Drake Hotline Bling U.S. Russia Relations Dissertation by zanderzeth

Drake "Hotline Bling"

Hotline Bling by Drake gets one YouTube viewer into Deep Thinking

Hotline Bling by Drake on YouTube has brought many reactions from fans, but none as "interesting" as a dissertation on relations between the U.S. and Russia by user zanderzeth. This user has quite a creative imagination and must give him props for really thinking this through. Most people would not think that Hotline Bling is a deep song, but zanderzeth has proved these people to be wrong.

Read it below:

Here is what Drake's song Hotline Bling really means... Tensions between the United States (and its allies) and Russia have been steadily rising over the past several years. Although once close allies with the west, Russia's recent actions of strained the relationship between it and much of the western world. In "Hotline Bling", Drake provides an elegant metaphorical recap of the circumstances that have led to the current relationship between the two powers, from the days of their initial alliance through the tensions of the Cold War into the present-day strained but civil relationship: You used to call me on my cell phone Late night when you need my love Call me on my cell phone Late night when you need my love And I know when that hotline bling That can only mean one thing I know when that hotline bling That can only mean one thing In this opening, Drake harkens back to the Second World War, the beginning of the relationship between the USA and the USSR. The "late night when you need my love" refers to the darkness of the later years of WWII, when Nazi Germany's expansion and atrocities reached their most severe states. The 'love' needed here was the mutual support and cooperation between the USSR and USA in order to defend themselves and end the threat of Nazi expansion. The phrase " I know when that hotline bling that can only mean one thing" is first introduced here. This same phrase will be used throughout the song, changing in meaning and context at each new use to reflect the gradual changes in attitudes of the two superpowers towards one another. The precise meanings are deliberately unexplained by Drake; we are left to interpret meaning of the phrase as it changes from chorus to chorus. This mirrors the uncertainty that both the USA and USSR would experience when attempting to understand the intentions of the other country. In this first chorus, the phrase is used to refer to the anticipated call that each leader would receive to notify them of the surrender of Nazi forces. Ever since I left the city, You got a reputation for yourself now Everybody knows and I feel left out Girl you got me down, you got me stressed out 'Cause ever since I left the city, you started wearing less and goin' out more Glasses of champagne out on the dance floor Hangin' with some girls I've never seen before

Beginning of Drake Hotline Bling is the Cold War between United States and Russia

This verse discusses the beginnings of the tensions between the two countries that would come to be known as the Cold War. The "city" being left is a metaphor for the dissolution of the alliance between the USA and USSR after the end of WWII. The "reputation for yourself" that Drake speaks of is the combination of profound social and political differences found between the two countries, one a capitalist democracy and the other a single-party Marxist-Lenninist state. Drake bluntly discusses the "stress" that this separation causes, especially when the USSR begins "Hangin' with some girls I've never seen before "; a thinly-veiled reference to the signing of the Warsaw Pact between the USSR and other communist states of eastern Europe. You used to call me on my cell phone Late night when you need my love Call me on my cell phone Late night when you need my love And I know when that hotline bling That can only mean one thing I know when that hotline bling That can only mean one thing In this first repetition of the chorus, tensions between the two powers had reached one of their highest points, with the Cuban Missile Crisis. Drake's use of the "hotline bling" phrase refers to the potential command of either of the two countries to launch nuclear missiles. Such a blinging of the hotline could only "mean one thing": the mutually-assured destruction of a full-scale nuclear war. Ever since I left the city, you, you, you You and me we just don't get along You make me feel like I did you wrong Going places where you don't belong Ever since I left the city, you, you got exactly what you asked for Running out of pages in your passport Hanging with some girls I've never seen before Here, Drake imples that the two nations are now very openly engaged in non-violent conflict, that they "just don't get along". In the later years of the Cold War, the USA and Soviet Union were involved in several proxy wars; wars in which the two sides were not in direct conflict, but rather supported opposing sides in wars between other nations. "Going places where you don't belong" is Drake's allusion to the delivery of soldiers, supplies and other support to the parties engaged in these conflicts, particularly the Vietnam War. This was followed by a period of many changing alliances for both counties, as new accords were reached and diplomats from both countries began to visit many nations in earnest, hoping to secure further alliances and limit any advantage that either side could gain. This period is represent in Drake's words as "Running out of pages in your passport . Hanging with some girls I've never seen before" You used to call me on my cell phone Late night when you need my love Call me on my cell phone Late night when you need my love And I know when that hotline bling That can only mean one thing I know when that hotline bling That can only mean one thing This chorus marks a fundamental change in the Cold War, as tensions began to ease and both parties sought to increase global stability. Under the new leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union implemented many sweeping reforms and entered talks with the United States in order to decrease tensions. Here, the one thing that the "hotline bling" can mean is yet another call between one world leader to another, slowly improving international relations. Eventually, due to the weakening bonds between the countries comprising the Soviet Union, the hotline would bling a final time to inform President George H.W. Bush of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, ending the Cold War. These days, all I do is Wonder if you bendin' over backwards for someone else Wonder if you're rollin' up a backwoods for someone else Doing things I taught you, gettin' nasty for someone else You don't need no one else You don't need nobody else, no Why you never alone Why you always touching road Used to always stay at home, be a good girl You was in a zone, yeah You should just be yourself Right now, you're someone else In the final verse, seemingly directed at Russia (formerly the largest and most influential country in the Soviet Union) Drake reflects upon the current rising tensions between the USA and Russia. Drake "Wonder[s] if you [Russia] bendin' over backwards for someone else", seemingly questioning whether or not Russia is currently forging any new alliances in secret. Drake assures Russia that "You don't need no one else. You don't need nobody else, no" indicating that he believes that Russia should seek to maintain its current diplomatic relations, rather than seek alliances with other countries or acquire new territory through the use of military force. Drake tells Russia that it "Used to always stay at home, be a good girl . You was in a zone, yeah. ". These beautiful lyrics represent the years between the end of the Cold War and Vladimir Putin's rise to power in which Russia enjoyed a relatively prosperous economy and stable diplomatic relations with the western world. Drake tells Russia "You should just be yourself", encouraging the Nation reestablish the national identity and policies of those years. You used to call me on my cell phone Late night when you need my love Call me on my cell phone Late night when you need my love And I know when that hotline bling That can only mean one thing I know when that hotline bling That can only mean one thing In a final repetition of the chorus, Drake expresses concern that the hotline will bling once again in response to any sudden military action taken by Russia that could once again plunge two of the most powerful nations into conflict. Ever since I left the city Drake concludes with a simple, yet poignant, lamentation of the loss of the original spirit of cooperation between the two powers. Drakes words evoke a deep and tragic yearning for the kindred relationship that may never be again.