Rhetorical Situation of "Wicked Games" by The Weeknd

The Purpose of the song Wicked Games is to tell a story about addiction, sex, love, self hate, low self esteem and not being able to cope with life. The song tells a story by the way The Weeknd speaks as if he is directly having a conversation. The audience of this song are the people who have felt the same pain that he has. The Weeknd crafts his music in a way that masks the true intent of his music. The Weeknd references a darker side of the human soul and he embodies that in his music. To truly understand his music one would have to have had gone through similar experiences. More specifically his audience would include people who have gone through drug addiction, depression, low self esteem, and heart break. The song is evoking a feeling of emptiness and depression. It is meant to feel dark as it captures the emotions of the self hate a man feels for his actions in love and in his life. The man fills his empty void with drugs leading to addiction. He searches for a sense of strength so he uses money to manipulate women as his power trip. In his lyrics he says "So tell me you love me Only for tonight Only for one night, even though you don't love me oh oh Just tell me you love me I'll give you what I need I'll give you all of me, even though you don't love me oh oh" He is referencing the fact the he has paid for a prostitute and he using her as a chance to feel loved at least for a night. The genre of the song is alternative R&B which follows the conventions of a very stylistic and soothing alternative R&B style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1OTWCd40bc