Jekyll and Hyde

"**Jekyll and Hyde**" is a song by Fovvs, planned to be released as his debut solo single. It was written by Fowler, with production handled by one other person.

Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 Gothic novella, *Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde*, was the inspiration for the song's creation. While Stevenson's text explores the duality of human nature, Fowler's song is centred around mental health. Fovvs said that he placed Easter eggs in it.

## Background and release

In June 2021, Fowler scheduled three studio sessions, which turned into five. "Jekyll and Hyde" was composed along with the other two songs, "Amsterdam" and "Rain". He had several concept pieces that were potentially made to be released ("Briefcases of Gold"), though these were scrapped and in favour of new originals no one has heard before. Some of the lyrics were pre-written in a voice note, and vocals were recorded over the last two studio days. One of them took three sessions and was named to be his favourite.

He confirmed the song's title in a livestream near the end of the month, and mentioned, "It is so different to anything I've ever written. […] I don't just wanna write singer-songwriter songs. I can do that in my sleep. I wanna work on something that pushes me creatively, and I think I've done that". The particular lines, 'I'll take the slack [...] As I don't say a thing' were revealed over livestreams prior, in March, as a draft labelled under the name "Crows". Interestingly, from this title, crows are symbols of death, transformation, and new beginnings, which would tie in thematically to the novel itself. He remarked at the time, "I wanted to write a Gaelic anthem". (Funnily, Stevenson is a Scottish author, where the Gaelic language is spoken.) A clip of its second draft was teased, with the previously heard lyrics played over its edited production.

The track has faced difficulty for its release, delayed by the production side for a little over a month. Unable to get in contact with the producer, Fowler admitted the song may not be released. In August, he got into an argument, still waiting for the second draft. He was told the work would require more money to be able to finish the track, so he told the producer to keep the project. Within three hours, he received the second draft of the song. Once production commenced in late September, they both made the necessary changes to the track, and it was ready to be published. He said, if optimistic, the song would be released in a month. If pessimistic, it would be at the end of the year. In October, Fowler explained sorting out the logistics, which caused the song to be put on hold. On 20 December, he shared a preview of the cover artwork and contemplated on a promotional tour placed in the mid-year, where the song's official recording would be released afterwards. Instead, he took a hiatus from social media.

## Composition

"Jekyll and Hyde" has a blend of genres, incorporating influences of alternative, heavy rock and R&B with a total duration of three minutes and seven seconds. Its instrumentation consists of piano, bass, synths, two electric and one acoustic guitar, where Fowler did the lyrics, the vocals, and played several of the instruments live. He stated it was mainly production-driven, rather than an attempt to vocally impress, and did not contain any elements of pop. He described it sonically as a "deliberately weird" song, where he believed it was different from what people would expect of him, but the concept was one he had in mind for a while. Fovvs wrote the song about bipolar disorder.

He did some background research on Robert Louis Stevenson's novella when writing the lyrics, and named his favourite lyric to be 'Enemies are friends who had to leave'. The book's plot focusses on Henry Jekyll, an intelligent and respectable doctor. Intrigued by the dichotomy of good and evil, Jekyll develops a serum to create an alter ego, Edward Hyde, the manifestation of his evilness. In efforts to become free from guilt and conscience, Jekyll loses control as Hyde grows in power, and in the end, commits suicide. The text can be allegorical for the restrictive nature of Victorian society, where outward appearances mattered over truth and reality, and in turn, often led to hypocrisy and duplicity. It can also symbolise the degrading effects of drug addiction that result in the self-destruction of Jekyll.

## Title and artwork

The vernacular phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" refers to the display of two different sides of personality. The title is never mentioned in the lyrics, though musically there is a key change that can represent a switch between mood/personality states. Additionally, the wordplay on "hide" can give reference to Hyde.

In the official cover artwork, created by Amy Clifford, it depicts Fowler animated, in the two states of happy and sad. He described, "It's my face and then it's got a rip down it. Then there's a happy face and then a sad face. Amy did that one. Amy's amazing". Initially it was suggested to be simplistic, with the tricolours black, red, and white (part of the Gothic colours), in relation to the "split" theme in the book. An alternative idea was the symbolism of mental health, where both are masked individuals, one representing depression, and the other masquerading as joyful and optimistic. Fovvs made reference to his 2019 Instagram post that addressed duality, which he said was an idea for the cover art. The caption reads as follows:

>
> There's always two sides to people.
> The side you see when everything is good, and they're happy.
> And the side you see when things aren't all that positive.
>
>
>
>

## Lyrics

**Lyrics**
Lay me to rest

Where you think is best

The writing of the wall

Grieving inside where it's easy to hide

And seek forevermore

Take what I know

Before I have to go

Then speak not what I've seen

Or I'll take the slack

Of a knife in the back

As I don't say a thing

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Fovvs (@fovvs)". *Twitch*. 3 September 2021.
2. ↑ "Fovvs (@fovvs)". *Twitch*. 30 June 2021.
3. ↑ "Fovvs (@fovvs)". *Twitch*. 17 March 2021.
4. ↑ "Fovvs (@fovvs)". *Twitch*. 28 August 2021.
5. ↑ "Fovvs (@fovvs)". *Twitch*. 10 November 2021.
6. ↑ "Fovvs (@fovvs)". *Twitch*. 20 December 2021.
7. ↑ "Fovvs (@fovvs)". *Twitch*. 13 October 2021.
8. ↑ "Fovvs (@fovvs)". *Twitch*. 29 June 2021.