Introduction
In response to the recent series of police deaths of unarmed black individuals and the upsurge in protests against police brutality and systematic racism, H.E.R. unveiled a new song, “I Can’t Breathe.” The performer performed the song as part of the iHeartRadio Living Room Concert Series. First up on H.E.R.’s set list was “I Can’t Breathe,” which she introduced by saying, “Just by the title, you know that it symbolizes something really, very kind of sad and extremely exposing… “(Briimiiller, 2021). These lyrics flowed easily since they were inspired by discussions about current events, past events, and the change that needs to be seen. The motivation behind writing this song was to leave a lasting legacy through music’s transformative and therapeutic potential.
Relevance and Viewpoint
“I Can’t Breathe” is a phrase used during the Black Lives Matter movement, and that adage has spread widely. The words are frequently repeated as a reference to the dying words of Eric Garner and now George Floyd (Powell, 2020). However, according to an article published by The New York Times, the words were uttered by at least 70 additional individuals in their final moments before succumbing to excessive police force (Baker et al., 2020). H.E.R. repeatedly questions how we got to the point where a call for mercy has been treated with brutal indifference in her song, which bears the exact three weighty words. She does this by wondering how we got to this place.
Techniques
The song is a gloomy acoustic blues, with H.E.R. serving as the guide, while a lonely electric guitar and a keening organ take turns rising to the surface. “All of the names you refuse to remember/was somebody’s brother or friend, son to a mother that’s screaming, saying/I can’t breathe, you’re taking my life from me.” H.E.R. continues to sing in her song “Praying for change because the suffering makes individuals tender” (Tracy, 2021). The amount of money raised for Meals on Wheels and the Urban League is partially thanks to H.E.R.’s performance on the iHeartRadio Living Room Series (Mendez, 2020). In addition, performances from artists such as Thomas Rhett, Katy Perry, Sam Smith, and Brett Eldredge have been included in the series.
One of the literary devices used in the song’s lyrics is repetition. The technique can be found in lines such as “I can’t breathe; you’re taking my life from me; I can’t breathe; will anyone stand up for me? “(D’Mile, 2020). These lyrics provide the audience with a notion or emotion about the situation by telling the story of a man slain by the police from the author’s perspective. Additionally, the song’s lyrics employ imagery in lines like ”Started a war screaming, “Peace” at the same time and all the corruption, injustice, the same crimes (D’Mile, 2020)”. The song’s powerful vision of conflict and people screaming peace symbolise global protests and voices trying to be heard. Despite its imagery and repetition, the music is only 4 and 47 seconds long, has a speed of 138 beats per minute, and is written in the key of C# minor.
Audience
The song was written by H.E.R. together with another artist in response to the widespread unrest that has taken place in the United States since the death of a guy whose name was George Floyd. Floyd, a Black man, was essentially put to death by white police officers while they were working throughout the day (Kim, 2020). A few moments before he passed away, he was overheard muttering, “I can’t breathe.” Therefore, the term has developed into a de facto slogan for the previously discussed movement.
In addition to imagery and repetition of literacy devices, it seems that H.E.R. is using it as a metaphor to criticize the entire system of racism in the United States. That is to say, being unable to breathe is not just a reference to Floyd in the context of the song but also to the surroundings (Okri, 2020). On a larger scale, however, it is intended to be symbolic of the oppression African-Americans face due to racism in the system. To put it another way, it restrains and restricts them somehow. Therefore, it would appear that the singer is advocating for several reforms to redress these ongoing wrongs (Seah, 2021). The first thing that needs to happen is for people of African descent to learn to love themselves better. Secondly, she would like for others to have more empathy for what they are going through.
Conclusion
Since H.E.R is a member of a segregated racial and gender group in the U.S., a different race or gender performing the song would not substantially impact. In addition, the song’s composer can articulate her perspective clearly and persuasively as she discusses problems that people of color face today, such as racial discrimination and police brutality (I can’t breathe by H.E.R. – Songfacts, 2020). I would propose that the songwriter speed up the song’s tempo and use slang terminology typical of people of color’s speech to connect with the intended group.
References
Baker, M., Valentino-devries, J., Fernandez, M., & Laforgia, M. (2020). Three words. 70 cases. The tragic history of ‘I can’t breathe.’ The New York Times. Web.
Briimiiller. (2021). H.E.R. honors George Floyd with her profound “I can’t breathe” single. Soundigest. Web.
D’Mile. (2020). H.E.R. – I can’t breathe. Genius. Web.
I can’t breathe by H.E.R. – Songfacts. Song Meanings at Songfacts. (2020). Web.
Kim, Y. (2020). H.E.R. honors George Floyd with powerful “I can’t breathe” song. POPSUGAR Entertainment. Web.
Mendez, M. (2020). H.E.R. wrote a song calling for an end to police brutality against Black people. Elite Daily. Web.
Okri, B. (2020). ‘I can’t breathe’: Why George Floyd’s words reverberate around the world | ben okri. The Guardian. Web.
Powell, J. (2020). H.E.R. unveils powerful visual for “I can’t breathe”. REVOLT. Web.
Seah, D. (2021). H.E.R. was surprised at the response to her BLM protest song I can’t breathe: “I didn’t realise it was going to impact people”. Guitar.com | All Things Guitar. Web.
Tracy, B. (2021). H.E.R. recalls how George Floyd’s death inspired Grammy-nominated song.Peoplemag. Web.