C R I T I C A L A N A LY S I S O F T H E LY R I C S O F

“ H URRICANE” BY E RIC B ENET

Craig Cole
1st Year Student Writer

The chart-topping title single, “Hurricane”, of Eric Benét’s 2005 album is an epitome of creative
genius in musical lyricism. “Hurricane” was released shortly after Benét’s marriage to famed
actress Halle Berry ended in a divorce and the event seems to have had much impact on the
direction of the piece. The lyrics tell of a person who receives enlightenment on the things that are
important in a relationship only after stormy break-up. This message is smartly delivered but
subtly enshrouded in the metaphors, contrast and conflict, and philosophical nuances divvied
throughout the lyrics.

Benét craftily uses figurative language to add colour and depth to this relatively common motif in
the R&B genre; where someone is apologetic or shows remorse for being neglectful in a
relationship after it has lapsed. With metaphors he likens the fights and subsequent separation to
the passing of a hurricane, but while similar artists would typically harp on the hurricane’s
destructive power as being negative, he focuses on the serenity and clarity left in its wake,

“All the walls around are broken down

Now I can hear the rising sun.”
Herein lies another literary device in use, that of contrast and conflict. He presents this conflict as a
fear of losing something that has become commonplace in character’s life versus the destruction
and turmoil that, ironically, results in introspective awareness of the mistakes made. This
oxymoron is seen in verse two:

“Sometimes what you fear the most is what you need

To find that road
Right around that curve a lesson learned
Now that I have the eyes to see”
The third verse is possibly the most complex of the three. Instead of simply summing-up the song
as final verses usually do, it delves into the issue of the break-up for which the he admits blame
and asks what can be done but doesn’t resolve with an answer. A possible translation of the verse
is this, --I got caught up in the pleasures of life and failed to appreciate the value of some of the
important things necessary in maintaining a healthy relationship, like how to love and respect
those I care about. Despite the constant admonitions of my partner I selfishly pursued my own
desires with oblivion. This selfishness is not characteristic of the person who I used to be, when and
how I will be able to renounce this trait is still unknown-- Though the song’s portrayal of the issue
seems straightforward it has an underlying philosophical depth expressing an attraction to the
unattainable. Benét allows the character to acknowledge his part in the degeneration of the union
but doesn’t say if the person is indeed remorseful and changed or just acting out of desperation
to reclaim what is lost. This verse leaves the audience questioning whether or not the character will
fall into retrogression if the partnership is attempted again. Who is to say that he wouldn't, after a
while, divert his interest to “poise and toys”?

Eric Benét has written a song that impels one to marvel at the beauty in language. He proves that
simplicity does not subtract from depth as he has used simple elements of life: relationships and
weather, to express his feelings of loss and uncertainty. I had to listen to the song many times
and read the lyrics repeatedly before I was able to come close to understanding the message
beneath the words, of peace in self-awareness versus loneliness. The “Hurricane” he says, “is the
only thing that brings you back again”. Yet it is still unclear as to what the character in the song is
brought back to; back to a time in the relationship when things we're going well, before the
distractions took over or back to a realization of his true identity before the presence of a
significant other? Indeed, it is left to the imagination, as only Mr. Benét knows the true answer.