High Hopes

High Hopes serves as a poignant exploration of the grief cycle, specifically focusing on the stage of denial and bargaining. The song's central theme is the paradox of holding onto optimism in the face of a definitive ending. While the title suggests a positive outlook, the lyrics reveal a more complex, bittersweet reality where "high hopes" are both a comfort and a curse.

The verses depict the chaotic aftermath of a breakup ("Broken bottles in the hotel lobby") and the terrifying numbness that follows loss. The narrator is torn between the logic of moving on ("It's time to let it go") and the emotional inability to do so. The recurring line "the world keeps spinning around" acts as a stark reminder of the universe's indifference to individual heartbreak; life goes on regardless of personal tragedy, forcing the narrator to confront the passage of time.

Crucially, the song touches on the loss of innocence. The line "Naive I was just staring at the barrel of a gun" suggests that the narrator was blindsided by the pain, unaware that the relationship they cherished had the power to destroy them. Ultimately, the song doesn't offer a clean resolution but rather validates the lingering feeling of love that persists even when the relationship itself has died.

The narrative begins in a scene of disarray and aftermath, symbolized by broken bottles in a hotel lobby. The protagonist confesses a deep-seated fear, not of the pain itself, but of the numbness that follows—the terrifying possibility of never feeling such intense emotion again. Despite recognizing the irrationality of holding onto something that has passed, they admit that believing in these "silly things" is a necessary coping mechanism, as letting go is far more difficult than it seems.

As the song progresses, the narrator is pulled into a retrospective state. They are mentally transported back to the inception of the relationship, a time of innocence and new beginnings. There is an admission of personal fault and a weary acceptance of the blame, signaling a desire to move forward. The internal conflict intensifies as the protagonist acknowledges the logical need to release the past and start over, yet finds themselves paralyzed by the difficulty of the task.

The chorus reveals the core of the narrator's struggle: a persistent, almost desperate sense of "high hopes." These hopes act as a time machine, constantly dragging their mind back to the start of the relationship. Even as the reality sets in that things have come to an end, and while the rest of the world continues to spin with indifferent momentum, the narrator remains stuck in this loop of optimistic denial.

In the bridge, the boundary between reality and memory blurs. The narrator speaks of meeting "ghosts" of people who have entered and exited their life, highlighting the transient nature of relationships. Memories are described as fleeting visitors that arrive suddenly but depart too soon, leaving a void. The narrator reflects on their own past naivety, using the metaphor of staring down the "barrel of a gun" to describe their obliviousness to the impending emotional devastation. Ultimately, the song resolves into a cyclical acceptance: the relationship is over, the world keeps turning, but the high hopes—however painful—remain the anchor keeping them connected to what was lost.

High Hopes was written by lead singer Steve Garrigan during a particularly turbulent period in his life. At the time, Garrigan had dropped out of college and was grappling with the aftermath of a painful breakup, leaving him feeling directionless and depressed. He described himself as being in a "dark place," initially sitting down at the piano to write a sad, wallowing song.

However, the direction of the song shifted due to Garrigan's reading of The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, a self-help book focused on the law of attraction and positive thinking. Inspired to change his mindset, he decided to invert his gloom and write about hope instead. As Garrigan recounts in his autobiography (also titled High Hopes), the song "poured out" of him in about five minutes. The first person he played it for was his father, whose grounded response—asking if Steve was going back to college the next day—contrasted humorously with the song's future massive success. It was released as the lead single from Kodaline's debut album, In a Perfect World, in March 2013.

The song is written in a standard 4/4 time signature with a moderate tempo that allows the piano melody to breathe. The rhythm is steady and marching, driven by a kick drum that enters later, giving the song a sense of forward momentum that mirrors the lyric "the world keeps spinning around."

Lyrically, the song employs a mix of perfect rhymes (e.g., lobby/silly is a slant rhyme, but later pairs are tighter) and conversational phrasing. The rhyme scheme is somewhat loose, prioritizing emotional delivery over strict poetic structure. For instance, the chorus relies heavily on the repetition of the title phrase rather than a complex end-rhyme pattern, which makes the message feel more like a direct, stream-of-consciousness plea than a calculated poem.

Musical Techniques:

• Piano Ostinato: The song is anchored by a simple, repetitive, and instantly recognizable piano hook that sets a melancholic yet driving tone.
• Dynamic Build-up: Typical of the "power ballad" structure, the track begins with sparse instrumentation—primarily piano and vocals—and gradually layers in drums, bass, and atmospheric guitars to create a soaring, anthem-like climax.
• Falsetto Vocals: Steve Garrigan utilizes his falsetto during the chorus ("Ooh, but I've got high hopes"), which adds a layer of fragility and vulnerability, contrasting with the fuller chest voice used in the verses.

Literary Techniques:

• Juxtaposition: The lyrics constantly place hopeful sentiments ("High hopes") alongside resignation ("let it go"), creating a tension that mirrors the internal conflict of the narrator.
• Repetition: The phrase "High hopes" is repeated like a mantra, emphasizing the narrator's attempt to convince themselves of a positive outcome.

High Hopes was a breakout success for Kodaline, reaching Number 1 on the Irish Singles Chart and solidifying their place in the indie-rock canon. It has amassed hundreds of millions of streams and views, becoming a modern standard for emotional ballads.

Music Video: The song's cultural footprint was significantly deepened by its viral music video starring actor Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones). The video depicts a suicide attempt interrupted by a runaway bride, adding a dark, cinematic narrative that resonated deeply with viewers and is often discussed alongside the song itself.

Media Usage: The track has been featured heavily in film and television, most notably in the trailer and soundtrack for the film Love, Rosie, as well as in popular series like The Vampire Diaries, Grey's Anatomy, and Love Island. Its emotional versatility has made it a go-to track for poignant on-screen moments.

Legacy: The song inspired the formation of the High Hopes Choir, a choir formed of people affected by homelessness in Ireland, which gained national attention and raised funds for charity, further cementing the song's association with resilience and social good.

The lyrics of "High Hopes" utilize evocative imagery to ground its emotional themes:

• Broken Bottles: The opening image of "broken bottles in the hotel lobby" serves as a metaphor for the mess and wreckage left behind after a destructive event, mirroring the narrator's internal emotional state.
• The Spinning World: The recurring motif of the "world spinning around" symbolizes the relentless forward motion of time and reality. It contrasts with the narrator's desire to stay frozen in the past, highlighting the isolation of grief where the world moves on while the griever stands still.
• Ghosts: The mention of meeting "ghosts of all the people who have come and gone" represents memories and past versions of loved ones. It suggests that people we lose become spectral figures in our psyche, haunting our dreams.
• Barrel of a Gun: This aggressive metaphor illustrates the narrator's retrospectively realized vulnerability. It implies that the relationship was dangerous or capable of inflicting mortal wounds (emotionally), yet they were too "naïve" to see the threat, staring right into it without flinching.

"High hopes": This titular phrase is the central hook. Its repetition signifies the cycle of denial and the stubbornness of the human heart. It transforms from a statement of optimism into a cry of desperation as the song progresses.

"The world keeps spinning around": This phrase acts as the reality check within the song. It appears at the end of the choruses to ground the soaring emotion, reminding the listener that the universe is indifferent to their individual pause in time.

"It takes me back to when we started": This motif highlights the regression inherent in grief—the longing to return to the beginning before the "broken bottles" and the end.