Have you ever listened to a song and realized later on that it was about something completely different? This realization is similar to the Mandela Effect–when you believe your distorted memory of something is accurate. This is not to be confused with gaslighting, which is deceptive and a flat-out lie. In this article, I’ll be explaining how I became an expert at uncovering the allegory of Erykah Badu’s Love of My Life.

It was 2016 in the summer, and I was cleaning my fridge listening to an R&B Pandora station with my Skullcandy headphones over my head. I just graduated from High School and was in a dysfunctional codependent “relationship.” So cleaning was one of the therapeutic rituals I would do to take my frustration out in a positive way. Then suddenly, Love of My Life by Erykah Badu started playing blissfully in my ears. But, something was different this time listening to this song. When I heard, “He moved around, and we kept in touch through his friend mic.” It dawned on me that this song isn’t about her explaining her love for a man but about her passion for music.

As I continued to listen more in-depth to every lyric Badu was singing. I realized the allegory in this song was about her loving music the same way she would love her significant other. From there on, I explained every lyric to my friends and family when they questioned me about this epiphany. I even fact-check myself by going on Genius to decode every verse. It turned out I was right in my discovery in this timeless track by Erykah Badu.

Sidenote: D’Angleo’s song Brown Sugar is about his love for Marijuana.

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