Tag: “You’re Gonna Tell Me” (Roni Bar Hadas song)

The effervescent exuberance of Roni Bar Hadas’ “You’re Gonna Tell Me” almost makes the song’s lyrics seem like they’re out of an uplifting, lightly melodic summertime tune or a dream pop take on a 60s lovelorn ballad. The guitar melody and breezy keyboard work over a widely dynamic rhythm and Hadas’ brightly resonant vocals cutting shining throughout is a bit like trying to put your best face forward when inside you’re not so confident, when you’re processing mixed emotions and trying to maintain even as realizations about your life are crushing you just a little. And it’s that contrast of presentation and content that gives the song its depth of expression. The line that gives the song its title “You’re gonna tell me it’s over and I don’t know what to say” speaks to the very real feeling many of us have when we find ourselves in a relationship with someone we told ourselves was so fascinating and attractive in the beginning because the thought of being alone seemed so depressing. But you can’t fool yourself forever and Hadas goes through the various stages of that realization. From being able to embrace being alone despite how we’ve all been conditioned to think one is somehow lesser or a failure without being attached to someone, through overindulging even though you just can’t drunk or altered enough to run away from your feelings forever, and finally to thinking maybe the relationship should have ended long ago because the love wasn’t there, just a temporary infatuation blown up to be something bigger than it is to not feel like you’ll never be with anyone. But the biggest realization comes in the line “Don’t know what to write because I don’t know how I feel, when I don’t understand myself how can you?” And isn’t that it no matter what culture you come from? We’re pushed to become so many things in life and make important choices before we know who we are, what we really feel and to stick by those choices even when they no longer make sense. It’s what causes horrible mid-life crises and other acting out. Roni Bar Hadas seems to have figured that out in the course of a short pop song and so can we all. Listen to “You’re Gonna Tell Me” on Spotify and look out for Hadas’ full length Calm the Beast due out in spring 2020.