure. She spent her time and effort convincing herself that she can be what the people around her want but deep down her declarations to be a success are a prayer that she probably won't realize.
  
  As far as the title. It is a reference to Anna Freud, the daughter of Sigmund Freud. Anna was instrumental in the field of child developmental psychology. I think the line "Anna Freud
  no confidence in Anna. In Anna Freud" refers to the fact that the girl in this song couldn't beat the psychology of her situation and how her environment had shaped her personality.

  Flag jookyswedeon June 01, 2009   Link

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