Raymond Rambarose
Dr. Carrie Hall
Eng 1101
Goodbye Fear
It’s my first day back to college and I’m on my first of two trains. I am seated at the corner of the train looking at the dirty floor awkwardly trying not to make eye contact with anyone. I worry about class as bad outcomes rush through my head. I am afraid. Suddenly, the song changes in the random Spotify playlist that I am listening to. Through my headphones I hear a female voice sing powerfully to me “Fear you don’t own me…” It is the perfect and most comforting song during my situation. It is “The Breakup Song” by Francesca Battistelli. I find peace while listening and gain control of my situation as I command fear to leave.
When I tell people about “The Breakup Song” most people assume that it’s some sappy love song about a harsh breakup. I was kind of surprised myself when I first read the title. The song isn’t about breaking up with a loved one at all, but rather a hated one; fear. Fear is one of our worst enemies. It prevents us from meeting our full potential and gets in the way of success and happiness. Fear is also a great topic to write a song about and I am glad that Francesca Battistelli has chosen it. Everyone can relate to it and many can be encouraged to overcome their fears.
The first few encouraging words comes from the beginning three lines of the song. Francesca sings “Sick and tired of being sick and tired. Had as much of you as I can take. I’m so done, so over being afraid”. For those who regularly experience fear in their everyday lives fear tends to get a bit annoying. It feels like someone trying to stop you from doing what you want to do. When you try to get out of your comfort zone it pushes you back in. It controls your actions and limits what you can do. Francesca has most likely had an experience close to this. She got sick and tired of it and was strong enough to break free and write this song in order to help others break free as well.
The first line in the chorus also sets a powerful tone and encourages the listener to take control of their lives. “Fear you don’t own me” shows that Francesca is speaking to fear itself and is putting it in its place. I believe that she’s telling fear that it can no longer control her life. She sets a good example for her fans that follow in her footsteps. They too are encouraged by her words and strive to defeat fear. When I first heard the song myself it provided me with the strength that I needed to overcome my obstacles and do what I once was not able to do. I was afraid to go to college because of my fear of not being good enough due to my past school experiences. When I heard the powerful words “Fear you don’t own me” it provided me with a wider perspective. I am not alone; even very successful people experience fear sometimes. You shouldn’t allow it to control you and throw you around.
Towards the end of the song, Francesca asks the listener to “Sing along with me” and “Sing fear, you don’t own me”. She helps them to break up with fear by telling fear itself that it doesn’t own them. She sings “If you don’t know how to say it Sing along with me”. While we are distressed and don’t know what to say or do, she guides us to ending the unhealthy relationship that we have with fear.
A music video was created for “The Breakup Song”. While watching the video I noticed Francesca Battistelli writing a note in a brief clip. When I paused the video, I saw what was written on the note. She was writing the lyrics to the song. This leads me to believe that the song itself is a letter to fear. It is both a break up and goodbye letter to fear, hence the title of the song. Towards the end of the video, Francesca is seen packing a bag with a telephone, scale, top 100 list and a goodbye letter. I believe that she is packing fear’s bags and demanding it to leave. She is sending away all her personal fears that have troubled her throughout her life.
Like Francesca, we should send our fears out the door as well. If she didn’t get rid of fear it would have held her back from her goals. She might not have been able to perform in front of millions and would not have written this song. Many like me would not have heard “The Breakup Song” and built up the courage to disown fear and succeed. I would probably not have made it to class that day if I hadn’t heard this song.
