Lyric Analysis

The song "Unchain My Heart," performed by Ray Charles and written by Bobby Sharp, is one of Ray's top ten hits that America fell in love with. Released in 1961, the songwriter describes his need to be free from a woman who cannot let him go or doesn't want him to fall out of love with her. It was also performed by later artists including The Rivingtons, Joe Crocker, and the Bobs. Throughout the lyrics, Ray uses many literary and poetic terms such as similes, allusion, and repition.
One example of a literary term is the lines "You've got me sewed up like a pillow case" and "I'm under your spell like a man in a trance." These are similes because they compare to unlike things using like or as. Another example is an allusion, "Why lead me through a life of misery, When you don't care a bag of beans for me." This makes reference to the story of Jack and the Beanstock, meaning that the narrator sees the relationship as meaningless because she doesn't really love him and only keeps around as means of entertainment. Ray also is repetitive when he sings "Please, let me free," signifying his desperate need to get out of the relationship.