⋆.˚✮🎧✮˚.⋆Hawaii: Part II Theory- Is Simon Actually Innocent? PART ONE⋆.˚✮🎧✮˚.⋆

✰ ✰ ✰Introduction✰ ✰ ✰

On 12 December, 2012 (12/12/12) at 12:12 AM, the album Hawaii: Part II was released by the band Miracle Musical, which consists of members from Tally Hall except for Andrew Horowitz (Green Tie). In addition to the album being released on this specific date to coincide with the 2012 Phenomenon, the idea that “the world was supposed to end” on 21 December 2012 according to the Maya Long Count Calendar(5), this album has also inspired song analysis enthusiasts and overthinkers to find a new project to work on: What is the story behind Hawaii: Part II?

This album has many interpretations, the most common theory being the theory of Simon and Stella, specifically the one in favour of Simon, suggesting he is innocent. This theory states that the album is about Simon and Stella, exploring their love story and eventual demise. Their story begins when Simon, a sailor who has Schizophrenia, gets lost on an island, supposedly Hawaii, hence the name of the album. He meets a local named Stella, and they instantly hit it off. Within the fifth song, ‘Murders’, the two decide to go to a forest and get separated, Simon finding Stella dead later on. He gets framed for her death, the judge and jury claiming he is insane, sending him to an insane asylum, despite his admission of innocence. Within the insane asylum, he gets Electroconvulsive Therapy (a type of therapy in which an electric wave is sent to the brain and is also known as ECT), which only drives him mad. Years later, he gets out and decides to end his life at sea in the final song of the album ‘Dream Sweet In Sea Major’, only to be killed by a siren instead.

Now that you have understood the main interpretation of Hawaii: Part II, let's examine my interpretation and how it differs from the abovementioned theory. My interpretation of Hawaii: Part II also includes the two main individuals mentioned in the first theory, as well as the main progression of their story. However, I firmly believe that Simon is not entirely innocent, and he plays a role in Stella’s death, not to mention that I do not believe he has Schizophrenia but is more likely to have Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). To clear up any confusion, Dissociative Identity Disorder is when an individual lives with two or more different personalities, as well as suffers from amnesia, causing memory gaps(4). 

This blog will explain my interpretation of Hawaii: Part II (including each song), provide evidence to support my reasoning, and illustrate how my theories relate to real-life events.

✰ ✰ ✰Story Line✰ ✰ ✰

Introduction To The Snow

‘Introduction To The Snow’ is a song that introduces the story and the fact that it features two characters. Despite this song sounding like it is from neither Simon's nor Stella's perspective, there is evidence that it is from Simon’s perspective, notwithstanding Simon referring to himself and Stella as “two” instead of “we” or “us.” We know that this is from Simon’s perspective, not only because it is sung in a male voice (Joe Hawley’s Voice), but Stella is also directly spoken to, Simon referring to her as “you”.

Now that we have clarified whose perspective this song is from, we must consider that if this were true, then the well-known theory favouring Simon’s innocence would be incorrect. This is because there is a chance that Simon was the one who killed Stella. He would want to hide the fact that he is going to kill her, so he completely lied to both us and Stella. The first line, “Alone at the edge of a universe humming a tune”, is mentioned again in the song ‘Dream Sweet In Sea Major’. It mentions Simon being alone without Stella. This line doesn’t make much sense in this song, as Stella is still alive during this part of the story. However, this part of the song serves a different purpose. It tells the truth about the lie mentioned at the end of this song, which is “You’ll live forever tonight”, foreshadowing the events to come.

Despite this, during the rest of the songs within the album, he is seen rather upset and confused about everything that has happened, which suggests two things: one, he is just acting as if he is innocent or two, he has Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) making him have multiple personalities; one who actually loves Stella and is confused by all that is happening, and the other one who did in fact kill Stella. The first one doesn’t know what the second one has done, as people with this disorder cannot control which personality is in charge(2) and often do not have seamless recall of events that occurred while a different personality is in control(4). This is because individuals with DID experience memory gaps caused by amnesia(2). When an event occurs during a memory gap and the personality shifts to another afterwards, the memory gap causes that event to be erased from the memory of all personalities except for the one in which the event was witnessed firsthand(4). This is what most likely happened to Simon. A memory gap occurred during his killing of Stella. When he switched back to his core personality, he was completely unaware of what he had done and was confused by what had happened, why everyone blamed him for Stella’s death, and felt grief over her death.

