I recently saw Sia perform this song on television, and I must say, coming from someone who had never before heard of the singer or the song, I was blown away - by her voice, by the lyrical content of the song, and later (when I found it on YouTube) by the video as well.
Here is my take on it.
First of all, I agree wholeheartedly with one of the posters who pointed out that "swinging from the chandelier" can have a double entendre and in this case, that is a very incisive observation. Does she want to swing from the chandelier because she's having such a wild and crazy time with her life, or does she want to swing from the chandelier because she's contemplating suicide?
The lyrics speak of a "party girl" who is seemingly all about having a good time, but the desperate quality of the lyrical performance underscores the fact that the partying is nothing more than a means of masking something very dark underneath.
And I know from whence I speak.
My childhood best friend was one of those "party girls." She was always "up" and the life of the party. Could drink with the best of 'em. She would be at the disco (back in the day) dancing the night away, and lost several jobs because she couldn't get up for work the next day. Long (and very sad) story short: She ended up committing suicide. With her manic "fun" persona she had fooled everyone (including me) into thinking that she was this happy, high-energy person, when in reality she was "just holding on for tonight" until she could hold on no longer. This is what Chandelier represents to me.
I recently saw Sia perform this song on television, and I must say, coming from someone who had never before heard of the singer or the song, I was blown away - by her voice, by the lyrical content of the song, and later (when I found it on YouTube) by the video as well.
Here is my take on it.
First of all, I agree wholeheartedly with one of the posters who pointed out that "swinging from the chandelier" can have a double entendre and in this case, that is a very incisive observation. Does she want to swing from the chandelier because she's having such a wild and crazy time with her life, or does she want to swing from the chandelier because she's contemplating suicide?
The lyrics speak of a "party girl" who is seemingly all about having a good time, but the desperate quality of the lyrical performance underscores the fact that the partying is nothing more than a means of masking something very dark underneath.
And I know from whence I speak.
My childhood best friend was one of those "party girls." She was always "up" and the life of the party. Could drink with the best of 'em. She would be at the disco (back in the day) dancing the night away, and lost several jobs because she couldn't get up for work the next day. Long (and very sad) story short: She ended up committing suicide. With her manic "fun" persona she had fooled everyone (including me) into thinking that she was this happy, high-energy person, when in reality she was "just holding on for tonight" until she could hold on no longer. This is what Chandelier represents to me.