Hide Away

“Hide Away” by Daya is climbing the pop top forties every day. Although I realize the lyrics to this song can seem silly and shallow, I find the song to be catchy, and I personally wanted to explore the reason why it had the big emotional impact it does.

 

The song begins with a piano-like synthesizer pulsing a I-ii-vi progression. Daya enters in a simple manner, relating the observation that “boys seem to like the girls who laugh at everything.” The lyrics continue in this way as the singer communicates the kind of girls it seems that boys like. The simple chord progression and minimal instrumentation makes the verse sound contemplative, almost as if we have entered the dreamy world of the girl’s thoughts. As the phrase “Girl’s seem to like the boys who don’t appreciate all the money and the time that it takes…” a simple percussive beat follows with the lyrics “to be fly as a mother.” This added instrumentation accompanies a change of tone in the lyrics. Rather than them being simple and observatory, they now begin to develop into frustration with the lyrics “Got my both eyes out for Mr. Right, oh, and I just don’t know where to find ‘em.” This seems to be a building transition into the chorus.

 

The chorus has the most instrumentation out of the whole song, and the most fiery lyrics:

 

Where do the good boys go to hide away, hide away?

I’m a good, good girl who needs a little company.

Looking high and low,

someone let me know

Where do the good boys go to hide away, hide away?

 

There are several reasons for the way this song moves the emotions. Not in a sense of bringing you to tears, but in a sense of needing to move and get anger out. The frustration is musically communicated by the new vi-IV-I progression because it starts on a minor chord. Instead of the simple piano synth pulsing the chords, it is now a harsher synth. Then, of course, the bass and intense percussive features also contribute to the frustration the girl is getting out. It is interesting that on the lyrics “high and low” the melody of the singer goes from a high pitch to a lower one, which is an awesome example of text depiction in pop music.

 

The second verse and chorus continue in this same way, with very similar instrumentation: simpler in the verse where she is again making observation about the interactions of boys and girls, and complex in the chorus where she is frustrated about not being able to find a good one. The bridge is a very cool part of the song. All melodic and harmonic instrumentation drops out except for treble percussion, and girls voices join Daya as they repetitively ask, “Where do the good boys go?” It seems that percussion is the main way the writers of this song desired to release the confusion and frustration the girl is feeling. The girls joining Daya suggests that this is not only a problem in her life, but that many girls are looking for “good boys” that are nowhere to be found.
The song ends with the instrumentation ending once and for all, and Daya’s voice echoing softer and softer, “Hide away, hide away” as though her voice is what gives the listener a mental picture of “hiding away” itself. Overall, I think this song is a good example of portraying the text through musical decisions. And, also, I just love it.