Welcome back to this week’s edition of the Wichitan’s Song of the Week. In celebration of the new month, this week’s pick is “Oscar Winning Tears” by English singer-songwriter RAYE.

Released Feb. 3, 2023, as the second track on her debut studio album “My 21st Century Blues,” “Oscar Winning Tears,” is one of RAYE’s most cinematic and acoustically pleasing songs.

The song follows a broader and larger blueprint that RAYE lays out in her album. This blueprint explores themes of emotional depth, personal struggles and empowerment. In “Oscar Winning Tears,” she reflects on a past relationship with a sense of heightened emotions while creating cinematic imagery of personal resilience and tragic heartbreak worthy of an Oscar.

RAYE covers several themes like love, reclaiming one’s narrative, mental health and trauma through the fifteen tracks of “My 21st Century Blues.” Often in her discography, she pulls from her personal life experiences to tell a story or heed a warning. The idea of emotional manipulation or the burden of masking real pain is the central theme of “Oscar Winning Tears.”

Born in Tooting, London, Rachel Agatha Keen, most commonly known as RAYE, is an award-winning singer-songwriter best known for her 2022 single, “Escapism.” Pulling inspiration from R&B greats like Frank Ocean, Lauryn Hill and Beyoncé, RAYE’s musical career has been filled with blends of R&B, Neo-soul and Indie Rock and she has received much deserved recognition for it.

I was introduced to RAYE’s discography in late August and so far, she is a brilliant artist deserving of her accolades. “Oscar Winning Tears,” caught my ear for several reasons, but I chose it for Song of the Week for two reasons: its musical composition and broader context.

Musically, the song is in F minor and has a tempo of 142 BPM but that is not what makes it musically appealing. Its musical appeal comes from RAYE and her production team’s ability to juxtapose her simple and conversational vocals against the many instruments (synth, pads, piano, bass, percussion, beats and strings) which creates a powerful and cinematic vibe to the song.

The song’s production team utilized a lot of layering and reverb to give the song depth and crescendos in the chorus to intensify the emotional impact. While the song is very complex, it also utilizes a minimalistic approach, avoiding unnecessary embellishments to allow the listener to focus on RAYE’s vocals.

In terms of its broader context, the song fits perfectly with the larger narrative of “My 21st Century Blues,” which is a deeply personal album for RAYE. The album touches on topics such as mental health, addiction and the struggles of being a woman in the music industry, where artists—particularly women—are often forced to navigate expectations of how they should present their pain and struggles.

RAYE has spoken in interviews about the personal nature of her music and how this album was a way for her to reclaim her voice after years of feeling stifled by industry pressures. “Oscar Winning Tears,” is a perfect example of her using her music to challenge societal norms and express raw, unfiltered emotions.

“Oscar Winning Tears,” is my favorite song from both the album and RAYE’s entire discography. In the song, RAYE sings about how it feels to be emotionally manipulated by someone she believed to have loved.

She begins the song with a monologue. In the monologue, she directly addresses the listeners as she introduces herself and advises the listeners to listen to her story with their undivided attention. This intro invokes feelings of caution or warning and importance. She also delivers the intro in a way resembling the intro in a movie theater before a movie begins, giving the song a cinematic feel.

In the first verse, she talks about the man in question. She lets the audience know that his name, height or even attractiveness were unimportant because ultimately, she grew to see him as one out of ten. She acknowledges that he manipulated her vulnerability and presented himself as innocent but now she knows better and would not fall for it again.

In the first pre-chorus, she acknowledges they were both to blame for what happened in the relationship. She sings about how she was dazed and refused to see any fault in him and how he played a role so convincing and believable.

In the chorus, she utilizes a lot of imagery like the “front row seat” of a movie theater, “Oscar Winning Tears” and “Popcorn and I scream,” likening the situation that happened to her to that of an Oscar-winning Film. Almost as if the relationship was so surreal that it felt like a movie to her. In this chorus, she sings that she will no longer be entertaining his manipulations and he can “cry Oscar Winning Tears” while she watches.

In the second verse, she sings about a topic that is all too real, which is how women who are victims of abuse are often not believed. She asks for a camera to record how he curses at her or no one will believe her.

In the second pre-chorus, she says that she thought he was her man, but he had a different idea than she did. She also shows feelings of confusion as she is uncertain as to why he is crying and lying when this is not the first time.

In the bridge, she rounds up the song by explaining to him that she is done with him and his lies and that she has no tissues for him, no string section and no tiny violin but she will be his audience for his “Oscar Winning Tears.”

 In the outro, she speaks to the listener again and tells the listener “After his Oscar-winning performance, I left the room and never saw him again.”

As stated in previous editions of the Song of the Week, lyricism is an important aspect of any song and RAYE understood that when writing “Oscar Winning Tears.”

With her background in writing songs for various notable artists and her various awards, nominations and recognition in songwriting, RAYE is not a stranger to telling a story through lyricism. In “Oscar Winning Tears,” she utilizes storytelling and pathos to tell her feelings and experiences about a relationship she regrets. My favorite lyric in the entire song is:

“I can see right through your (tears) tears, baby

Nine o’clock entertainment

Oh, man, I wish I could tape it

Sit down, no tissues

No string section, no tiny violin

For the last time, I’m your audience”

At its core, “Oscar Winning Tears,”  is a haunting, emotionally charged track that explores the complex interplay between real pain and the need to perform that pain in a way that others can understand.

RAYE’s vulnerable songwriting, combined with her powerful vocal delivery and moody production, makes the song a standout track in her discography.

I give this song five out of five mustangs.