I will be analyzing lyrics from some of the top songs of the past decade by female artists using the Sex Role Perspective and stereotypical/counterstereotypical feminine traits. The Sex Role Perspective looks into how women and men are portrayed in various types of media. With specifically viewing how women are portrayed and how their feelings are interpreted in their song lyrics, I will be commenting on what I think is seen as stereotypical and counterstereotypical. The counterstereotypical traits will be referring to more masculine traits.

Song: “Someone Like You” (click here for lyrics)

Artist: Adele

Overall Message:

〉Adele’s “Someone Like You” illustrates the stereotype of how emotional and sensitive women are, especially during a breakup. Whether it’s begging for her ex to take her back or wishing that he never forgets her, she feeds into the notion of how women deal with a bad end result in relationships.

Analyzing the Lyrics:

〉Stereotypical Feminine Traits

  • Eager to soothe hurt feelings, Feminine, Childlike: “I wish nothing but the best for you, too, don’t forget me, I beg”
    • Adele is obviously really struggling with a breakup and wants her own hurt feelings to away. I think by saying that she wishes nothing but the best could be her way of trying to move on and end the situation on a more positive note. However, the “don’t forget me, I beg” lyrics can be interpreted as her almost being desperate and having a hint of hope that her ex-boyfriend may come back to her, which is said to be a feminine thing to do. Also, the word “beg” is usually seen as a childlike and immature action.
  • Gentle and Tender: “And that you’d be reminded that for me, it isn’t over”
    • When Adele sings this phrase, she sings it in a very gentle and quiet manner than compared to how she sounds previously in the song. She is making it seem like she is more concerned about what her ex-boyfriend thinks about the breakup than her own feelings. She wants to be a reminder to him that she isn’t over it and wants to change his mind.

 

〉Counterstereotypical Feminine Traits

  • Willing to Take Risks, Assertive, Forceful: “I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited”
    • Showing up to an ex-boyfriend’s house uninvited is definitely a risky and bold move. By asserting herself into trying to fix the problem, she makes it seem like she wants to take matters into her own hands and handle it. Her approach of showing up uninvited seems pretty forceful and authoritative.

 

Stay tuned for the next post on…Sia!

Shared by: Emily Calewarts
Image Credit: https://alyssamedina19.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/someone-like-you-adeles-music-video-analysis/