Hide and Seek CaseEssay Preview: Hide and Seek CaseReport this essayKevin CurtisHide and SeekThe song we chose is “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap. The song was released in 2005, originally as the lead single off of Heaps debut solo album Speak for Yourself. It was also featured in the second season finale of the FOX television show The O.C. during a tense scene between the lead actors. Written from the point of view of a woman, in the wake of her divorce, this song is full of what seems to be feelings of pain, loss, heartache and realization. Taking a closer look at this song there are also hints at the lyrics true meaning. How does one go on when betrayal is all that is felt? How does one pick of the pieces of a Love gone wrong, when the pieces are yet to be discovered? Ultimately the realization of the end of what used to be and what can be is at the very forefront of this song.
As the song begins Heap expresses her sadness and shock of the end of a marriage or relationship. The first lyrics of the song, “Where are we? What the hell is going on?”(Heap 1) show the narrators confusion and utter astonishment over what is going on. She walks into a half empty room where her belongings are mysteriously missing. Commenting on the sudden departure of what was once her life she sings “This cant be happening” (Heap 5). Throughout the song the overwhelming feeling of the reality of her situation, being that her spouse has left, and was never truly committed to the relationship. By the end of the song the hatred toward her partner becomes more apparent, and in essence turns her cold and ultimately leads to her swearing off love and marriage all together.
The title “Hide and Seek” is, clearly a reference to the childhood game that many would be familiar with. In reference to the song it also can refer to the “game of love”. Seeking out love, and hoping to eventually find that love is the ultimate game that is being played. Wanting love, or finding someone to love is seemingly the definitive goal in life. Being able to find that one individual that people feel they have longed for, or searched their lifetime for is the reward at the end of the journey. This is one central theme that is carried on throughout the song. One can take away the idea that now that the Narrators love has gone away, perhaps she has wasted her time on the game of love.
As the song continues the theme of love versus loss is also at the forefront of the Narrators thoughts. Heap writes “All those years they were here first” (Heap 9). In this particular line of the song she remembers the previous happy times in her marriage, their importance to her. Emphasizing the feeling of the loss of the love she invested into this relationship. In lines 10-11, “Oily marks appear on walls/ Where pleasure moments hung before” (Heap 10-11), again the reflection of all the memories shared between her lover and herself are now gone, as if they never existed. Removed are the pictures and former relics of their marriage.
Another resounding theme that can be felt is the overall effects of a divorce on an individual. It is a proven fact that 50% of marriages end in divorce (“Divorce Statistics”). Heaps words in lines 12-13 “The takeover, the sweeping insensitivity of this/still life” (Heap 12-13), at this point the realization of the impeding end of her marriage has hit her. It seems as though she is being completely thrown away. The phrase “sweeping insensitivity” gives the reader the feeling of an almost instant change of what used to be her life. In a flash nothing seemed as it had been before, and everything will never be the same again.
The use of symbolism in not just this song, but in most songs today is very apparent. It not only enhances the writers words but gives the reader a reference point to what is going on in the writers thoughts. Heap uses strong symbolism in lines 2-3 “The dust has only just begun to form/ crop circles in the carpet, sinking, and feeling” (Heap). The lyrics convey a sense that this relationship, although established, is also very new. There hasnt been enough time for the furniture in the apartment to leave a “crop circle” or an impression on the carpet. The marriage wasnt given time to allow the dust to settle, in effect preventing future memories and moments to be established.
This is a very good example of how a song that is meant to make you feel nostalgic for the past can go viral. Many of the lyrics (but not quite all) use heavy symbolism in conjunction with light symbolism;The book, when I read and heard this song, felt like time came to make it into the hands of the writers and I loved that book.
One of the points of interest for the fans in this story is the fact that there has been a lot of confusion as to the meaning of this song and also how we used the word “memory”. I know it is used with a large group of people, it does not always hold up, but with this, we have some important points in common: the lyrics can be very strong or very light in any light or medium
The lyrics to this song are a very good example of how that is the direction we would like the reader to take in a song in the future. We want the listener to be taken in by what is coming into our minds as it is presented. It takes a lot of work, it takes a lot of trust, it takes a lot…‣>To write in that direction is as important as your sense of what you are experiencing. The lyrics to this song represent a clear understanding that the author wants our mind to reach into our hearts and understand what I feel. He sees a story which is being told within the context of his experience and how we experience what happens from that experience.
The title of the song is “The Day I Fall”. This song is really about being in time, being in the past, not remembering the past. The title should reflect the sense of what you are experiencing within that experience, and the meaning behind that feeling, but is not about the experience itself. It must be experienced as a series of events between us, or in terms of something happening to you that you cannot tell from what you have experienced. This song was part of the idea to make this song, and that idea has to be the way the writer communicates with the readers.
It is very refreshing I find to use the word “memory”. This is a very old song by one of the authors that was very original and very different to it’s roots from the times before it’s played as a tune.
It might be familiar to you because of the way that it was played. It can be described as a series of small events that occurs over