Reflective

“Everybody” reflects on the idea that everybody does indeed need somebody. The song initially stirs emotions of loneliness and despair; the empty feeling of having no one to turn to is all too familiar for most of us. Everyone experiences tough times, yet many of us feel we have nowhere to turn when we do experience pain. This is no individual fault; society may put pressure on everyone to hide emotion, to be “tough,” and therefore we feel it is deviant to reach out for assistance or to give it away ourselves. Our individual pride may keep us from reaching out to others, but society only emphasizes this notion with the “tough guy” appeal that so many of us strive for.

Before the chorus, these are the only feelings the song and video convey. However, as the tone of the video changes, so does the emotion felt by the audience. As soon as Urban confirms that “everybody needs somebody sometimes,” we feel that it is indeed okay and normal to feel we need somewhere to turn, to want a hand to hold or an ear to listen to us. In fact, needing someone is part of our lives; without others we would be hopeless. This is where despair turns to hope, and we feel that perhaps there will always be someone there for us. As the band comes together, this feeling of hope grows; those empty feelings that were initially brought to the surface are replaced with optimism. Certainly no one wants to feel alone, and the conclusion that everybody needs somebody is an obvious but valuable idea. Perhaps those of society who value the “tough guy” appearance do not matter; what matters is that we as individuals have somewhere to turn to in tough times. Keith Urban’s “Everybody” persuades his audience of this point, and makes us want to reach out.