The Weeknd's song "Pretty" is a soulful and emotive ballad that poetically expresses our universal need for validation. The song serves as an excellent guide to Arthur Schopenhauer's philosophical views on the human condition. Schopenhauer famously argued that life is composed of ceaseless striving for satisfaction, yet that it is ultimately rooted in suffering, something alluded to in The Weeknd's lyrics of desperation and vulnerability.
To Schopenhauer, suffering is largely the result of self-seeking ambition; defined as the desire to gain status and recognition within a social group or community. In this way, we can understand how The Weeknd laments his failure to "make her pretty" - an admission of his own lack of acceptance. He seeks external validation - be it through his music career or love life which mirrors what Schopenhauer feared was an innate human flaw: greediness and insatiable desire.
Schopenhauer believed true contentment was achieved when one let go of those desires, instead finding happiness through acceptance of one’s individual circumstances. It is here we see the anthem for personal resilience emerge from within “Pretty". We witness The Weeknd’s appeal directly from Schopenhauer himself (notably similarly echoed by Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”) as he reluctantly comes to terms with partial gratification being preferable than none at all: "It's alright not to get what you want sometimes".
What follows, however, is a shift from defeatism towards optimism; where The Weeknd channels Schopenhauer’s belief that while life may be filled with constant strife, beauty and pleasure can still shine out even during times of darkness: “This world ain't so cruel if you find someone who will make it beautiful". For this reason, it culminates in a story more prevalent now than ever before; one where only through affirmation could we come to accept ourselves and move towards improving our mental wellbeing. Anybody who has ever struggled in search of kindness would relate and go on looking sliver linings no matter how dark nor how overdue they may be.
"I try to master the art of that far away love but only so much can keep a woman warm"In this line, the Weeknd muses upon the futility and difficulty of maintaining a meaningful relationship across long distances. For Arthur Schopenhauer, this captures the inherent despair of human relationships, where emotional fulfilment is constantly being sought at a distance. This confirms his c ontention that any attempt to find deep happiness in connection with another individual is ultimately doomed to failure, as it entails an artificial finitude that can never be surmounted in spite of efforts to do so.
In this way, "Pretty" encourages us all to embrace our vulnerability whilst affirming our worthiness: something intertwined not just with The Weeknd's soulful singing but also Schopenhauer's heartfelt philosophy too.