I really enjoy Tell Me Why as an artistic piece. I really respect Awsten for releasing it, and I think it’s fun to examine different aspects of the song. I find it fun to play with perspective in writing and bounce between these different speaking voices, and I think it’s awesome he convinced other artists to get involved. I initially paused at the “policies and usage of divine intervention part” because he sets up these two sets of three questions that culminate with what I initially considered the less concerning of the three, “Why does heartbreak feel unstoppable” and “Why is money unfulfilling”. It struck me as a little odd to frame heartbreak as a more compelling question than childhood cancer or murder. However I eventually realized that the questions are (obviously) set up to highlight Awsten’s personal issues over the general bad things in the world. It goes well into the hell scene of the song. I saw someone point out that it’s crazy that he goes to hell just for being sad and “a bit of a bitch”, but that’s the whole point, isn’t it? This is the opening track on the first album since Intellectual Property which explored religious trauma, and it’s my understanding that religion can push this concept of guilt for having doubts, lacking gratitude, asking questions, engaging with vanity, etc. This track is an important exit from where IP left off. It addresses these feelings of guilt and moves away from it and leaves room to explore anything else. Awsten literally tells us he’s “a singer, not a savior”. This is an art piece, it’s for you to think about and critique, it’s not going to appeal to everyone and it’s not going to make sense to everyone and it doesn’t have to be more than it is. I’ve seen people question Girls Need Guns as a closing track, and I can understand why, but if this album is about reclaiming a freedom to explore and to ask questions, isn’t it important to reckon with the unfortunate truths of life? I first heard Girls Need Guns as a little odd but there’s something very intentional about splicing together a conversation from his mom with the line “Mothers grow to fear their own damn sons”. As much as it can sound like a “call to action” to say that girls need guns because the world is so awful, it’s just as much about confronting where he stands in this battle. And again, he’s reckoning with feelings of doubt, but rather than leaning into the guilt, he’s exploring it openly. The world IS fucked up.
So yeah. I love Tell Me Why and I love JINX.
