Singer/songwriter Carol Ades phenomenally unveils the fears and hope sitting at the back of her mind in “Hope Is a Scary Thing,” the fourth track on her debut album, ‘Late Start.’
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“Hope Is a Scary Thing” – Carol Ades
Back of my mind, back of my mind, I’m a little scared, I’m a little wired…
As the fourth track of Carol Ades’ masterful indie pop debut album, “Hope Is a Scary Thing” may be one of the key songs that shines a spotlight on the emotional depth that Ades never seems to leave out of her artwork. A coming-of-age anthem that is part of a coming-of-age album (called Late Start), this is one of Ades’ most melancholic and slow-rhythmed tracks.
Back o’ my mind, back o’ my mind
I’m a little scared, I’m a little wired
I don’t wanna put my foot down
right now and stop it all happening
Back o’ my mind, back o’ my head
You look really nice, wanna share a bed?
I don’t wanna put my foot down
right now but it’s happening
Don’t kiss me,
’cause I might end up on the ceiling
Way too high to ever
come down to reality
Back to my sanity,
guess it’s too late for that now
Hope is a scary thing
Hope is a scary thing
I’m flying on temporary wings
Hope is a scary thing
“Hope Is a Scary Thing” was written five years ago, and represented what Ades would describe as “the beginning of what would be the next few years of learning that things don’t always go to plan.”
The title of the song is a statement that mentions the main themes of the song: hope and fear. Nonetheless, questions about timing and being ready are presented throughout this ballad, and they do come from Ades’ honesty and overthinking.
Stop lookin’ at me like that
Stop lookin’ at me like you’re happy
‘Cause I can really take an inch
and start caring from nothing
Did I get too carried away?
Do I come off overwhelming?
Yeah, ’cause I could really see us
marriеd with three kids or something
What predominates in this track isn’t the instrumentals, yet Ades’ vocals, as well as the backing vocals, that create a wider, more realistic scene of the singer’s mind, which goes through questions or even thoughts that would typically be in the back of her head. “I’m not ready (Hope is a scary thing) / How do you know when you’re ready?” are a fragment of the bridge and expose the struggle to face and accept hope while expressing fear. Something strange to identify in a song, but Ades sure knows how to do it: Lifting something positive, some hope, while revealing one’s fears or struggles.
Don’t kiss me, ’cause I might еnd up on the ceiling
Way too high to ever come down to reality
Back to my sanity, guess it’s too late for that now
Hope is a scary thing
Hope is a scary thing
I’m flying on temporary wings
Hope is a scary thing
This song also explores relationships, an aspect that takes quite a portion of the mind. In this case, the “26” singer reflects on adolescence and even the way love makes us look forward and inward all at once, while we also try to step back from dreamlike or optimistic thinking. Whatever the issues faced in the song, it is without a doubt a comfort to the listener to find themselves engaged in words honest and vulnerable.
In an interview with The New Nine, the musician talked about her work being so personal and letting it out into the world of music: “I like to think of it as a giant practice of telling the truth. All my songs are my deepest truths, and writing is honestly the only space I have where I feel like I can tell the complete truth because I’m writing it for me, and only I know when I’m lying or sugarcoating. But most songs come out a year or even more after I’ve written them, so the emotions aren’t as present as when I first wrote them, which makes it a lot easier to embrace the process.”
Ades’ songwriting and storytelling are also visible through her collaborations and credits on songs for other renowned artists like Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, and Gracie Abrams.
Released in September 2024, Ades’ highly anticipated Late Start has been praised for the sincerity of her emotions, expressions of girlhood, and musical and lyrical depth.
It was time for Ades to tell a longer story in the authenticity she’s always demonstrated, which she has now done in the thirteen tracks.
“Hope Is a Scary Thing” conveys a true, strong message, like so many of Carol Ades’ songs do. Surely, Ades’ future songs and albums will be just as wonderfully original.
Guess it all comes down to hope.
I’m not ready
(Hope is a scary thing)
How do you know when you’re ready?
(Hope is a scary thing)
When does the happy outweigh all the scary?
I guess it all comes down to hope
Oh, I don’t think that I’m ready
(Hope is a scary thing)
But how do you know when you’re ready?
(Hope is a scary thing)
When does the happy outweigh all the scary?
I guess it all comes down to hope
I guess it all comes down to hope
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“Hope Is a Scary Thing” – Carol Ades
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