Introduction
The audience typically perceives pop songs from the 90s as light-hearted, upbeat, and cheery, often telling love stories from a clichéd perspective and portraying love as a trivial concept. Most of the love pop songs of the time were not concerned with the dark side of love and did not reveal or try to depict the hidden nature of this feeling. Currently, there is an emerging trend to address the unspoken in music. More musicians choose to talk about abuse, toxicity, unconventional relationships, and other hidden truths of love in their songs.
Kylie Minogue, however, was ahead of her time in the 90s, and her song “Better the Devil You Know” became a powerful anthem that explores the complexities of relationships and the fear of the unknown. I believe that “Better the Devil You Know” was one of the first widely known hits that discussed the issue of toxic relationships long before the topic of toxicity began to be exploited in popular music and art.
Analysis
Minogue’s song explores the challenges of leaving a toxic relationship. More than thirty years ago, when the song was released, little to no attention was paid to the hardships of abusive relationships. Neither was it discussed how difficult it was to leave such relationships. Most of the pieces of advice that were concerned with cutting the ties with the abuser consisted of telling the woman to leave. Stockholm syndrome, unhealthy attachment, and other problems were completely unknown concepts to people.
Minogue’s song, however, is one of the first to focus solely on this unhealthy attachment. She sings: “Say you won’t leave me no more, I’ll take you back again”, meaning that she is ready to forgive her lover despite all the damage he has done to her (Minogue, 1990). She is completely aware that her lover is the devil and that he will keep hurting her, but she knows she will never be able to leave him, no matter what he does.
Another aspect related to the inability to leave a relationship, as Kylie Minogue discusses in her song, is the human tendency to gravitate towards the familiar rather than choosing the unfamiliar. Many people are afraid to leave unhealthy relationships precisely because of their fear of facing the unknown, even though they realize that the unknown might turn out to be better than what they have now. They prefer the pain they know they can endure to the pain that they are afraid they will encounter if they leave their present lover.
Therefore, they remain where they are, as the familiar devil is better than the unfamiliar one, according to them. This is what Kylie’s song is talking about: she sings, “Better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t”, implying that there is comfort even in being hurt if you already know how it is going to happen (Minogue, 1990). Being inside this relationship is a certain comfort zone, and Kylie Minogue’s character is not willing to step out of it.
Another aspect of the basis of a toxic relationship that Kylie’s song talks about is people’s fear of being alone. When one is stuck in an unhealthy relationship and cannot leave it, the primary reason is that they feel that they will not be able to survive on their own. Many people, particularly women, come to believe that their value does not extend beyond their love life. They are somehow convinced that the moment they leave their relationship, they will stop being worthy of love.
This stems from the fact that women often lose themselves in the person they are with, and thus, cannot imagine their life without them. They are scared to have to reinvent themselves once they find themselves alone, without having to rely on the figure of their lover. This is precisely what happens to the character of Kylie Minogue’s song. She says, “I’ll forgive and forget if you say you’ll never go”, which shows that the thing she is most scared of is ending up alone (Minogue, 1990). Her lover’s staying is seen as the greatest reward, while his leaving is the most terrifying outcome.
Conclusion
To conclude, Kylie Minogue’s song has a depth that explores the complex nature of romantic relationships. This song is more than a simple, catchy ’90s pop song, as it touches upon a topic that was relatively uncommon for that period. “Better the Devil You Know” discusses toxic relationships from the perspective of a person who cannot escape this kind of relationship, which is why this song was written ahead of time.
The work reveals what makes it so hard for a person to leave someone who hurts them, focusing on the fear of the unknown and the fear of ending up alone as the primary reasons. Overall, the song is a dark yet relevant and compelling work of art that people continue to relate to today.
Reference
Minogue, K. (1990). Better the devil you know. On Rhythm of Love. Mushroom Records.