What a Feeling by Irene Cara Explained: Unraveling the Anthem of Self-Discovery and Empowerment
Lyrics
But a slow glowing dream
That your fear seems to hide
Deep inside your mind
All alone, I have cried
Silent tears full of pride
In a world made of steel
Made of stone
Well, I hear the music
Close my eyes, feel the rhythm
Wrap around, take a hold of my heart
What a feeling
Being’s believin’
I can have it all, now I’m dancing for my life
Take your passion
And make it happen
Pictures come alive
You can dance right through your life
Now I hear the music
Close my eyes, I am rhythm
In a flash, it takes hold of my heart
What a feeling
Being’s believin’
I can have it all, now I’m dancing for my life
Take your passion
And make it happen
Pictures come alive
You can dance right through your life
What a feeling
What a feeling (I am music now)
Being’s believin’ (I am rhythm now)
Pictures come alive
You can dance right through your life
What a feeling (I can really have it all)
What a feeling (pictures come alive when I call)
I can have it all (I can really have it all)
Have it all (pictures come alive when I call)
(Call, call, call, call)
(What a feeling)
I can have it all (being’s believin’)
Being’s believin’ (take your passion)
(Make it happen)
Make it happen
(What a feeling)
What a feeling
In the nexus of 80s cinematic pop culture, an anthem emerged that would transcend its era to become a touchstone for aspiration and vision. Irene Cara’s ‘What a Feeling’, the powerhouse track from the movie Flashdance, serves as more than just a catchy tune; it’s an exposition on the heartbeat of a dreamer’s journey toward self-realization.
Underneath its synth-driven pulse and Cara’s impassioned vocals, ‘What a Feeling’ encapsulates a narrative of inner conquest that continues to resonate. It celebrates not just the pursuit of dreams, but the transformation of the individual through the vehicle of their undying passion.
From Whisper to Roar: The Metamorphosis of a Dream
The song opens with the intimacy of a ‘slow glowing dream,’ a solitary sentiment that echoes the universal beginning of all ambitions. It rapidly orbits into an exultant revelation where one’s fear—so frequently a suppressor of ambition—is cast away, giving listeners a precursor to empowerment. ‘What a Feeling’ doesn’t just sing; it soars into a triumphant declaration of potential fulfilled.
Irene Cara’s voice, thick with emotion and power, carries the listener through the burgeoning pain of unrealized dreams and into the euphoric release of achievement. The transition from a hidden world of fear to an open arena of confidence mirrors the coming-of-age odyssey that every dreamer must embark upon.
An Ode to the Dance of Life
The metaphor of dance in the song is potent and twofold; it is at once a literal reference to the film’s dance-centric plot and a figurative dance through the rhythms of life. It’s an invitation to the listener to move in tandem with their deepest desires and to animate the static pictures of their individual ambitions into vivacious reality.
Cara instructs to ‘take your passion/And make it happen,’ a rallying cry for proactive steps towards personal fulfillment. The lyrics convey that the dance floor of life awaits, urging one to leap into action and paint their existence with bold, unabashed strokes.
The Unyielding Grip of a Heartbeat Rhythm
The subtle genius of ‘What a Feeling’ lies in its ability to infect the heartbeat. It is a musical embodiment of rhythm taking control, a lyrical and tonal reflection of life’s pulse. A synthesizer sweeps in, dynamically binding the listener to the song’s core message of embodiment and experience.
Cara’s refrain, ‘I am music now,’ is the zenith of transformation. It’s a declaration of identity that is no longer separate from one’s passion, but a fusion where the dreamer and the dream become indistinguishable. The song elevates the listener to a plane where they are inseparable from their deepest driving force.
Peeling Back the Curtain: The Hidden Depth Behind the Hit
While on the surface, ‘What a Feeling’ is the epitome of an 80s pop hit, replete with catchy hooks and buoyant melodies, a deeper foray into its lyrics reveals layers of complexity. It explores the serendipitous moment when ‘being’s believin’ shifts from a fantasy to a living, breathing reality.
It conveys the conversation between the soul and the tangible world and acts as a bridge between the two—an auditory thread stitching ambition to actuality. Cara does not shy away from the solitude in the climb, acknowledging the ‘silent tears full of pride’ shed in steely determination against a world that is often unforgiving.
Echoing Through Time: The Lines That Defined A Generation
There are few lines in the world of music that encapsulate an era, and ‘What a feeling/Being’s believin’/I can have it all, now I’m dancing for my life’ is certainly of that caliber. It encapsulates the spirit of an age—where flashy workout attire and neon-drenched dance clubs were backdrops to the golden pursuit of happiness and fulfillment.
These words, timeless in their own right, coined a new vocabulary for the language of aspiration. They reflect an enduring human story that resonates just as powerfully today. It is a story set to a beat—a story that affirms that with conviction, our dreams aren’t just figments of our imagination; they are the dance floor upon which we build our lives.
