Alicia Keys believes celebrities are the standard for wonderful relationships in the horrid "Unbreakable."
Keys intros the song. She says that it's new. She encourages the crowd to get into the song as she plays the opening notes. It sets a promising tone.
"Clap your hands everybody/Clap your hands/Come on, keep it going/Clap your hands everybody/Clap your hands everybody/Clap your hand/
Lets do it, you ready?/Come on."
In the first verse, she says he could physically abuse her, like Ike Turner. They could contribute to their community and talk to young people about getting an education, like Bill Cosby. Camille is his wife, who is referenced also. She says they could be billionaires like Oprah Winfrey and her boyfriend Stedman Graham. She says they could live in the Cabrini-Green projects like James and Flo Evans on the sitcom Good Times. She adds they are just like the Evanses: they make jokes to get through the hard times. Meanwhile, their goofy neighbors will drop in and hilarity ensues.
"We could fight like Ike and Tina/Or give back like Bill and Camille/Be rich like Oprah and Stedman/Or instead struggle like Flo and James Evans."
In the pre-chorus, she says they need to be as optimistic as the fictional characters they watch every week.
"'Cause he ain't no different from you/And she ain't no different from me/So we got to live our dreams/Like the people on TV."
In the chorus, she compares their relationship to a television show. Sometimes, like relationships, words get fuzzy and aren't heard. Something is always going to happen, like the plot. Even though they may have to seperate temporarily, they will be back together within the week.
"We gotta stay tuned/'Cause there's more to see (Unbreakable)/Through the technical difficulties (Unbreakable)/We might have to take a break/But ya'll know we'll be back next week/I'm singing this love is unbreakable
Oh yeah, yeah."
Keys once again encourages the crowd to get into it.
"Yeah, clap your hands everybody/Clap your hands everybody/Let's do it like this, come on."
In the second verse, she says they could reveal every TMI part of their relationship like actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. They could be enterpreneurs Kimora and Russell Simmons. She says they could attack the press when someone says something bad about them like in the Jackson family. She says they could even have about five kids. They could have a Jackson 5 of their own.
"See, we could act out like Will and Jada(Will and Jada)/Or like Kimora and Russell makin' paper, oh yeah/All in the family like the Jacksons(like the Jacksons)/And have enough kids to make a band like Joe and Katherine, yeah."
In the pre-chorus, she says like, Katherine, she's meek and like Joseph, he will be a drill sargent to the kids.
"She ain't no different from me...like the people on TV."
The chorus is sung again.
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Article comments
1 - boothy
I think you may have taken this too literally ( forgive me but you I'm assuming your American so no surprise there)
She maybe holding these celebrity figures in high esteem as people to admire and perhaps copy, but the whole song has a tongue in cheek feel to it and to suggest that Alicia is actually saying "These people are good lets do what they do" is a tad rediculous.
What ever you do please don't listen to Marilyn Manson !!
2 - reggie von woic
Come now, Pam. I think you're being a little too harsh on Alicia. Like Boothy said above, you're taking the meaning of the whole thing a little too literally.
3 - Not Important
Oh my God!
What was that?
Have you ever listend to her song?
And even more important: Have you ever tried to unsterstand it the way Keys perhaps meant it?
My english is bad and I may not know all of these shows and stars she is singing about, but to me your interpretation is the absolute oposite of what Keys is singing.
She sings:
'Cause he ain't no different from you
And she ain't no different from me"
First of all:
She says "she ain't no different from ME! "
Thats very important!
She isn't taltking about herself as great star you should becomme like. Or as something better than you or me. She sees us and her equal.
Sorry but - i really absolutely cant understand your review.
"he ain't no different from you"
NO DIFFERENT!!!!
So why do you think she wants us to becomme as perfect as these stars are (your interpretation)
She says - there is no difference.
I cant get this!
Then she goes on by singing:
"So we got to live our dreams
Like the people on T.V."
We got to live OUR!!! dreams like they do.
People always look at these stars and tink:
Wow aren't they pretty, wow isn't there live perfect.
Coulnd't I be like Jada Smith and my boyfriend be as cool as Will Smith?
Could't we be as happy as they are?
So Keys says:
You (here too she is talking about herself- WE!) got to live your dreams, like they do.
Dont look at them and try to be as they are.
There ist no difference between you and her and your boyfriend and him.
Live YOUR dreams like they do, too.
You heared this part?
"No thing, no money, no sin, no temptation, talking 'bout nothing"
NOOOO money !
Not get rich like Oprah.
She says: We could be rich like they are.
Not we should be rich like them.
We could but it is not necessary!
Have you ever listend to any song from Keys?
"Some people need three dozen roses, and thats the only way to prove your love them"
"But I dont want nothing at all"
Im sorry but i just cant understand, how someone can interpret a song that "wrong"
To me it seems, you just wanted to see the song the way you did.
It seems you didn't even try to understand the song.
4 - Not Important
Im sorry, my comment was a little insulting.
I should have sad that more friendly.
Sorry for that
5 - sina
lol, u sound bitter.
Nothin irritates me more than ppl who overanalyze music that's SUPPOSED to be positive. Ppl like this writer are just folks who wanna b*tch and whine so they can get their name out there.
Get some soul in your spine willya?(oh wait, this person may shudder @ such a backwards thought.) Fundamentalists boyyy....
6 - Anita Jo
Whoever wrote this has OVER ANALYSED.
This song is inspirational.
This song is beautiful,
Whoever wrote this don't know anything.
Im even tempted to say whoever wrote this is not intelligent bt think about it Ill say this instead.
For some reason totally unknown to me and that is not apparent in this false, misleading review, the person who wrote it must have it in for Alicia Keys coz they just dissed her DOWN, but they had no right to do that.
We love Alicia and she is a real deep person, don't call her DIM. She certainly isn't that and for that reason she wouldn't even think that "celebrities are the standard for wonderful relationships" let alone believe it or write a song about it.
Who is the dim one? I think it is you.
And don't you ever call this song or anything related to Alicia Keys 'horrid'. Boy, you just offended me too by saying those false things.
7 - Erin
I think you might be a little jealous of the fact that Alicia Keys could sing about taking a dump and it would sound beautiful AND top the charts.
8 - jay
pam,you're an ass
this is a good and funny(lyrics) song
don't be jealous of alicia