SOS

"SOS" is widely interpreted as a poignant cry for help from Avicii (Tim Bergling), reflecting his personal battles with mental health, anxiety, and the pressures of fame. The lyrics, written by Avicii himself, are seen as a direct and honest expression of his struggles. Singer Aloe Blacc, who provides the vocals, stated, "I feel like 'SOS' was a song that was probably ahead of its time for when he wrote it. He wrote these lyrics obviously about some of his battles and I think it's a really important topic to approach and to share, especially with his visibility and his access to ears and hearts. To give people the words to be able to say 'I need help.'". The song's title itself is a universal distress signal, immediately setting a tone of desperation and urgency. Lines like "Can you hear me? S.O.S. Help me put my mind to rest" and references to substance use ("a pound of weed and a bag of blow") paint a stark picture of a mind in turmoil seeking peace. The narrative voice expresses a deep sense of vulnerability and the feeling of being overwhelmed, yet there's a glimmer of hope in the lyrics, particularly in the lines about feeling someone's love "pulling me up from the underground." This suggests that connection and love are seen as a potential lifeline. The song's release after his death gives the lyrics a particularly heartbreaking and profound weight, transforming it into a posthumous message and a powerful statement on mental health awareness.

The song opens with a direct and urgent plea for help, a distress signal to anyone who can hear. The narrator is asking for someone to help calm their troubled mind. They confess to a cycle of sobriety and relapse, feeling low despite being 'clean' twice, hinting at a struggle with addiction involving substances like weed and cocaine. There's a powerful sense of need and dependency, an admission that they can't overcome their struggles alone.

A recurring theme is the powerful, uplifting force of another person's love. This love is described as a force capable of pulling the narrator up from a dark, subterranean place, a metaphor for despair or depression. The lyrics suggest that this love is a potential replacement for substance abuse, stating a desire to not need drugs because their connection could be more than a casual, 'part-time' affair. This line is repeated, emphasizing a deep longing for a stable and meaningful relationship as a form of salvation.

The narrator's internal turmoil is further illustrated by sleepless nights where their thoughts begin to race and unravel. They feel a sense of being robbed of their own mind's peace. There's a feeling of wanting to let go of their struggles but not knowing how, a raw admission of helplessness. This desperation culminates in the repeated cry for that person's presence and support, a need that is immediate and overwhelming.

Throughout the song, the central message is a powerful contrast between the upbeat, melodic music and the dark, vulnerable lyrics. It's a cry for help disguised as a dance track. The repetition of 'Can you hear me? S.O.S.' serves as the song's emotional anchor, a raw expression of the need for connection and rescue from personal demons. The hope for a profound, loving relationship is presented as the ultimate antidote to the narrator's pain and addiction.

"SOS" was the first single released posthumously from Avicii's third studio album, Tim. The song was largely complete before Avicii's death in April 2018, with reports stating it was about 75-80% finished. The production was finalized by a team of his close collaborators, Albin Nedler and Kristoffer Fogelmark (Bonn). They meticulously worked from Avicii's notes, emails, and the MIDI files he had created. Fogelmark and Nedler emphasized that all the musical elements and notes in the final track were Avicii's own, preserving his unique sound and fingerprints on the song. Avicii had expressed in his personal notes that he wanted Aloe Blacc to be the vocalist for the track, continuing their successful collaboration from the 2013 hit "Wake Me Up". Aloe Blacc recorded his vocals after Avicii's passing, fulfilling Tim's vision for the song. The track also notably features an interpolation of the TLC hit "No Scrubs," crediting Tameka Cottle, Kandi Burruss, and Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs as songwriters alongside Bergling, Nedler, and Fogelmark. The song was released on April 10, 2019, with net proceeds from the album benefiting the Tim Bergling Foundation, an organization founded by Avicii's family to support mental health awareness and suicide prevention.

The most prominent symbol in the song is the title itself, "SOS." Originally a maritime distress signal, it has become a universal symbol for a desperate cry for help, immediately framing the song's narrative as one of urgent need and vulnerability. This is not a subtle metaphor; it's a direct and raw plea. The lyric "Can you hear me? S.O.S. / Help me put my mind to rest" reinforces this, personifying the narrator's internal state as a vessel in distress. Another key metaphor is the idea of love as a rescuing force, described in the line, "I can feel your love pulling me up from the underground." The "underground" represents a state of depression, despair, or the depths of addiction. Love is not just a comforting emotion but an active, physical force capable of rescue. The phrase "part-time lovers" suggests a yearning for a love that is constant and stable, not fleeting, implying that inconsistent support is insufficient to save him from the "underground." The lyrics also juxtapose darkness and light; the dark themes of mental struggle and addiction are set against the hope for salvation through love and connection, a common thematic element in Avicii's work.

