What better way to bring in the New Year than with a New Year’s resolution and Tame Impala’s song “New Person, Same Old Mistakes.”
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You may have already come across this song through Donald Glover's Atlanta FX series, Rihanna's cover featured in her ANTI album, or simply through being a Tame Impala fan.The last track on the Australian pop/psychedelic rock band’s album Currents represents what many of us face during the New Year: the battle to become a better self. How many promises do we make to ourselves on January 1st? How often are these promises, goals, and wishes forgotten or abandoned after a few months or even a few days? It is no secret that getting rid of old habits and stepping into unknown territory is difficult, whether that be dealing with the world outside ourselves or the world within us.
The song depicts the challenges of trying to be a new person yet always ending up in the same position over and over again. It seems as if the song is written in a dialogue form between one’s own conscience and one’s self. “Feel like a brand new person (but you make the same old mistakes).” The song reveals the opposing sides of Kevin Parker, lead singer, writer, and producer of Tame Impala. A side of him which is eager to explore his new found self and a side of him that seems to revert back to the same ways or “same old mistakes.”
Parker’s dilemma may resonate with many of us when attempting the whole “new year, new me” getup. It is a scrimmage between our pessimism and our optimism. The lyrics also allude to a person who is aware that there is an audience with judgment. We may be afraid or hesitant to change because we know someone is watching us. In fact, these are the sentiments Parker first shares in the first verse of the song: “I can just hear them now/ ‘How could you let us down?’” However, towards the end of the song Parker realizes that it should not matter to people, his life does not correspond to them: “I know that you think it’s fake/maybe fake’s what I like.”
We may be shook when attempting to fulfill our resolutions, promises, and goals because of the pressure of others and feeling as if we have to hold up a certain image of yourself, but Parker reminds us that it is not a battle between us and the world, rather us with our own self. Each hand with a sword.So remember, change is difficult, nevertheless it is worth the long fight if it's a fight for your own self-love.
And so your journey commences! Sing along with Tame Impala along the way! There's a song for it all! ;)
