Ben Howard’s “The Fear” Lyrics Meaning
As the title (“The Fear”) implies, the subject of this Ben Howard song is fear. And this topic is approached from two different viewpoints. On one hand the singer is expressing concern over apprehensiveness exhibited by the person he is addressing. What he seems to be relaying is that the addressee has adopted a general feeling of “apathy” associated with fear in terms of where his or her life is headed. Additionally, the singer also plays the role of someone with his own fearful disposition. In other words, he is “worrying” about certain aspects of his life. And what this all boils down to is Howard concluding that “we all” (i.e. he, the addressee and others) are living “in the confines of fear”. Or put differently, their overall effectiveness is limited by disheartening emotions.
In the bridge the singer states that he ‘will become what he deserves’. This is a philosophical statement which within the overall framework of this song can be interpreted in a couple of ways. For instance, it can be read as an optimistic statement where Howard is stating that, despite the negative disposition he (and by extension the addressee) possess, he will still fulfil whatever is his individual destiny. Or, perhaps more-plausibly, given the overall tone of the song, he is trying to relay a message where if he lets his fearful thoughts dominate his mind, then they inevitably effect who he will ultimately become as an individual.
But this is a broad interpretation. Ben Howard is known for his poetic symbolism, and there is considerable metaphorical depth to his songs, including this one. But one general assumption that can be made is that “The Fear” is based on the idea that letting the titular emotion dominate your thoughts will have a depressing effect.
Release Date for “The Fear”
“The Fear” was released by Island Records on 5 December 2011. It was introduced to the world as the third single from Ben Howard’s Every Kingdom album. Every Kingdom was Howard’s maiden studio album. FYI, this album also produced Howard’s hit single “Only Love“.
A self-penned track
Ben Howard wrote both the music and lyrics of this song. As for the production of “The Fear”, it was handled by Chris Bond. Howard and Bond collaborated very frequently during the early parts of the former’s career.
Chart Performance of “The Fear”
“The Fear” made it to number 58 in Howard’s home (the United Kingdom). It also performed exceptionally well in Belgium (where it entered the top 5).
