Hey Ya!

The man is unable to figure out if the girl he's with actually cares for him. He is distressed, and but assures himself it is fine, but he "just don't get it." He discovers her actions, but she doesn't care because she believes "separates always better when there's feelings involved," going so far as to say love is not an exception to the phrase "nothing lasts forever." He then realizes their own denial in their dysfunctional relationship, and doesn't understand why they stay in their relationship when he too does not honor it.

The entire song is sad because he is describing the very real and serious issues that he is dealing with. This pained man, in his attempts to write a song that conveys his feelings, concludes that no one will ever care about his own problems, he is yelling saying how the audience "don't want him here they just wanna dance."

He then lists his superficial relationships, remaining distant so as not to get hurt, finally stating this behavior is perfectly normal,because society glorifies people who are "ice cold." He then re-addresses the superficial and sexual nature of modern society, "shake it, shake, shake it like a Polaroid picture." Contemporary relationships are unable to find meaning because they "shake it," or rather, in their impatience ruin something that could be good. In contrast, past people, like mom and dad, knew how to "stick two together" while they don't know how. He then says they know what to do, meaning they know this and fully embrace what he too has come to accept.

All the while, he has this upbeat instrumental section, existing because it is what the crowd wants, and he knows they'll be happy despite his sad lyrics, thus proving his own claim: the audience doesn't care what you're feeling, they just want to have a good time, and as a musical professional he can't ruin the happy mood. He realizes he's a popular music artist and that people just don't like or understand emotionally meaningful songs, even if it's by someone they like because society is superficial. The saddest part: people truly did think this song was happy and they did glorify it, they thought they "got it," but they "just don't get it," there is "nothing at all."

This song is about the descent of morals and values in respect to relationships, from mom and dad's past generation to the present generation. The man changes himself, trying his best to fit in and meet the quota, however, despite his attempts to convince himself that he does meet the expectation, despite making the song upbeat, despite putting up a smile in front of the crowd, he cannot help but convey his emotion. This all proves that he is truly disheartened in the face of modern expectations: he has lost hope for love, he is losing himself, he does not believe in society.