to expand on the icarus falls analysis! it makes so much sense!!! though while i actually think that the relationship between icarus and apollo was created by fans and not actually part of the story, the theory still fits! the myth of icarus is essentially about the consequences that come with ambition/chasing pleasure and idealism (a sort of light vs dark idea, which also exists in “pillowtalk”: “i’m seeing the pain, seeing the pleasure… it’s our paradise and it’s our war zone”) and being that zayn chose this myth as the theme for his album, it’s so clear which is which for him:
i mean zayn is scary consistent with the songs on the icarus part of the album. not only are they all about love but they’re all about a devoted, passionate, soulmate type of love. the amount of times he sings about fate!!! (“what if we never met?” “we got such a spiritual connection,” “a million chances of our glances, catching eyes across the room… this world’s filled, somehow i see you,” “i would live a thousand lifetimes if it’s you i’m sent to find,” “anywhere you go, round the universe, i’ll be there,” “i know we’ve met before,” “something divine, planets align, where we should be,” “i know i’ve seen your face in different times and places,” “i’m in the right place at the right time”) zayn himself insists “let me” is a wedding song. (“let me be your man so i can love you for the rest of my life, for the rest of yours, for the rest of ours”) he’s singing about a serious, committed, long-lasting relationship he’s willing to fight for. (“move all the water, babe, lift the rocks up, tide getting stuck, nothing can stop us,” “we’d still make it if the planets all faded away,” “i go where you go, go through armageddon… standing on the edge of no tomorrow… this could be the end of me… i still follow,“ “as long as you’re feeling the same, i’ll follow you into the flames,” “i don’t mind falling if it means i get to fly again”) in “there you are,” zayn implies he got into trouble by becoming secretly involved with someone: “whispers in the background, behind closed doors. i got myself in a mess and without you i’m in more…that’s why i went to war.” (this also reminds me of “i won’t mind” where he sings, “we messed around until we found the one thing we said we could never ever live without. i’m not allowed to talk about it, but i gotta tell you, cause we are who we are when no one’s watching.”)
by the end of icarus it’s obvious the sun (“you glow… you burn so bright you could blind somebody”), what encourages him to fly, what tempts him to risk it all, is the person he’s in love with.
transitioning over to the dark side of things: the fall of icarus. what are the consequences that zayn has had to face by falling in love with this person? it’s in the falls side of the album that zayn sings about fame and the strain its had on his mental health, relationships, and love life. some songs, like “fingers” and “fresh air” for example, are harder to decipher since we don’t actually know the specifics of his relationships. some songs don’t feel like they belong on the album at all, like the features. they seem to disrupt the balance that the album would’ve had if there were only 25 songs instead of 27 (i can only speculate) but… there are other songs that just scream pr relationship!
in the icarus interlude, zayn starts off by comparing himself to icarus: “call me icarus. i guess i flew too close to the sun. myth’ll call me legend, and imma be one in my yves saint laurent.” he does a play on words when he sings “legend.” he means both a myth (because of the tale of icarus and daedalus that he’s referencing in the line that precedes it) and a celebrity. and as a celebrity (post-1d) he’s been branded a style icon by being associated with a certain famous supermodel. all the promotion he gets he gets from modeling luxury brands, magazine cover shoots, and attending fashion shows, hence the yves saint laurent mention. “get the bees coming in for the honey i supply,” meaning he provides, whether that’s media attention, press, money. he follows that with “and if you ain’t got it now, then you’re in for a surprise” suggesting he knows something that the general public doesn’t. he knows the casual listener won’t catch on to what he’s trying to say. zayn then finishes with, “ain’t no stopping what i feel…it’s you i feel… i’ve been lying with the liars every night, lying cause i’m flying.” this to me sounds like zayn proclaiming that his downfall (consequence) for “flying” (falling in love) is having to “lie” (stunt). and so he’s introduced the next part of the album…
“good guy” is so obviously a song about how he gets portrayed as a bad boy in the media. he sings, “i’ve seen this scene before…my lines, look into your eyes, say ‘i’m not a good guy.’”* forever, zayn has taken the blame for his failed public relationships and inflicting emotional turmoil on his innocent love interests. (which btw every single girl zayn’s been associated with since the start of his career has been thin, white, and blonde… that should tell you enough) from his multiple cheating scandals and breaking off an engagement with his four-year girlfriend/fiancée through text or a phone call/voicemail (??? depending on where you get your information from) to being painted as a dependent, emotionally unstable on-again, off-again boyfriend. this is zayn telling us none of it is true.
*note: acting/having lines/playing a part in a scene/pretending/lying is a recurring theme in this album! (see also: “back to life”: “what if i said game over? what if i forget my lines and i lose all my composure?”)
“you wish you knew” is just a follow up to this. it goes, “don’t wanna put my love in you, don’t wanna make a headline and lose, don’t wanna be the one that you choose, cause I’m the one that you wish you knew” so zayn is unwillingly participating in a relationship… where there’s no real feelings… no personal or emotional connection… and he feels like he’s being used… and the only thing he gains from it is a bad rep… how else do you interpret this?
while “entertainer” reads more like two people falling out of love but maintaining the relationship and playing with each other’s feelings, it’s obvious that the song was written out of a more general idea: a relationship where both parties are pretending to be in love. zayn, again, talks about feeling used. “you were my favorite entertainer. i’d watch you, i’d laugh, i would fuck with you… i would fake it too… i’ll turn you down when you need me the most… i know you need me the most.”
“scripted” reminds me of “it’s you”* in the way that zayn sings about two different people. there’s a she and there’s a you. when it comes to she he sings, “fuzzy broken scenes, finding words don’t have flow… hold her close finding love, hearts don’t feel the same… i don’t wanna say what’s scripted.” pretty self-explanatory. and when he sings about you he goes, “it feels right, when it’s only you and i” (he sings “you and i” 5x which is really just him screaming ziam! ziam! ziam! ziam! ziam!) right before he sings “you and i” though, he sings, “you still remember my eyes even if the men in black flashed their light into your eyes.” this line is a reference to the nueralyzer, a device from the movie “men in black” that’s used by the MiB to erase a person’s memories in order to keep what they do a secret. and so from this we can infer that there’s some sort of authority in zayn’s life intent on keeping his relationship with you a secret or intent on keeping them apart, unlike zayn’s relationship with her which is clearly just for show.
*(“its you”: “she got her own reasons for talking to me. she don’t give a fuck about what i need” vs “it’s you… am i wrong for wanting us to make it?”)
in conclusion, zayn uses the myth of icarus as a metaphor for his life. this is probably the loudest he’s ever been and yet no one seems to question the authenticity of his public image. we’re talking about 12 songs in row that consistently detail how deeply in love he is, followed by a straightforward statement on how he isn’t the type of person he’s portrayed as and heavy implications of him also participating in phony relationships. and while i’m sure zayn must’ve fictionalized some lines in his music too, he is the one writing all these songs. it’s not just a coincidence that the same ideas are repeated multiple times throughout the album. it becomes so obvious with context. i can’t imagine taking it another way.
