Analytical Exercise

Commentary on Let It Go

Lyrics:

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight

Not a footprint to be seen

A kingdom of isolation,

And it looks like I'm the queen.

The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside

Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried!

Don't let them in, don't let them see

Be the good girl you always have to be

Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know

Well, now they know!

Let it go, let it go

Can't hold it back anymore

Let it go, let it go

Turn away and slam the door!

I don't care

What they're going to say

Let the storm rage on,

The cold never bothered me anyway!

It's funny how some distance

Makes everything seem small

And the fears that once controlled me

Can't get to me at all!

It's time to see what I can do

To test the limits and break through

No right, no wrong, no rules for me I'm free!

Let it go, let it go

I am one with the wind and sky

Let it go, let it go

You'll never see me cry!

Here I stand

And here I'll stay

Let the storm rage on!

My power flurries through the air into the ground

My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around

And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast

I'm never going back,

The past is in the past!

Let it go, let it go

When I'll rise like the break of dawn

Let it go, let it go

That perfect girl is gone!

Here I stand

In the light of day

Let the storm rage on,

The cold never bothered me anyway!

Let It Go is everywhere, and it’s not disappearing without a fight. It’s the main reason why the Frozen soundtrack has been the No 1 album in the US for nine weeks and counting – Beyoncé only managed three – and a significant reason why the film became the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. It’s no mystery that Let It Go has become a sensation among our generation now.

Now although this song can be interpreted in many different ways, even as an LGBTQ anthem, I’ll be arguing why this song deserves to be in an anthology of the greatest songs of this century.

Let It Go mainly serves as an aperitif for adolescence. It’s a moment of transition and upheaval which conveys the giddy, reckless buzz of expressing yourself without considering the consequences.

The line "Let the storm rage on" is followed by "The cold never bothered me anyway" - a line worth remembering, as it's said twice, sung in a different style, and is the last line of the song. Now the “cold” could be applied to any problem an individual could be facing. It is a time where feelings are raw, unpredictable, terrifying and new. Elsa however was afraid of her lack of control of her powers and the resulting isolation from other people.

Note, how she turns around and slams shut the doors. This is her way of dealing with her problems. It is also similar to how a lot of adolescents shut people out and bottle their emotions in difficult situations, especially with their loved ones.

Another line in the song that's a self deception is when she says "You'll never see me cry". Both this line and "the cold never bothered me anyway" are the kind of things said by people who are trying to convince themselves. It is studded with the language of refusal: “not”, “couldn’t”, “can’t” (twice), “no” (three times), “never” (four) and “don’t” (five).

Lastly in the matter of lyrics, consider the title of the song itself, "Let It Go", which is sung repeatedly. What is she letting go of? It is obvious, that Elsa lets go all of her restraints, especially with her powers. This is the positive element in the song, and what most listeners unfortunately latch on to, to the exclusion of other elements. It is a jubilant celebration of release for those who have been living in fear or bondage.

But personal empowerment, though good, is fraught with danger, as indicated by the next line: "No right, no wrong, no rules for me” (an ode to moral relativism). She lets go of her sense of right and wrong, of the rules and restrictions that being a "good girl" imposed on her. Now obviously some of the rules may have been constraining but they were also for the safety of her and others. How much of that is she letting go? Only some specific rules? All of it? The entire concept of goodness?

Honestly, anyone could relate to this. In adolescence, it is inevitable when exploring and discovering oneself to have to question everything and take risks and to be confronted with such choices.Who hasn't felt that they could become more powerful if only they let go of other people and their restrictions and morality? Who hasn't felt that there is nothing they could do in certain helpless situations, powerless despite their abilities? And who hasn't felt their soul imperiled by these feelings?

Although I’ve interpreted as more of an aperitif to adolescence, I do believe that it applies to the entire human population, despite age. In the end, this song expresses the uncertainty we have with human nature. It expresses the confusing array of emotions that we’ve all felt when confronted, especially with power.Yes, the song is about empowerment, but there is also tragedy, anger, bitterness, and self-deception in it, in even greater measure. Even though it doesn’t convey an utopian ideal, it does something more. It expresses a phase which many of us have experienced since the beginning of our time, and it teaches us a lesson.