A Viral Tweet Sent OutKast Fans Looking Up The Real Meaning Of The “Hey Ya!” Lyrics
“’Hey Ya!’ is pretty much about the state of relationships in the 2000s.”
OutKast’s “Hey Ya!” was released nearly two decades ago, but the song is still earning strong interest from fans. A viral tweet from the official OutKast account sparked renewed interest in the song’s lyrics on Genius this week.
The tweet used the Twitter brackets meme format to reflect on how sad “Hey Ya!” is, despite the song’s upbeat feel.
Meanwhile, another Twitter user pointed out how there’s an open casket in the music video—something many people have overlooked for years.
Since the initial tweet, over 32,000 people have flocked to the lyrics page for “Hey Ya!” on Genius, a marked increase from the 6,039 people who visited the page in the seven days before the tweet.
Despite the surprise of some fans, OutKast’s André 3000 has always been very straightforward about the song’s meaning.
“‘Hey Ya!’ is pretty much about the state of relationships in the 2000s,” said André to MTV in 2004. “It’s about some people who stay together in relationships because of tradition, because somebody told them, ‘You guys are supposed to stay together.’ But you pretty much end up being unhappy for the rest of your life.”
The song’s lyrics also play into the loose narrative of The Love Below album. As the album’s ninth track, the song comes at the point in the story where André has fallen in love with a woman but is now having second thoughts about commitment and wondering if things will last. Those feelings lead to some of the song’s most memorable lyrics but also underline the song’s dark undertone about love, happiness, and commitment:
If what they say is “Nothing is forever”
Then what makes, then what makes, then what makes
Then what makes, what makes, what makes love the exception?
So why oh, why oh, why oh, why oh, why oh
Are we so in denial when we know we’re not happy here?
Elsewhere in his interview with MTV, André clarified the song was not based on his personal experiences. “The song isn’t autobiographical, it’s more like fantasies or tangents based on real life,” said André. “Moments from my life spark a thought when I’m writing.”
Released in 2003, “Hey Ya!” was a worldwide hit and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s been certified Platinum.
Read all the lyrics to OutKast’s “Hey Ya!” on Genius now.
