Song: “Hello” (click here for lyrics)
Artist: Adele
Overall Message:
〉This song is about a breakup Adele had in which she expresses she hasn’t healed yet. She also wants to apologize for breaking the man’s heart even though it doesn’t hurt him anymore.
Analyzing the Lyrics:
〉Stereotypical Feminine Traits
- Emotional: “They say that time’s supposed to heal ya, but I ain’t done much healing”
- This line makes it seem like she still can’t move on after all of these years and is still holding onto emotions that probably should not be held onto anymore. This idea of women not being able to move on is a very common stereotype that is expressed about a lot of relationships.
- Eager to soothe hurt feelings: “To tell you I’m sorry for everything that I’ve done” and “To tell you I’m sorry for breaking your heart”
- Throughout the whole song it is very evident that she is trying really hard to soothe the “hurt” feelings of the man she broke up with. However, she makes a point to say that he doesn’t care anymore. If he isn’t hurting anymore, why is she putting in so much effort to try make things better? She is definitely very eager to make amends.
- Desperate: “I must’ve called a thousand times”
- Although this line could also be seen as forceful (counterstereotypical feminine trait), I think it comes across as more desperate. She seems like she is nagging him to listen to what she has to say even though he doesn’t want to hear it. It also looks like she desperately wants to get his attention. If someone called me even 10 times after a bad breakup, I would probably block them.
〉Counterstereotypical Feminine Traits
- One could argue that the line, “I must’ve called a thousand times,” could be forceful because she is putting a lot of energy and effort into trying to get ahold of her ex. I think this one could essentially go both ways.
Stay tuned for the next post on…Dua Lipa!
Shared by: Emily Calewarts
Image Credit: https://people.com/celebrity/adele-hello-covers-5-must-see-videos/