There’s always room on the Top 40 charts for a song, sung by a woman, about how she is nothing without a man. A song that packs an emotional punch, such as Tori Kelly’s “Hollow,” which reminded me that in music, and in most art, it’s drama that is at the core of it all, and what could be more dramatic than a woman who believes her identity is only real when it’s wrapped in the arms of a man?
It worked for Leann Rimes in the mid-90s when she belted out Diane Warren’s “How Do I Live,” which pretty much summed it up.
Both songs are emotional powerhouses, and while “Hollow” is less sturm und drang than “How Do I Live, it’s just as straight forward:
…Cause I’m paper-thin
And you, you make me whole again
and
So hold me
Wrap me in love, fill up my cup
Empty and only your love can fill up my cup
‘Cause I’m hollow
“Hollow” is just inside the “Top 25” and a solid increase is expected following Kelly’s dazzling duet performance with fellow new artist nominee James Bay at last week’s Grammys.
Background
Tori Kelly is 23 years old, from Southern California, and started her career as a young teen “American Idol” contestant and YouTube star.
Blonds Named Tori Who Play The Piano and Sing
At first I confused Tori Kelly with Tori Amos.