By
its nature, pop music is upbeat. This is entertaining and makes for easy
listening, especially during summer road trips. If one looks below the surface
of amusement, however, there are often important social messages hidden below.
A
recent and poignant example of this is the song “In the Night” by The Weeknd. In
the song, the narrator tells the story of a woman he knows – his
girlfriend or at least lover – who is apparently a stripper with a wild side,
two traits that could be condemned by society despite their formal legality.
Beneath this, however, is a far more complex and sympathetic personality, as
the narrator reveals.
The
woman, who is never named, was the victim of sexual abuse when she was young. The
lyrics explain that the abuser – who is not given any explained relationship to
the victim – was “cold” and “unforgiving” during the abuse, trivializing his
acts by singing while committing them. Rather than moving on chronologically
from the abuse to the present, the song intersperses the abuse with the woman’s
current actions and mental state, in effect creating flashbacks during the
song.
After
setting out the abuse, the song details the woman’s current life and seeming
inability to remove herself from it due to the hold that the acts of abuse have
on her. For example, the song states “in the night she hears him calling” and
“when you wake up she’s always gone,” suggesting that she suffers from
nightmares of her past and an inability to form a romantic relationship in which
she is comfortable staying the night with her lover.
The
song also explains that the woman is a stripper but that she is trapped in this
occupation, noting that “In the night she’s dancing to relieve the pain/ She’ll
never walk away (I don’t think you’d understand)/In the night when she comes
crawling/ Dollar bills and tears keep falling down her face/ She’ll never walk
away (I don’t think you’d understand).” In these ways, she is portrayed as
engaging in acts that are overtly sexual and flaunt her sexuality however she
does them with a sense of shame rather than empowerment. The shame and the
flashbacks during dancing to music – as she did when she was abused – cause her
emotion to become visible in the form of tears but these are apparently hidden
sufficiently that she still receives tips from her customers.
The
commentary about the listener not understanding further highlights the ways in
which sex abuse victims often experience feelings of shame and guilt about
their abuse. It also highlights the difficulties that those who care for sex
abuse victims experience in trying to explain the actions of their loved ones
and protect them, even from themselves. This is not an indictment of the sex
industry or those who have suffered from sexual abuse – instead it is an
attempt to demonstrate the complexity of sexual abuse and the stigmas that
surround it.
“In
the Night” is a searing explanation of the ways in which sexual abuse victims
experience abuse when committed and for the remainder of their lives. It
explains the residual feelings of shame and guilt that can exist for years and
the ways in which the victims can abuse themselves as a result. It also
explains the ways in which those who care for the victims of sexual abuse can
be impacted by the effects of the abuse and the difficulties they face in
explaining the issue to society.
At
the larger level, “In the Night” is also a statement about the ways in which
society at large views those in the sex industry and those who engage in
behaviors that are seen as wild or unrestrained. There are many aspects to
stripping, including those that are related to empowerment and agency. “In the
Night” highlights one of these aspects and points out that society should not
be quick to judge or convict those who are involved in such occupations. As
catchy as it might be, this is far more than an upbeat pop song.
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