I Hope

"I Hope" is a revenge anthem that cleverly subverts the trope of a typical breakup song. On the surface, the lyrics appear to be a string of well-wishes for an ex-boyfriend and his new partner. The narrator "hopes" he is happy, finds true love, and that his new relationship is everything he ever wanted. However, this is a carefully constructed facade. The song's central meaning pivots on a dramatic twist at the end of the chorus: after building a picture of his perfect new life, the narrator reveals her true desire is for him to experience the same betrayal she did, singing, "And then I hope she cheats, like you did on me." This reveals the initial 'hopes' as sarcastic and bitter, designed to heighten the eventual pain she wishes upon him. The song is an exploration of the raw, unspoken anger and desire for karmic justice that can follow infidelity. It gives voice to the internal havoc wreaked by heartbreak, moving from feigned grace to unapologetic vengeance.

The song begins with the narrator seemingly extending sincere well-wishes to her former lover and his new partner. She hopes his new girlfriend makes him smile in the same way the narrator once did, especially during intimate moments like a late-night phone call while driving alone. She continues this theme, hoping he hears a song on the radio that makes him think of his new love, causing the miles to just fly by. The chorus elevates this apparent benevolence, with the narrator hoping they feel an undeniable romantic spark by the end of their first drive and that he recognizes her as "the one" by the end of the night. She wishes him a newfound sense of freedom and happiness that he can't wait to tell his friends about.

The narrator then paints a picture of him falling deeply in love, hoping the new woman completely upends his life plans in the best way possible. She imagines him spending all his money on an engagement ring for her, believing this new woman is even better than his wildest dreams and everything he could ever possibly need. It’s at this pinnacle of idyllic romance that the song’s true intention is brutally revealed. After building up this perfect relationship for him in her mind, she delivers the gut punch: "And then I hope she cheats, like you did on me."

In the second verse, the narrator meticulously details the pain she wants him to experience. She hopes his new girlfriend's infidelity is revealed through a 2 AM picture from a friend, showing her with another man. She wants him to suffer through sleepless nights, anxiously waiting by the phone for an explanation that only comes when his girlfriend finally calls. Continuing the charade of 'hoping for the best,' the narrator then says she hopes they manage to work things out, that he forgives her, and they even go on another first date to rekindle their romance. But this is all part of the setup for the ultimate karmic retribution. As he leans in to kiss his new love, the chorus repeats, reinforcing the wish that just as he believes things are perfect again, he is once more confronted with the pain of betrayal.

The bridge summarizes the core sentiment of the song: a raw desire for poetic justice. The narrator hopes that the old adage "what goes around, comes around" proves true. Her ultimate wish is for him to feel the exact same gut-wrenching pain and heartbreak about his new partner that she currently feels about him. The song concludes with a final, powerful repetition of the chorus, leaving no doubt about the narrator's true, vengeful 'hope'.

Gabby Barrett co-wrote "I Hope" with Zachary Kale and Jon Nite on Halloween of 2018. The song was inspired by a painful breakup Barrett experienced in high school. The initial idea proposed during the writing session was to create a song where a woman, despite being wronged, genuinely wishes her ex well. Barrett, however, felt this wasn't a realistic or honest reaction to being cheated on and pushed back against the concept. While listing out the seemingly kind wishes for the chorus, such as "I hope you both feel the sparks by the end of the drive," Barrett had a moment of inspiration and blurted out the twist, "And then I hope she cheats." This joke became the song's pivotal hook and defined its vengeful nature. At the time, Barrett had recently finished third on American Idol but was struggling to get attention from record labels. She released "I Hope" independently at first, and its immediate success, including shooting to number one on iTunes, led to her signing a record deal with Warner Music Nashville, who then officially released the single on July 29, 2019. The track was produced by Ross Copperman and co-writer Zachary Kale. A massively popular remix featuring Charlie Puth was released on April 17, 2020, after Puth contacted Barrett on Instagram to express his admiration for the song. Puth wrote and added his own verse, giving a male perspective to the experience of being cheated on.

