In 2017, Tyler, The Creator impressed critics and audiences alike with Flower Boy, a project that managed to show his immense growth, even with his rapping occupying only a fraction of it’s 46 minute run time. On it, Tyler explores the complexities of love, individuality, and storytelling all while experimenting with his own unique production style. Through a diverse group of songs, with inspirations ranging from Stevie Wonder to Pharrell (who appears on the album), he uses his music to create detailed imagery and evoke emotion. Whether it be the palpable lethargy of “Boredom” or nostalgia for the past in “November”, Tyler, The Creator’s musicianship masterfully conveys to the audience both sentiment and narrative.
One of my favorite examples of his brilliant storytelling on this album is its fourth track “See You Again”. A hazy hip-hop ballad, the lyrics of this song reveal the simultaneously heart wrenching and heart warming story of a love interest who may not be real, but is the object of some very real affections. Kali Uchis’ divine vocals float over the heavenly cocktail of piano and synths that are propped up by a 4/4 beat which helps drive Tyler’s declarations of adoration (and frustration) with his ideal lover. His inability to control himself, attributed to the fact that “cupid hit [him] with precision”, only further illustrates the sense of urgency that is felt even with the calmest of melodies playing.
There is something depressing yet endearing about the speaker timidly asking if they can “get a kiss” before they “go to war” which, as Tyler himself explains, represents waking up from the fairy-tale that he’s created. The question adding another layer to the dream by acknowledging that this person, a figment of the speaker’s own imagination, could still reject them. The sense of conflict that arises when Tyler confrontationally spits “You don’t understand me, what the fuck do you mean?” over a rougher rhythm further alerts the listener to the potential friction that he has with his “perfect” lover. The fact that even this ideal person, still doesn’t fully understand Tyler’s affection, or what he’s trying to convey to them, continues to tie together the threads of infatuation, expectation, and idealism that run through this song.
On “See You Again” Tyler, The Creator succeeds in taking the listener to an ethereal landscape while offering a painfully real take on relationships, and he does it so well that you can’t help but want to listen to the song over and over again.
