Anyone

As some of you may know, the Grammys aired this past weekend and the guests popped off! From Tyler, the Creator to Brandi Carlisle, celebrity after celebrity filed in. And the performances were to die for! So many amazing artists stepped forward and claimed the stage, if not only for a few minutes.  But, the best part of it all to me was Demi Lovato’s performance. After her almost 4 year hiatus, she debuted a beautiful, raw piece of artwork, titled Anyone. I want to completely break this song down for you.

I tried to talk to my piano
I tried to talk to my guitar
Talk to my imagination
…
I tried and tried and tried some more
Told secrets ’til my voice was sore
Tired of empty conversation
‘Cause no one hears me anymore

Here, she is saying that she tried to channel this emotion into music, into anything, but all she’s doing is trying. “Told secrets ’til my voice was sore” can mean that she told secrets to her guitar and piano, that’s how I understood it, but it’s up to the listener to interpret that. The lines following that mean what they say. She’s tired of empty conversation, or small talk, because she feels as if that isn’t helping her. No one truly hears her.

A hundred million stories
And a hundred million songs
I feel stupid when I sing
Nobody’s listening to me
Nobody’s listening
I talk to shooting stars
But they always get it wrong
I feel stupid when I pray
So, why am I praying anyway?
If nobody’s listening.

“A hundred million stories and a hundred million songs” is a hyperbole for how many songs she has released, beings that she has been in the music business since she was a teenager. “I feel stupid when I sing/Nobody’s listening to me” is very powerful when you take into account that she has been singing since she was a toddler. Singing has been her life and the fact that she feels stupid doing what she’s always done because she feels as if no one is listening is genuinely heartbreaking.

“I talk to shooting stars/ But they always get it wrong” is one of my personal favorites. She is saying that she’s been praying, that she’s been “talking to the stars” but they haven’t been working. That they haven’t been doing right. “I feel stupid when I pray…Nobody’s listening” details her doubt in the fact that anyone, anything, is indeed, listening. That’s the deepest type of loneliness, honestly. The feeling that the one person that you have worshipped since birth isn’t there anymore. No matter who or what you may pray to, that is the ultimate form of heartbreak.

Anyone, please send me anyone
Lord, is there anyone?
I need someone

She’s lonely and just needs that shoulder to cry on. That’s it. There is no deeper meaning other than she needs someone to be there for her and understand her and just listen to everything. She’s being weighed down by whatever it is she needs to say, and “nobody’s listening”.

I used to crave the world’s attention
I think I cried too many times
I just need some more affection
Anything to get me by

This is the last verse before everything repeats and she really hit hard with it. “I used to crave the world’s attention” could be deciphered as her crying out for help and no one hearing it or it can be deciphered as her wanting someone, anyone to hear her. “I just need some more affection/ Anything to get me by” is one of the best, most powerful lines in this entire song. Her intent is clear. She wants affection. A hug. A shoulder to cry on. A conversation that focuses on how she feels and what she says. Anything to help her feel less lonely.

Everything in this song points to loneliness and feeling muted. The pure emotion in her voice when she performed it just makes this song all the more powerful and beautiful. Overall, a masterpiece.

My last remark is that I hope she feels heard, because we are all listening now.

Author: Azya Lyons

“have i gone mad? im afraid so, but let me tell you something, the best people usualy are.” -Lewis Carrol, Alice in Wonderland aw skeet skeet View all posts by Azya Lyons