I took some of my favorite songs and dug deeper into their meanings. Then I thought, "How would the song be different if it were from an opposing perspective?" I thought the whole meaning of the song would change. So I commenced with my experiment and did what any mediocre writer would do: I re-wrote 4 songs by various artists from an opposite perspective and looked at the results. If you haven't listened to these songs, you should. They spark lots of ideas for books, short stories, poems, and even intense, if not explicit fan fictions. So, according to my hypothesis, did the song change? Well, yes, but actually, no. I'll go ahead and let you see for yourself.
P.S. - I think songwriting has become my new hobby.
When The Party’s Over - Billie Eilish
The song is written from the perspective of a girl who’s felt heartbreak too many times and “can’t afford” to lose another lover. Here’s the perspective of a girl who has never felt heartbreak before and doesn’t know how to handle it.
Don’t you know I’m too good for you?
You’ve told me to be free, haven’t you?
Tore your shirt when you said you were leaving
But you tore my soul and now I’m grieving
Deafening a silent dove
Am I still your love?
Oh, I can’t lie, you said you’d never leave me, but now I’m bleeding
Believed your lies, and all that did was hurt me, now I’m bleeding
The air was damp, the sink was running
Showed you my dress, you said it looked stunning
Your emerald eyes, they looked like clovers
But they turned to stone when the party was over
Deafening a silent dove
Am I still your love?
Oh, I can’t lie, you said you’d never leave me, but now I’m bleeding
Believed your lies, and all that did was hurt me, now I’m bleeding
Deafening a silent dove
Am I still your love?
Oh, I can’t lie, you said you’d never leave me, but now I’m bleeding
Believed your lies, and all that did was hurt me, now I’m bleeding
Lovely - Billie Eilish ft. Khalid
This song is from the perspective of someone who feels like the walls are closing in on them, which could be a metaphor for depression. Here’s the perspective of someone who feels like their world is too big and they need a place to call home, and the only way to find home is giving up their extreme sanity to become vulnerable.
I thought I knew a way
Thought I knew a way out
But I never can escape
The darkness and the rainclouds
Oh, it seems to me that you can’t save me from here
The walls, they’re engulfing, and I cannot see you clear
Need a place to call my own in this barren fear
But the night won’t fade, and the walls seem to disappear
Isn’t it lovely? I’m alone
My mind is my crown, my heart’s its throne
They burned it away, my only hope
But I still can’t find my home!
The void I’ve fallen in
It’s inescapable, I know
And the dusk isn’t swaying
I have nowhere to go
Oh, it seems to me that you can’t save me from here
The walls, they’re engulfing, and I cannot see you clear
Need a place to call my own in this barren fear
But the night won’t fade, and the walls seem to disappear
Isn’t it lovely? I’m alone
My mind is my crown, my heart’s its throne
They burned it away, my only hope
But I still can’t find my home!
Driver’s License - Olivia Rodrigo
This song is from the perspective of the singer herself, who can’t believe her lover left her for someone who embodies all of her insecurities. This is from the perspective of the lover who left Olivia (aka Joshua Bassett).
Heard you got your driver’s license last week
Isn’t that a miracle?
I was so excited for you
But you forgot ‘bout that, so typical
Yeah, today I saw you cruise the suburbs
I think I saw a tear in those eyes
I know you think I’m with that blonde girl
Mmm… you think she’s relevant?
To make her smile, to make you cry,
That was never my intent
But today I saw you cruise the suburbs
And I thought you’d forgotten me again
Yeah, I was never perfect
But this love, it scarred me so damn much
And I think you can imagine
How it felt to feel your touch, but now you’re gone
Oh, I heard what you said in that song that you wrote about me
Thought we were forever but I guess that was just a good dream
Did I ever mention to you
On that day, how gorgeous you were?
And now you’re probably thinking
That now I say the same exact thing to her
Yeah, today I saw you cruise the suburbs
And wished that I could cry along with you
Yeah, I was never perfect
But this love, it scarred me so damn much
And I think you can imagine
How it felt to feel your touch, but now you’re gone
Oh, I heard what you said in that song that you wrote about me
Thought we were forever but I guess that was just a good dream
Green lights, road signs
I really think you should let me go now
And trust me, I know how it hurts
Please, dry those tears, do you hear
When I call your name in the rain?
Sirens wailing
The way I hear your whispers in the background
But they drowned under all the noise
Love, dry those tears, can you hear
When I scream your name in the rain?
Yeah, I was never perfect
But this love, it scarred me so damn much
And I think you can imagine
How it felt to feel your touch, but now you’re gone
Oh, I heard what you said in that song that you wrote about me
Thought we were forever but I guess that was just a good dream
Thought we were forever but I guess that was just a good dream
Heather - Conan Gray
This song is from the perspective of a girl who’s jealousy over her crush’s girlfriend causes her to doubt her own self. This is from the perspective of “Heather”, or the girlfriend of said crush.
She still remembers, third of December
You gave her your sweater
I thought it looked better on her than it did me
Only if you’d see
How much she hates me
I can’t help but hate you when you
Walk by
And stare right through her sore eyes
Wilting like a rain sky
You think I’d criticize?
I’d rather die
Why do you always kiss me
Whenever you think she’s looking?
You gave me your sweater
I hate polyester
But she likes it better
So go call her “Heather”
Watch as she waits for you
Hoping you’ll come
You know inside she’s hurting
She thinks you’re the one
On her chair made of leather
You still like me better
But look at the way that she shines in the rain
When she walks by
You stare right through her sore eyes
Wilting like a rain sky
You think I’d criticize?
I’d rather die
Why do you always kiss me
Whenever you think she’s looking?
You gave me your sweater
I hate polyester
But she likes it better
So go call her “Heather”
(So don’t call me “Heather”)
Why do you always kiss me
Whenever you think she’s looking?
You gave me your sweater
I hate polyester
But she likes it better
So go call her
