‘Somebody’s Son’ by Tiwa Savage, featuring Brandy, is a song about waiting for the day a man will walk into your life. Not just any man but the right man. Your Prince Charming, if you will. The kind of man you will reach milestones with: obtaining lasting deep love and devotion, marriage, children and more. The song hails new hope for love, with an assurance that the past won’t repeat itself: “This won’t be another heartbreak song”.
The beat drops just under 20 seconds in. This follows the music video’s introductory images of Tiwa, a woman skin-to-skin with her partner and a little boy doing a special handshake with his dad. These images create a picture of intimacy and generational love. A search for sustainable and enduring love seems to be represented by the steady beat; there are no sudden shifts in volume, melody or the mood the song evokes overall.
The artists’ voices blend seamlessly; dare it be said, as well as some Boyz II Men favourites and collaborations. For example, Mariah Carey’s collaboration with the group for the song ‘One Sweet Day’. The vocal harmony in part is due to Brandy’s range; she hits the highest notes of the song effortlessly, giving the song an edge it didn’t have when previously recorded.
There are shots of Tiwa braiding Brandy’s hair during the music video. The shots produce an image of childhood sleepovers where almost all you talked about were boys and crushes. We see this scene a lot in classic teen rom-coms. There is a sense of sharing your infatuation with your nearest and dearest, and the playfulness adds to the light-hearted and dreamy nature of the song’s message.
In a YouTube event shortly before the video premiered Tuesday, Brady said: “It’s interesting because before this song I said I was done with relationships, I don’t want to be with anybody but myself. I’m somebody’s son, I’m the one for myself. Now you have me believing in love again—only if it’s from the universe, God.” ‘Somebody’s Son’ makes you desire love again.
This song really does make you hopeful or hopeful again, if your love once died a tragic and unexpected death. Cupid’s bow is clearly still working. Let’s at least hope so…
Words by Solape Alatise
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