While driving home for Spring Break, the song “Stay the Night” by Zedd ft. Hayley Williams came on the radio and I began thinking about the song more closely and what it represents for our generation. By looking at the lyrics, it offers insight into the mind of many millennials and how we view relationships. The song’s popularity, reaching 18 on the Billboard’s Hot 100 and ranking No. 2 in UK Singles, exemplifies the song’s relatability to its main listening audience, mostly young people.

The song’s lyrics “I know that we are upside down, So hold your tongue and hear me out, I know that we were made to break, So what? I don’t mind” sets a straightforward tone for the entire song. The singer is telling her counterpart that before he (or she) says anything about how “this will never work” and he already knows the possible dangers and doesn’t care. This idea of reckless youth is captured beautifully in these opening lines and is a common theme among many generations. What makes this song different though, is that a woman is singing about how “she doesn’t mind” if she makes a mistake — presumably sleeping with the person she is talking to, which is hinted at later — and is encouraging her partner to think the same way. This marks a stark contrast from most songs where the male singer is trying to entice a female into coming home with him. This idea of females openly expressing sexual ambition is a hallmark of millennial culture.

The main chorus of the song “Are you gonna stay the night? Doesn’t mean we’re bound for life, So oh oh oh, are you gonna stay the night?” shows the woman once again making the sexual advances. These lines not only embody females being equal to men and sexual freedom, but also highlights the changing interpretations of relationships typical of young people. The singer makes a clear distinction between “staying the night” and being “bound for life.” This break from abstinence until marriage and other conservative social norms is another characteristic of millennial culture.

Young people today are delaying relationships and marriage for a variety of reasons but that does not mean 18–24 year olds forego all urges. So how do you satisfy those needs if you do not have the time for a relationship? As Hayley Williams says, “Stay the Night.”

Stephen Sydor, Class of 2014