Like a Tattoo-Sade Adu: A Song Analysis

Preface: Listen to the songs and do a quick read on the lyrics, so we can discuss togther!

Why I love this song:

 I loved the song “Like a Tattoo” initially because of Sade Adu’s soulful vocals. The music was full of life and haunting at the same time; the profundity of emotions captivated me, and I felt love, regret, and drama. Exploring the narrative, I began to uncover the answers and questions alike. What happened between the shooter and the lover? Were the scars of emotional pain so intense that they were visible like a tattoo? After entering the rabbit hole of interviews and the mysterious life of the singer, I became attached to and wanted to work on developing my interpretations in relation to the context of the song. The pairing of expressive delivery and intense lyrics had me wanting to research and analyze the lyrics further.

About the song:

The song investigates feelings of guilt and regret of the past and its unremitting consequences on an individual. The theme can be apparent in lines such as “As I reveal my shame to you,” where the vulnerability of revealing past mistakes is directly addressed, or, ambiguous and implied, such as in “Like the scar of age.” which subtly conveys the indelible marks of trials and tribulations of life that leave emotional scars. Overall, the song addresses the intense struggle required in the psychological turmoil stemming from unresolved moral dilemmas. The discussion ranges from guilty avoidance of truth by forming a romanticized notion of reality to regretfully addressing the truth and feeling the intensity like a scar. Sade Adu beautifully captures the essence of what it means to be trapped in a cycle of regret and guilt over past actions and the hardship required to overcome those sentiments.

The history:

As Sade Adu states in an interview with Michael A. Gonzales, “I [Sade Adu] was always Mrs. Soul Woman.” She grew up “quite deprived of music,” but her half-Nigerian heritage (Encyclopædia Britannica) and the late 20th-century British landscape (Encyclopædia Britannica) exposed her to the diverse musical environment of blues, jazz, reggae, rock, and more (Encyclopædia Britannica)(Gonzales). She not only draws influence from jazz and soul legends such as Billie Holiday and Miles Davis but also her own personal conversations.

For the song “Like a Tattoo,” she interpreted a story of a “guy in a bar in New York years ago” (Gonzales). He talked about his experiences, and Sade interpreted them as the emotional turmoil of a “man who has been in Vietnam” (Gonzales). Regardless of the fact that her goal wasn’t to address the effects of the Vietnam War, it still plays a crucial role in providing listeners with context as to what could have possibly happened to influence her perspective. The album Love Deluxe was released in 1992 (Sade). A time period long enough to start seeing post-war effects, the military conflict left war veterans to suffer the consequences of PTSD (Vietnam War). The topic of mental health would have been prevalent and prompted music artists to incorporate the issues. For example, the song “The Final Cut” (1983) by Pink Floyd (Final Cut) also explored veterans struggling with their memories and the moral complexities of war, much like “Like a Tattoo.” In conclusion, Sade Adu’s “Like a Tattoo” carries the contextual roots of emotional turmoil and PTSD post-war.
Sanat Pai Raikar. “Roger Waters | Life, Career, Pink Floyd, Trivia, & Facts.”

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