“Hey Ya!” Part 1

“Hey Ya!” by Outkast is a popular electro funk neo-soul song released in the 2000s. With over 2.8 billion streams across major platforms, it’s known globally for its fast-paced joyful beat that makes people want to get up and dance.

When you listen closer to the lyrics of “Hey Ya!”  suddenly it doesn’t appear to be very joyful. Its core themes touch on modern day relationship toxicity, but disguises it by putting an up-tune beat over it.

The song starts out with the lyrics “My baby don't mess around

Because she loves me so

And this I know fo' sho' ”.

Right after these lyrics are said the lyricist says

“But does she really wanna

But can't stand to see me walk out the door?”

The lyricist is questioning his partners love for him, by asking a rhetorical query of if this person really does love him or if she just doesn’t want to not have him.

This is a problem seen in modern day relationships quite frequently, not just romantic but also platonic. Many people would rather stay in a position where they aren’t truly fulfilled because it’s more comfortable than attempting to let someone go.

The next lyrics in “Hey Ya!” say

“Thank God, for mom and dad

For sticking two together

'Cause we don't know how”

This highlights the expectation to just stay together, which was seen frequently in older generations. Up until the 1960s divorce was viewed as a moral failure rather than a personal choice. Even though by the 1970s divorce was more “normalized”, that mindset still stuck with many, which was then imposed to their families and so forth. The lyricist saying “we don’t know how” at the end of the first verse implies that there is a modern day struggle of knowing how to love properly. It’s a very vulnerable confession, admitting this generation of love settles more often than not.

The next lyrics that stick out are seen in the second verse.

“If what they say is

"Nothing is forever"

Then what makes, then what makes

Then what makes, then what makes, what makes (what makes, what makes)

Love the exception?”

In society, a lot of times we are set with an expectation that you will find your one true love and it will last forever and ever. Though, when faced with reality it’s apparent to not be true. To answer this question “what makes love the exception?”- there is no exception. Nothing is ever guaranteed to last a life time. Setting a narrative that it is supposed to, traps people in unhealthy circumstances to attempt to avoid an ending.

The second verse ends with

“Are we so in denial when we know we're not happy here?

(Y'all don't want to hear me, you just want to dance)”

These two lines show the contrast between the songs melancholic lyrics and its hyper tempo. The lyricist points out the denial people have, when knowing they just aren’t content situationally. They also call out on the audience, pointing out that they literally just don’t want to listen to whats actually being said simply because they enjoy the song.

When actually taking time to sit down and listen to the lyrics of “Hey Ya!” you discover a harsh truth. This song is a perfect example of “sugarcoating”, in which one delivers a message in a way that makes reality seem more positive than it actually is.

“Hey Ya!”

Main artist - Outkast

Composer/Lyricist - André Benjamin

Producer - André 3000