What we have here, folks, is Bailey Spinn’s cathartic exploration of the age-old fairy tale version of love vs. the real deal in her track, “happy ending”. Heartfelt and pensive, the lyrics weave together a storyline of unmet expectations, the abandonment of idealistic notions of love, the questioning of self, and a tenacious hope that lingers amidst the disappointment.
Kicking off with the familiar trope from our childhoods, Spinn starts with a reference to believing in true love and anticipating her own fairy tale ending, harking back to the days of Disney princesses. Lines like “watching the fairytale movies when I was young”, “glass slipper”, “horse drawn carriage”, and “magic nights that end in marriage” ooze childhood innocence and nostalgia.
But don’t let the nostalgia fool you. This ain’t no sugarcoated pop ballad. Spinn serves us a reality check with “Took a bite of the poisoned apple”. It’s like she’s saying, “Hey, remember Snow White? Yeah, she bit into a poisoned apple, and things didn’t quite end up peachy keen”. This metaphor signifies a crucial turning point for her: a personal realization that the picture-perfect love stories might be nothing more than a “foolish battle”.
In the chorus, she twirls back to a theme of self-questioning and expresses the pain of recognizing her naiveté. “Maybe I’m naive to believe that I could have a happy ending” she laments. With “Love’s only real in dreams” she’s shattering the illusion of love and offers the poignant possibility of “pretending”. It’s a relatable feeling for anyone who’s ever been let down by love.
As she moves onto “Waiting for my hero to come save me”, she references another fairy tale trope—the damsel in distress—only to couch it in the grim reality of disappointment. Is she signaling that waiting for a knight in shining armor might leave you stranded?
Later, she swings back to a glimmer of optimism with the lines, “Wish upon a shooting star / Hoping that you’ll come make my life better, better.” She’s clinging on to hope, even though she fears she “might be waiting here forever, ever”. It’s a powerful paradox of empty hope and fear of eternal wait.
Whether you’ve been knocked around by love or still believe in your Prince Charming, “happy ending” is a potent mix of disillusionment, self-doubt, and fragile hope. Bailey Spinn knits it all together with heartfelt honesty, reminding us that the quest for love isn’t always a romantic joyride. It’s a journey filled with harsh truths, soul-crushing loneliness, and, if we’re lucky, a few magic moments worth the wait.