The emotional landscape of "SOS" is profoundly melancholic and desperate, yet tinged with a fragile sense of hope. The primary emotion is one of despair, communicated through Aloe Blacc's soulful and pained vocal delivery and the starkly honest lyrics detailing struggles with mental health and addiction. The plea "Help me put my mind to rest" captures a state of intense mental exhaustion and turmoil. However, the song avoids being purely bleak. The upbeat, melodic electronic production, a hallmark of Avicii's style, creates a complex emotional juxtaposition. This contrast can be interpreted in several ways: as a facade of happiness hiding deep pain, or as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit trying to find light in the darkness. The recurring lines about feeling a loved one's touch "picking me up from the ground" introduce a powerful sense of hope and longing for connection as a means of salvation. This creates a dynamic shift from the verses' despair to the chorus's hopeful plea, resulting in an overall emotional tone that is deeply bittersweet and poignant.

"SOS" had a significant cultural impact upon its release, largely due to its posthumous nature and its poignant connection to Avicii's personal struggles. The song debuted at number one on the singles chart in Sweden and charted highly in numerous countries worldwide. It became Avicii's second number-one on the Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart in the US. Beyond its commercial success, the song and the accompanying album, Tim, sparked widespread conversations about mental health in the music industry and beyond. The raw honesty of the lyrics resonated deeply with fans, many of whom saw it as a final communication from the artist. The music video, which featured messages from fans on the Avicii Memory Board, further amplified this connection and served as a collective tribute. All proceeds from the song and album were directed to the Tim Bergling Foundation, a charity established by his family to focus on mental illness and suicide prevention, cementing the song's legacy as one of advocacy and awareness. "SOS" stands as a powerful and enduring testament to Avicii's musical genius and a heartbreaking reminder of the importance of mental wellbeing.

The rhyme scheme in "SOS" is relatively straightforward, primarily using couplets (AABB) and simple rhyme patterns which enhances its pop accessibility and sing-along quality. For instance, in the verses, you see rhymes like "low" and "blow," and "sleep" and "deep." This simple structure allows the emotional weight of the lyrics to take center stage without being obscured by complex poetic forms. The rhythm of the song is built around a mid-tempo, danceable beat, characteristic of the tropical house and EDM genres. The tempo creates a stark juxtaposition with the lyrical content, which is slow and heavy with despair. This contrast is a powerful artistic choice, creating a bittersweet or even unsettling feeling for the listener who pays attention to the words. The lyrical rhythm, particularly in the verses, is somewhat free and conversational, flowing naturally with the melody. The chorus, however, becomes more rhythmically defined and insistent, with the repetition of "Can you hear me? S.O.S." acting as a rhythmic and melodic hook. The interplay between the driving musical rhythm and the pleading, emotionally raw vocal rhythm is a key element in the song's overall impact.

Musically, "SOS" is a prime example of Avicii's signature style, blending electronic dance music with strong melodic and pop sensibilities. The track features a warm, tropical house-influenced synth lead and a danceable rhythm that contrasts sharply with the somber lyrical content, a technique Avicii often employed. The production, completed by Albin Nedler and Kristoffer Fogelmark, was noted for its faithfulness to Avicii's process; they used his original MIDI files, preserving his distinct keyboard-playing style, which sometimes included unconventional notes that added to his unique sound. The song is structured with floating, atmospheric verses that build into a tighter, drier chorus, creating a dynamic shift that mirrors the lyrical tension. Vocally, Aloe Blacc's soulful and powerful delivery adds a layer of raw emotion that brings the lyrical despair to the forefront. The song also incorporates a lyrical and melodic interpolation of TLC's "No Scrubs" in the line "I don't want no scrubs," which is creatively repurposed in the context of wanting a meaningful relationship over casual encounters. Lyrically, the song uses direct address ("Can you hear me?") and raw, confessional language ("a pound of weed and a bag of blow"), creating a sense of intimacy and stark honesty.