“19.10” by Childish Gambino

It has been put forth that Childish Gambino’s “19.10” actually centers on the reality of being Black and what that entails in terms of interacting with the dominant society. And yes, that is definitely one way in which the lyrics can be interpreted. But there are no direct references to race contained therein. Rather what Childish is saying is that “to be beautiful is to be hunted”. Or stated alternatively, if a person is attractive, then he or she will be persecuted. In the first verse he appears to equate beauty with physical attractiveness and insinuates that some people may not take a liking to such favor. In the second verse, he likens beauty to true internal happiness. And in doing so, he notes that an individual experiencing such will garner unfavorable attention from haters.

So again, such can be read as applying to certain individuals’ perspective of the history of race relations. But the second verse especially seems to point to a grander idea, one encapsulating the concept of jealousy altogether. And basically what Gambino seems to be saying is that if an individual possesses some type of outstanding attribute, there’s always going to be someone else who wants to take it.

Facts about “19.10”

The title of this track is actually a reference to the time it commences on Childish Gambino’s “3.15.20” album. An alternate name of the song has been recognized as being “Beautiful”.

The writing and production team behind “19.10” consists of the following:

• DJ Dahi
• Childish Gambino
• Ludwig Göransson
• Chukwudi Hodge
• Kurtis McKenzie

And James Francies Jr. also served as an additional writer.

The labels that put “19.10” out are RCA Records, mcDJ Records and Wolf + Rothstein.