ARE YOU JEKYLL OR HIDE THIS TIME? — BISHOP BRIGGS PLAYS TRICK OR TREAT WITH HER MIND (2019)
The canon gothic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson has been an inspiration to artists for 133 years. This Halloween season another one of our favorite creatives has incorporated the story’s motifs into her own narrative. In the new single titled “JEKYLL & HIDE” Bishop Briggs wrestles with the complexity of the human psyche and faces the temptation to cross over to the dark side. Will she resist? Or will she succumb to the allure of internal conflict knowing how much substance it provides for a creative outlet?
“JEKYLL & HIDE” is the third single from Bishop’s new album Champion, due to be released on November 8. Not that we expected anything less, but the level of Bishop’s energy and expression explodes beyond measure yet again. We start slow, the sound of church organs in the background, the calm before the storm. The lyrics warn that we are facing the winds of fate here, storm’s brewing up above… and then boom! Like a bolt from the blue, the song suddenly resonates with the sound of electric guitars and Bishop transforms into Mr Hyde. The anger begins.
Are you Jekyll or Hyde this time? Where’s My Mind?
The main theme of this single is one of confusion in the broad sense. You’re in your head, disoriented because there seem to be two people playing chess in your heart — somebody who’s been toying with your feelings and… well, you. Let me explain. Beyond a shadow of a doubt Bishop is upset with how a person close to her (or their alter ego) behaves. Sweet and then you’re sour, changes by the hour, never know which one I’ll taste. Hot and then you’re freezing, different every evening, baby you drive me insane. It’s super puzzling, isn’t it?
However, given the context of the song, could she be part of the problem? In love, when it’s a constant struggle, there are opposing forces at work inside you, too. On the one hand, you know the relationship is unhealthy for you, it should feel way more natural than that, much less sweaty and dramatic — everything tells you to end it. Yet, you do remember the good times, the laughs, the adventures. Sure, he’s no prince charming but nobody’s perfect, right? Oh, the constant battle of light and dark, day and night, Jekyll & Hyde.
Pleasure is a kind of pain…
What’s it gonna be this time, trick or treat? With a serious look on her face Bishop sings her heart out verbalizing the dilemmas we’ve all experienced in our lives. Choosing between what is easy and what is right is always right but never easy. This is why we need songs like “JEKYLL & HIDE”, to let our frustration out. Can you hear the passionate Rrrah! at the end of every chorus? Curse and shout if you must Bishop, eventually we all have to make a decision. May strength and courage never leave your side in those confusing times.
If I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also.
― Robert Louis Stevenson
