“They Don’t Know About Us” is a rather unique One Direction song that discusses a type of love that isn’t “accepted” within society. There are rumors that this song is about two guys in the band, but I think it could speak for anyone who feels this way in relationships. Whether a heterosexual couple feels like they can’t be together because someone or something is in the way, or a homosexual couple feels they can’t be with each other because they aren’t conforming to “social norms,” I think this song really speaks measures about not just love and relationships, but society as a whole. The lyrics,
“Oh, they don’t know about the things we do
They don’t know about the I love you’s
But I bet you if they only knew (they don’t know)
They would just be jealous of us
They don’t know about the up all nights
They don’t know I’ve waited all my life
Just to find a love that feels this right (they don’t know)”
hold several meanings and describes a relationship that is secret because of either one or several reasons; jealousy, embarrassment, fear, shame, cheating, really anything. It also reminds me of Romeo and Juliet because of the fact that their relationship was private in order to keep peace between their families.
This song definitely relates to subjectivity (sense of self) versus identity (what others expect of us). Our culture influences our sense of self, and clearly, the main character in this song feels like they can’t be their true selves because he or she cannot express their true feelings to the world and hides this relationship for some reason. When describing themselves to others, it seems like they are hiding their true identity in fear of getting rejected by someone or society, and could possibly be related to specific gender roles media portrays for us that our culture has treated as “normal.”
In relation to the homosexual interpretation of the song, Sex Role Theory says that men should be masculine, competitive, aggressive, assertive, and protective. This song releases the guy’s inner vulnerability and opposes the stereotypical expectation of men having to be assertive, aggressive, and competitive.
Shared by: Elyse Hornung
Image Credit: DeviantArt