Hiding in Discourse

From Me To You: Dynamic Discourse in Popular Music by Matthew L. BaileyShea opened my eyes to the shifts in various currents of musical meaning based on how different words are used in lyrics. He also suggests that the shifts in discourse may line up with the important changes in musical notes.

Many times I simply listen to songs without thinking anything of the way the intimacy changes throughout the song; therefore, I found it interesting that BaleyShea addresses the dynamic discourse in music.

BaileyShea goes into great depth about how pronouns in particular shape the level of intimacy in a song. He refers to the four types of narration that are used to create distance and the personal connection with the listener.

Hide Away by Daya is an example of the shift from distance to intimacy, an important pattern of discourse in music explained by BaileyShea. This song, released April 22, 2015, begins with a broad verse about what males and females seem to be attracted to in the opposite sex.


It starts in the first verse as a third person narrative because there is no reference in the lyrics to who the narrator is, or whom it is addressing. She generalizes the prefrences of boys with the statement “Boys seem to like the girls who laugh at anything, the ones who get undresses before the second date,” and makes a similar general statement about what girls like.

Daya quickly moves into the first person narrative in the first pre-chorus, adding a degree of intimacy by using pronouns such as “my” and “I.” By using these personal pronouns, she creates an obvious narrator: herself, but still has not identified an audience.

This song does not go into the second person narration because the pronoun “you” is never mentioned. Although the song does not embody all four narration styles, it still is considered to have dynamic discourse because it shifts narrations and becomes more personal than the third person narration it begins with.

Although someone is not specifically addressed, Daya creates a personal and intimate scene when she says “he’s gonna save my life like Superman.” This line infers that she is looking “good boy” to be with. She continues to show personal intimacy when she confesses, “I’m a good girl who needs a little company.”

It would not make sense for Daya to incorporate second person pronouns in this song because the main idea of the song is that there aren’t any good guys that she can be with. If she were to use second person, it would confuse the listener and make her quest for a man and the lyrics of the song seem inconsistent.

Reading this article has given me new insight to how songs are written and I’m sure I will notice the discourse in music much more often.