Analysis of Placebo song 'Broken Promise'

The song 'Broken Promise' can potentially refer to many different situations and has several possible interpretations.

After researching other peoples interpretations of the meaning behind the song I concluded that the song could potentially refer to adultery. This is supported by the line 'And hide my Cuckold eyes'. The earliest written use of the word derives from Middle English in 19250 and usually means a woman is adulterous. 'Cuckold' is often written as 'wearing the horns', with a connotational meaning of a wife's infidelity. In modern days, the word is often used to refer to male adultery. With regards to the song, the speaker states that they 'hide' their 'cuckold eyes'. This suggests that the character is aware of his partners adultery however chooses to hide from the knowledge. This is supported by other lyrics in the song, ''I'll wait my turn' and 'as we live and learn'. The overall interpretation of the song suggests a man has learnt that his partner has been adulterous and is remaining quiet about having this knowledge, however plans to make it clear that he knows later 'To tear inside you.'

The song title 'A Broken Promise' may refer to a promise made between a couple to remain faithful, however the promise was not kept. The word 'Broken' has connotations for sadness and pain, a broken heart for example.

The song is very emotional and the personal emotion from lead singer Brian Molko is evident. The lead singer of Placebo is openly bisexual and therfore this song may relate to a male relationship he had. This suggestion has been made by fans because Michael Stipe, lead singer from a band called REM, featured as a vocalist in this song and is rumoured to have had a relationship with Brian Molko. Regardless of whether the song has a personal and emotional meaning for Placebo, I believe the song hits deep at the listeners heart and is powerfully emotional.

As a listener myself I obviously hold my own views and interpretations of the songs meaning. When listening to the song I imagine a lonely person commenting on how fate has changed for them, 'Now I watch as tables turn.' The song later changes to a person commenting on somebody elses mistakes and poor apologies. The song is filled with emotions such as love, hate, sadness and regret. The use of the first-person plural 'We'll' suggests unity at the start of the song. In contrast the song ends with 'I'll', a first-person singular word, suggesting detachment and isolation. This is similar to the feelings portrayed in the lyrics. For example, the song starts off as a speaker commenting on the sudden change of events and saying what will happen 'We'll cry about this'. However the lyrics become more aggressive and exclamatory as the song picks up in tune and rythm. 'I'll wait my turn to terrorise you'. This dennotes a person causing pain to another and speaking directly to them. The line connotates for the speaker suggesting many people despise the person he is speaking to as he will have to wait in line to 'terrorise' the person. The line 'Watch you burn' is graphic and causes vivid pictures to spring to mind. The use of 'burn' causes the listener to imagine colours such as red and orange, wheras 'cry'may suggest blue.

Conclusively, the lyrics have an individual interpretation for each listener and although most likely refer to adultery, this may not be the case at all. Overall the song is packed with emotion and musically appealing to listeners who prefer sad, emotional songs.