Daniel Caesar Challenges God and Love

Daniel Caesar shot in Mod Club Theatre July 26, 2017 in Toronto.  © Michael Gonçalves

Daniel Caesar shot in Mod Club Theatre July 26, 2017 in Toronto.
© Michael Gonçalves

Daniel Caesar, as many Black boys do, grew up in church. If you haven’t been to a Black church, regardless of your religious beliefs, I would recommend that you go. It takes you, well me at least, to another dimension. I transcend my body, my problems and go to another world. These types of experiences are sown into the fabric of the Black community and consequently R&B. Caesar growing up in that environment is apparent in his latest album, Freudian. Writer Amani Bin Shikhan perfectly describes it as “a holy devotion to love”. This album is a constant reference to God and love, as well as the idolization of love and its consequences. Today, I am going to focus on Daniel’s song Hold Me Down and the presence of divinity.

Vocal prowess and great production aside, for me, the most gripping part of the song was the bridge. It begins with a female vocalist singing the melody from gospel classic Hold Me Now by Kirk Franklin; the tune is immediately recognizable. I am transported to youthful years and a gospel hits CD on my Walkman. Franklin’s song is about going to God for comfort when all goes wrong. Contrarily, Caesar’s songstress croons about the one that she loves leaving her with pain. By subverting the classic gospel melody with lyrics about love, Caesar creates an image of her calling out to her lover as a salve rather than to God in a time of sadness. The fixation on love and those who give it to us is a really interesting idea that Caesar explores.

The connection to God and the divine that is displayed in this song, album, and a majority of R&B is what makes it so special. It reminds me of some of Descartes’ ideas in the Discourse on Method and Mediation on First Philosophy. He talks about soul involving the existence of God and desire being found in the infinite, the divine. It is a place where notions of love are whole, never ending, and within reach. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always down for some turn up music, but I believe that good music – the kind that stands the test of time – is the stuff that is soul infused. It is what R&B is made of.

Related Sources

https://noisey.vice.com/en_ca/article/7xxq9q/daniel-caesars-holy-devotion-to-love-on-freudian

Cress, D., & Déscartes, R. (1999). Discourse on Method and meditations on first philosophy: Edition 4. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=o1buCgAAQBAJ&hl=en

https://youtu.be/AYzxqFvIA4g

https://youtu.be/ikzUbpiU72Q