Isle Unto Thyself

‘Isle Unto Thyself’ is the second song within the album and is when Simon arrived at the island (supposedly Hawaii, considering that the album is called ‘Hawaii: Part II’ and that part of ‘Black Rainbows’ is sung in Hawaiian) and when he met Stella. This song is from the perspective of Simon, but it occasionally switches to Stella’s perspective. Simon’s parts of the song seem to be his impression of Stella, with the word “star” being repeated multiple times throughout, referring to Stella as her name means “star” in Latin. Furthermore, the line, “Minds over matters” refers to the song ‘The Mind Electric’ because it mentions how the mind can take over one’s soul, consuming one's thoughts and actions when exposed to conflicting situations. This is because “matters” refers to other conflicting situations, as confirmed in the line “Love camouflaging under strife or other matters”.

Black Rainbows

‘Black Rainbows’ is the third song and introduces Stella. It is sung in two different languages: Hawaiian and English. The colours of the rainbow (plus black) are repeated in Hawaiian while Stella sings the main part of the song. Stella repeats the words “Stella Octangula,” which is a 3D shape. This is where her name came from. Some people interpret the ending "Ah-ha!" as Joe laughing at Simon, suggesting that he knows the fate of Simon and Stella in the future. This could imply that the story may conclude in an unexpected way, with Simon ultimately being guilty rather than innocent. 

Furthermore, the line, “And lo, the hues arrange to show/ It's perfectly clear” is repeated once more in the song ‘Dream Sweet In Sea Major’. While the first line does not have much significant meaning, the second line contradicts the opaqueness of the colour black, the colour black being repeated in Hawaiian (“‘Ele’ele”) in the background when the second line is being sung. This could symbolise that Stella is unaware of the danger she is in, posed by Simon’s alter personality.

White Ball

‘White Ball’ is the fourth song, about when Stella and Simon fell in love. The line “Where one game is designed” refers to the song ‘Labyrinth’, as the “Labyrinth” was considered a “game” in that song. Furthermore, the repeated line “Such impossible bliss” symbolises Stella’s oblivion about the danger she is in, showcasing the irony. From the words used in this song, it can be shown that during this part of the story, Simon and Stella were dancing. This song does not have major significance regarding the storyline. It simply outlines Stella’s relationship with one of Simon’s personalities, specifically his core personality. This song appears to reflect his core personality, showcasing him as a loving and kind-hearted individual. I also believe that the name of this song refers to a pearl, symbolising that Simon sees Stella as a beautiful person.

Murders

‘Murders’ is the fifth song that talks about when Simon and Stella went to a forest together. While they were there, they heard strange noises coming from deep within the forest. They thought nothing of it. While exploring the forest, Simon realised he had been separated from Stella. He couldn’t find her at all. He had completely lost her. Simon looked everywhere for her, and when he finally found her, she was in a horrific state—she was dead.

Now, I know what everyone may be thinking. Simon was separated from Stella during their time in the forest, so he couldn’t have possibly been the one who killed her. Well, think again. What if this song were sung in this way to serve a different purpose? This song states “He was in the forest.” Take a close look at the previous sentence. “He” doesn’t refer to Simon as a physical being. It refers to Simon’s alter personality. His core personality may not have been the one present during his time with Stella in the forest. It’s possible that his alter was entirely in charge throughout the beginning of this section of the story. His alter quite literally had ulterior motives, no pun intended. Why would Simon take Stella out to a forest in the first place if he wanted to spend quality time with her? Why risk putting her in danger by choosing a secluded spot when the previous song was all about how much he loved her?

Furthermore, at the beginning of the song, the first lines say: “He was in the forest looking to see the trees/ But none were there/ He found a girl.” At the end of the song, the last lines say: “I was in the forest looking to see the trees/ But none were there.” This confirms that Simon does have DID as he refers to his alter as “he”, ashamed that his alter is a part of himself. He refuses to refer to his alter as part of his identity. Simon says that “he” found a girl when “he” was in the forest, which must refer to Stella. For whatever reason, “he” decides to kill Stella, and after that, “he” doesn’t seem to make any large appearances further through the story. After Simon’s admission to what happened to Stella, Simon’s core personality becomes present and is forced to admit to himself that his alter is a part of him. When this song suggested Simon was gone when Stella was killed, it didn’t mean he was physically absent. It meant that his core personality wasn’t present anymore, and his alter was the one in control when he killed Stella. 

The way Joe illustrated this within the song is purposefully vague, leading the audience to believe Simon was innocent. However, by now, we should be aware that Joe is a bit of a trickster who enjoys showcasing his talent in various ways. He wouldn’t just make this story straightforward and simple.