The Jonas Brothers’ “Hesitate” Lyrics Meaning
First to get the most-important fact out of the way – Joe Jonas, the sole Jonas Brother to contribute lyrics to “Hesitate”, wrote it in honor of superstar actress Sophie Turner. At the time of its penning, she was his fiancée, but since then (on 1 May 2019) the two of them have been married. So basically, as Nick Jonas put it, this song serves as an expression of Joe’s love for Sophie.
And as far as the title is concerned, it relays the singer’s (Joe Jonas’) sentiment that he would not “hesitate” to ‘take the pain’ of the addressee (Sophie Turner) and “put it on (his) heart”. In other words, he is ever-ready to adopt her suffering as his own. Or in Joe Jonas’ own words, this is his way of telling his wife that he “will be there no matter what”.
And this willingness is not only based on him being in love, as he also credits her with ‘saving’ him and feels as if he is reciprocating this favor. And in that regard, it has been theorized that Joe is referring to Sophie inspiring him to mend the fractured relationship he once had with his brothers.
Overall, the singer depicts the lover he is addressing as someone who has a fair share of issues. Yet based on his feelings for her, he is ready to stand by her side through it all and help her in any way he can. And basically what he asks for in return is that she ‘never says goodbye’, as in be his partner forever.
Again, there are some parts of this song that can be interpreted as direct references to Joe and Sophie’s relationship, such as when the singer “thanks the oceans” for giving him such a mate, with Jonas (US) and Sophie (UK) indeed being from two different parts of the world. However, considering that romance or even gender is never forthrightly referenced in “Hesitate”, this track has a general meaning which can be applied by any committed lover and in an even-broader sense anyone who has resolved themselves to share the suffering of a loved one in an effort to alleviate their pain.
Writing and Production of “Hesitate”
Other writers besides Joe Jonas who have contributed to the penning of this song are:
- Justin Tranter
- Kennedi Lykken
- Mike Sabath (who is also credited as the producer of “Hesitate”)
On what Jonas Brothers’ album can I find “Hesitate”?
It is featured on the Jonas Brothers’ highly-anticipated album – the first they’ve dropped in six years – entitled Happiness Begins. Republic Records released “Hesitate” with the rest of the album on 7 June 2019.
Was “Hesitate” released as a single from Happiness Begins?
No. That album (which is the band’s fifth) produced just two singles. The singles in question are: “Sucker” and “Cool“.