The rhyme scheme in "I Hope" is relatively straightforward, primarily using couplets (AABB) within its verses, which is common in country and pop music and enhances its memorable, sing-along quality. For example, in the first verse, "smile" rhymes with "smile" (as a repetition) and "phone" with "alone." The chorus also follows a simple, effective rhyme pattern. The song's rhythm contributes significantly to its emotional arc. It begins with a slower tempo, creating a ballad-like feel that aligns with the initial feigned sincerity. As it transitions into the chorus, the tempo and intensity increase, driven by a heavy snap track and more forceful instrumentation, shifting the song into a powerful country-rock anthem. This rhythmic change underscores the dramatic shift in the lyrics from wishing well to wishing for revenge. The interplay between the conversational lyrical rhythm and the driving musical rhythm in the chorus creates a compelling tension that captures the song's core conflict between outward civility and inner rage.

"I Hope" employs a powerful narrative structure that builds suspense before delivering a shocking twist, a key literary technique. The song is told from a first-person perspective, creating an intimate and conversational, yet ultimately vengeful, tone. Musically, the song utilizes a dynamic build-up that mirrors the lyrical shift from feigned sweetness to raw anger. The verses are relatively restrained, with softer instrumentation, creating a sense of placidity. However, the production swells into a powerful, rock-influenced chorus with heavy drums and electric guitars, reflecting the narrator's underlying fury. Barrett's vocal performance is a crucial stylistic element; she delivers the verses with a hint of country twang and sincerity, which makes the shift to her powerful, soaring, and raw delivery in the chorus more impactful. This vocal versatility and emotional range have drawn comparisons to Carrie Underwood, particularly her hit "Before He Cheats." The remix version adds another layer by incorporating Charlie Puth's distinct pop sensibility and vocals, turning the monologue into a duet and broadening its stylistic appeal.

"I Hope" became a massive crossover hit, launching Gabby Barrett to stardom following her third-place finish on American Idol. The song was a commercial juggernaut, becoming the best-selling country song of 2020 in the U.S. and topping multiple Billboard charts, including Country Airplay, Hot Country Songs, Adult Pop Songs, and the all-format Radio Songs chart. It peaked at number three on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 and spent a remarkable 62 weeks on the chart. Its 20-week run atop the Hot Country Songs chart made Barrett the first solo female artist to hold the top spot for that long. A significant factor in its crossover success was the remix featuring pop star Charlie Puth, which was created after Puth messaged Barrett on Instagram praising the original. This collaboration introduced the song to a wider pop audience and added a male perspective to the narrative. The song has been compared to Carrie Underwood's iconic revenge anthem "Before He Cheats" and is considered a modern anthem for the "woman scorned" theme. It earned a CMA nomination for Single of the Year and has been certified 8x Platinum in the United States.

The central literary device in "I Hope" is verbal irony, where the expressed sentiment is the opposite of the actual meaning. The repeated phrase "I hope" is the primary symbol, twisted from a gesture of goodwill into a curse. Each seemingly positive vision the narrator paints for her ex—finding the perfect girl, falling in love, getting engaged—is not a genuine wish for his happiness. Instead, these are symbolic building blocks meant to construct the highest possible pedestal from which he can fall. The higher his happiness, the more devastating the eventual crash will be when he experiences the same betrayal. The song uses common romantic imagery—a special song on the radio, sparks on a drive, putting a "rock on her hand"—as ironic symbols of the perfect life that will ultimately be shattered by the infidelity she wishes upon him. The bridge, "I hope what goes comes all the way around," directly invokes the concept of karma, symbolizing the ultimate hope for cosmic justice and retribution.

The most significant recurring phrase and central motif of the song is, without a doubt, "I hope." This phrase is used to begin nearly every clause in the chorus, acting as a lyrical anchor. Its meaning is completely inverted by the final line, "And then I hope she cheats, like you did on me." This repetition with a twist is the song's primary hook. Each time the chorus repeats, the listener is already aware of the irony, which intensifies the feeling of scorn and vengeance. The song also features recurring imagery of a perfect romance: the perfect drive, the perfect night, telling friends how happy you are, and the proposal. This idealized romantic motif is deliberately built up and repeated only to be demolished by the desire for infidelity, making the wish for revenge feel more calculated and cruel with each repetition.