“If I Were A Fish” by Corook (ft. Olivia Barton)
Corook is an alternative pop singer/songwriting who is 28-years old as of the dropping of “If I Were A Fish” and has formally been part of the music industry since 2021. And to note, the artist’s stage name is a malapropism of her first name, which is Corinne.
Corook has been a signee of Atlantic Records since 2022, but her most notable success thus far has been the result of TikTok activity. For example, her song “It’s Ok” (2022) went viral on the platform. And now the songstress has struck TikTok gold once again with “If I Were a Fish”, a tune that was officially released on 21 April 2023, quickly establishing itself as Corook’s signature song to date.
Meanwhile, Olivia Barton is also a singer with her own discography. Moreover she is the romantic partner of Corook, and the pair have been together since 2018. This song also stands as Barton’s biggest outing to date.
So it is Olivia Barton and Corook, whose TikTok handles are respectively (@hicorook) and (@oliviabartonhaha), who wrote this song, with the latter also producing it. And she has revealed that the two of them penned it within the timespan of “10 minutes”, being prompted by the primary vocalist “having a very emotional day”. The main goal of this piece is to express “the joy of being different”.
The Lyrics of “If I Were A Fish”
Considering that the two vocalists are in fact lovers, “If I Were a Fish” can be taken as a love song. There are certain lyrics, most notably those found in the bridge, which revolve around the singers celebrating having each other in their lives. In other words, they consider themselves “lucky” to have found one another, which is the kind of sentiment you usually find in romantic pieces.
And that’s where the concept of the vocalist likening herself to a fish comes into play in the first verse. Corook goes about using this analogy or metaphor to point to the idea that “if (she) were a fish” and someone, i.e., a fisher, were to catch her, that person would be very fortunate for having a scored a creature so “rare” and beautiful.
And that then brings us to the intended purpose of this track, as stated above. The implicit romantic sentiment takes a back seat to what can more conclusively be categorized as a self-empowerment song, one in which the vocalist goes about biggin’ herself up.
Or more specifically, that is to say that Corook and Olivia are not touting their self-worth braggadociously. Rather, given the premise against which this piece was written, they are doing so as a way of affirming and strengthening self-confidence, specifically, as implied in the chorus, within the context of being an internet personality, as having such an online presence can be unforgiving externally and fear-inducing internally.
“Why’s everybody on the internet so mean?
Why’s everybody so afraid of what they’ve never seen?
If I was scrolling through and I saw me
Flopping around and singing my song
I’d say ‘Damn, they’re cute’ and sing along”
Given the current state of the music industry, it is kinda cool to have a feel-good, folkish song like “If I Were a Fish” blow up. Its virality goes to show that all songs need to have adult motifs or heavy-handed themes in order to succeed, even though, reading in between the lines, the lyrics are quite deep (no pun intended).
Share Your Thoughts
“Due to my odd physic I have suffered a lot of bullying all my life. ‘If I Were A Fish’ reminds me that I still have a place in this world and something important to contribute to life as a whole. Instead of asking questions like ‘Why’s everybody on the internet so mean?’, the song encourages me to play my part in creating a safer space where we can love and be loved without being mean and judgmental. It also urges me to embrace who I am, and to let go of the need to be anything other than the real me.”
– Paloma
“As someone dealing with weight issues, I find comfort in its message. I wish I had heard a lot more songs like ‘If I Were A Fish’ when I was younger, but at 35, I think I need it just as much now. It reminds me that my worth is not determined by my appearance, and that I am deserving of love and respect regardless of how I look. ‘If I Were A Fish’ speaks to the unfortunate reality of living in a world that can be cruel and unforgiving. It encourages us to love ourselves and others despite our differences.”
– Nina
