Analysis II : "So Sick"

"So Sick"

The song “So Sick" is an R&B–pop song by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. The track was produced by Norwegian production team Stargate for Ne-Yo's debut album In My Own Words. This song was released as the second single from the album. It was successful on charts worldwide. It reached number 1 in the United States and the United Kingdom. It's also Ne-Yo's biggest hit so far. It won the race to the UK number 1 spot, beating "Nature's Law" by Embrace. Throughout the song “So Sick” Ne-Yo uses alliteration and characterization to help the listener capture the feelings of a breakup. Throughout the song Ne-Yo is letting the listener know that he and his girlfriend broke up and it is very hard for him to cope. He expresses the use of alliteration through his usage of characterization. In the chorus of the song the artist sings “And I’m so sick of love songs/So tired of tears/So done with wishing you were still here/Said I’m so sick of love songs so sad and slow/So why can’t I turn off the radio.” As we see the usage of alliteration become very important because it helps strongly address the point Ne-Yo is trying to get across.

The use of alliteration shown is “And I’m so sick of love songs. “ This is the poetic device alliteration because they have a repetition of sounds in the beginning of the word. This is also characterization because the artist, Ne-Yo is telling his feelings. This line is saying how he is so tired of listening to all these happy love songs on the radio, because he doesn’t have any love to compare it with. Another use of alliteration may be in the line “So tired of tears.” There is a repetition of the sound “t” at the beginning of each invaluable word. Ne-Yo here, is also sharing with the listener that he isn’t emotionally fit for this breakup. He helps us see his character and how emotional he has become during the breakup. Another verse “So done with wishing you were still here,” is characterization. I have chosen characterization as the best poetic device to use because he is saying that mentally he is done wishing and hoping because he knows that there is no point in wishing when his girlfriend is already gone. The biggest and strongest verse that expresses alliteration and characterization is when NeYo says “I’m so sick of love songs so sad and slow/So why can’t I turn off the radio.” I feel that this is the strongest line because it is when Ne-Yo just breaks down with a strong voice to say that he is so sick of love songs because all they do is make him sad. Yet again he doesn’t understand why he can’t turn off the radio and resist all the love songs that are being played. It might have been a challenge for Ne-Yo to face the fact that he and his girlfriend broke up but because he wants love so bad he just wants to feel like its apart of him so it helps to listen to love songs.

Ne-Yo’s lyrics are important to not only teenagers but adults as well. There is always going to be a day within your life time that a relationship is not going to work out. It may vary and some may be lucky, but if they don’t break up there are still struggles in love. But most likely eventually it will happen to one of you.