Released: 2024
“Take Me to the Beach” by Imagine Dragons featuring Ado is a song that explores the theme of individuality, solitude, and a longing for escape. The lyrics express a desire to break free from societal pressures and expectations, and to find solace in a place of personal preference – the beach, in this case.
The song starts with a critique of the ‘people-pleasing planet’, a term that refers to the societal pressure to conform and please others. The singer expresses frustration with the constant advice and instructions, deciding to ‘spend my days telling them to can it’. This is a slang phrase meaning to stop or quit something.
The line ‘Each and to their own’ is a shortened version of the phrase ‘to each their own’, meaning everyone has their own preferences and should be allowed to do as they please. The singer is expressing a desire for personal freedom and individuality.
The lyrics ‘You could have the mountains, ah / You take the snow, ah / It’s way too cold / My heart is cold enough, ah’ are a metaphor for the singer’s emotional state. The cold mountains and snow symbolize isolation and emotional coldness, which the singer feels they have enough of already. The beach, on the other hand, represents warmth, freedom, and a more carefree existence.
The Japanese lyrics ‘聞く耳断つ / 奴が大層な胸を張る / また構わずやる / 「望まない」から舌を打つ地 / （チッ）え？ Ah / 神か仏か？ヒト気取りか？ / 頭の中 leave me alone / 誰になればいいの？’ roughly translate to ‘I’ll cut off the ears that listen / The guy who brags about his chest / I’ll do it again without minding / I’ll strike the ground from ‘I don’t want it’ / (Tsk) eh? Ah / God or Buddha? Or pretending to be human? / Leave me alone in my head / Who should I become?’. These lines express a struggle with identity and societal expectations, and a desire to be left alone.
The line ‘I’m better off alone (I’m better off alone) / Like a rolling stone (like a rolling stone)’ references Bob Dylan’s famous song ‘Like a Rolling Stone’, which is about a person who has lost their status and is now alone and free. The singer is saying they prefer to be alone and free, rather than conforming to societal expectations.
The song ends with the line ‘I don’t have no friends, そう何も (ay) / Got me ’til the end, 最後まで (take me to the beach)’. The singer is expressing a sense of loneliness and isolation, but also a determination to endure until the end. The repeated plea to ‘take me to the beach’ throughout the song emphasizes the singer’s longing for escape and solitude.
