“Faded” by Alan Walker

Alan Walker’s “Faded” is split into two separate sections/verses. The first features the singer harping on an interpersonal relationship. The nature of this association is not specified, though it can logically be interpreted as having a romantic undertone. And basically, the lyrics in that section read as if the addressee has more or less decided to part ways with the singer.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Alan Walker's Faded at Lyrics.org.

Meanwhile the second verse comes off as if the narrator has decided to take some type of excursion. This section can be deciphered as being metaphorical in nature, though Walker, to some degree, intended it to be literal. Apparently it represents the singer’s desire to leave the place where he is currently at in search of something different. And it should be noted that the second verse is not directly related to the first per se.

Meaning of Title (“Faded”)

Overall the title phrase, “faded”, is meant to allude to the idea of the singer seeking, in Alan’s own words, “someone, something or somewhere” that is missing from her life. And on a grander scale, it can be understood as the singer herself being lost. Indeed the music video itself is based on a man scouring a devastated area looking for food or survivors, as opposed to being centered on romance.

So according to the first verse and the pre-chorus which follows it, we can once again conclude that the addressee is someone who has left the singer. But more to the point is the fact that she is now searching for this individual. And in terms of the second verse, it is a particular place the singer is seeking. And by the time the end of the song rolls around, both of these narratives become intertwined. That is to the say the lost individual from the first verse may be at the location the narrator is searching for, which is why she is looking for this area in the first place. 

Moreover she refers to this locality as “Atlantis, under the sea”. Now the existence of Atlantis has never been proven. Or another way of looking at it is that this location is actually mythical. Thus this once again points to the idea of the singer’s journey perhaps being more symbolic than literal. Or looked at through a different lens, the notion isn’t so much that the addressee has moved away as it is that he or she is now conducting himself in such a manner where the singer is unaware of her whereabouts or doings.

Alan Walker says “Faded” can be interpreted however the listener wants

Conclusively, Mr. Walker has stated that the lyrical content of “Faded” is meant to be interpreted by the listeners themselves. That being said, there is definitely a storyline contained therein. And this story is one in which the singer is in search of something – whether it be a person, place or thing – or just trying to find her place in life in general.

Lyrics of “Faded”

Facts about “Faded”

The vocalist on the song, who is known as Iselin is, like Alan Walker, is a Norwegian.

And the producers of this track, Jesper Borgen and Mood Melodies, also happen to be from Norway.

Moreover the first time this song was performed live was also in Norway, specifically at the X Games held in Oslo on 27 February 2016.

“Faded” has been highly-successfully both auditorily and visually. The music video, which had Tobias Häggbom and Rikkard as its directors, is one of the most-watched in the world, having amassed over two and-a-half billion views on YouTube entering into the year 2020.

Meanwhile the song itself topped the music charts in an astounding 20 nations.

And outside of that it also charted in an additional 20 countries and in most instances breaking the top 10. For instance, “Faded” peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart.

Moreover this track has been certified multi-Platinum in a whopping 13 countries, including going over 10-times Platinum in Norway and Sweden.

“Faded” was written by Alan Walker along with Gunnar Greve Pettersen and the track’s producers.

This song is actually derived from an instrumental called “Fade” which Alan Walker originally dropped in 2014. And “Faded” itself was released on the 3rd of December 2015. It was the lead single from his maiden album, “Different World”.

At the time Alan Walker was an 18-year old student whose primary concern was his studies. And accordingly he considered the ridiculous international success of this song to be “unimaginable” and “unreal”.

1 Response

  1. BigD says:

    Love the song…

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