Achilles Heel: Enjoy Greek Myths in J. Maya’s Debut Single
Do you like dance music and Greek mythology? Then you will love “Achilles Heel”, an amazing debut single by rising singer-songwriter J. Maya.
This catchy single warms my classicist’s heart. I have never seen so many mythological references packed into one song!
The story of Achilles’ vulnerable heel is obviously central. But you will also encounter Athena, Atlas, Prometheus, and a whole array of mythological figures.
In this post, I’ll tell you a bit about how the song was conceived – and I’ll explain the meaning of some of the lyrics.
The Story Behind “Achilles Heel”
In 2020 Janani Krishnan-Jha received her BA in Psychology from Harvard College. During her time at Harvard, she took a popular course in the Department of the Classics called “The Construction of Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Greece”.
I have never met her, but we were actually at Harvard at the same time! In fact, one of my dissertation advisors taught Janani’s class on gender and sexuality in ancient Greece.
This class helped to encourage Janani’s love of classical mythology and offered her musical inspiration.
Janani released her debut single, “Achilles Heel,” on January 1, 2021 under her artist name, J. Maya. The song received instant and overwhelming success – over 150,000 worldwide plays in 3 days. The demo video has been viewed millions of times.
It’s not hard for me to understand why! Full of evocative references to Greco-Roman mythology, the words bring out the thrill and frustration of falling in love.
I can’t wait to see what this talented and versatile young artist does with her music in the future. And now let’s take a closer look at the song and its context.
J. Maya: Achilles Heel
I swear on my life and the River Styx
Opening lines of “Achilles Heel” by J. Maya
I never thought it’d be you I’d miss
Now I’m dangling by the ankle somewhere cold
The Myth of Achilles
Janani references an impressive number of myths in this song, but the figure of Achilles is at its heart. So who was he? Only the greatest Greek warrior ever.
Homer’s Iliad emphasizes Achilles’ military prowess during the Trojan War. Similarly, later tradition presents him as the heroic ideal, the one against whom all subsequent warriors must be measured.
But despite his strength and courage, Achilles died outside the walls of Troy with his heel pierced by the arrow of the Trojan prince Paris. Paris has gone down in history as a wimpy coward and pathetic fighter, so how was he able to defeat the mighty Achilles?
For the answer, we need to go back in time to Achilles’ childhood.
Achilles was the son of Peleus, a mortal, and Thetis, a sea goddess. Achilles’ humanity upset Thetis and she decided to make him immortal by dipping him in the Styx, a river in the underworld. But when she submerged him in the water (so that he was “dangling by the ankle somewhere cold”), she clutched his foot so he wouldn’t float away.
Her hand prevented the water of the Styx from touching his heel and as a result, Achilles was invulnerable – except for his heel. This, then, is why we call a weak point an “Achilles heel”. It is this phrase that Janani has used to such great effect in her song.
Loving you’s my Achilles heel
Chorus, “Achilles Heel” by J. Maya
Drop my guard when you’re with me, I can’t deal
I just hate when I walk on these pins and needles
I want to kill this Achilles heel
Appreciating the Lyrics
You don’t have to be a fan of Greek mythology to enjoy this single. From the very first line, Janani’s beautiful voice entranced me.
As the lilting (and catchy!) melody washed over me, I knew that it would definitely make it onto my playlist. In addition to the excellent sound and tune, the lyrics are impressively clever. It is no wonder that Janani has acquired an avid fan base!
Almost every line features a mythological reference. But these allusions to classical antiquity merge seamlessly with modern emotions and concepts to create a song that we can all identify with, even if we can’t explain every myth.
For example, “pushing that rock uphill” sounds like an onerous task, even if you don’t recognize the name Sisyphus. You can appreciate the symbolism behind “baby, you’re my sun” even if you have never heard of Icarus.
And “escaping from this labyrinth” conjures the idea of frantic wandering, even if you don’t know the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. This song highlights the enduring strength of Greek myths and their images even as it places them in a radically new context.
As I noted above, the single makes an impact even if you don’t catch all the references. But if you would like to understand more of the mythological background, then you can read these annotated lyrics. Mythology fans, including Janani herself, have offered many helpful explanations. You can learn what ALL the lyrics mean!
My Favorite Part of “Achilles Heel”
It’s hard for me to pick a favorite verse, but the following one is just so brilliant that I have to mention it.
But now I’m turning to stone looking in your eyes
End of Verse 2, “Achilles Heel” by J. Maya
‘Cause you love hard, Kore only half the time
Athena’d be jealous of the web you spun
Line 1 is a reference to Medusa, a woman who turns people to stone when they look at her. Athena – goddess of wisdom, war, and weaving – appears in line 3.
But it is the second line that really drew my attention. The words in the middle “hard, Kore” sound like “hardcore”, which fits well with the theme of the song. The singer’s lover is passionate but inconsistent; he is committed only half of the time.
But there is another, deeper meaning!
Kore (from Ancient Greek κόρη, meaning “maiden”) is the cult name of the goddess Persephone. According to the myth, Hades, lord of the underworld, kidnapped Persephone and forced her to be his queen beneath the earth. But Demeter, Persephone’s mother, grieved so much that Hades had to send Persephone home to the upper world for half of the year.
And so Persephone spends half her time with her husband and the other half with her mother. This means that she is the perfect figure for this verse, and the double entendre (hardcore vs. hard, Kore) deserves recognition for its brilliance.
👉 Curious about this myth? Read the Homeric Hymn to Demeter for the full story!
Achilles Heel & Classics in Today’s World
Classics is a broad field, and one that can cause a lot of confusion. Basically, Classics is the study of everything related to ancient Greece and Rome.
Classical “reception studies”, then, is the examination of how later cultures have engaged with classical themes. This has become more and more popular in recent decades, and rightly so.
A crucial part of the beauty and value of Classics is its applicability to us in the present day.
Intercultural contact is a chance for growth, whether the cultures are separated geographically, temporally, or both. That’s why J. Maya’s “Achilles Heel” is so cool.
The song straddles the divide between Ancient Greece and the modern United States. Janani has found a creative way of engaging with the past and finding meaning in it.
So what are you waiting for? Go listen to the song!
Update: J. Maya just released her second single – a break-up song featuring the Greek god of death.
A Note on Achilles Heel for Punctuation Nerds
I use the term “nerd” lovingly here, since I myself tend to pay an excessive amount of attention to punctuation. In any case, lest anyone chastise me (or Janani) for the lack of an apostrophe in the song name, I have decided to provide some clarification.
Do we need an apostrophe? There is no one right answer. Some dictionaries include both “Achilles’ heel” and “Achilles heel” as valid options, while others insist that the apostrophe is necessary.
If you include it, you are indicating possession and the heel belongs to Achilles. If you omit the apostrophe, “Achilles” functions as an adjective and explains the type of heel – an entirely legitimate and normal use of nouns in English. For instance, the correct way of writing the medical term “Achilles tendon” is without the apostrophe.
For whatever reason, Janani chose NOT to employ an apostrophe in her song name. I personally like the apostrophe, but for the sake of consistency, I have omitted it throughout the entirety of this article.
If you enjoy classical mythology, then check out the following posts:
17 Awesome Greek Tragedies Everyone Should Read
What is Classical Literature? (includes recs!)
Homeric Hymns: Don’t Miss These Iconic Myths
Super interesting… I’ve yet to hear the song before this!
I’m so glad you found it interesting, Kayla!
I absolutely love this song. There is one part in the bridge where she says “I’ll end this part like my name’s Paris” and I’ve always wondered if there was any Greek mythology context behind it.
There IS a Greek mythology context! Paris is the name of the Trojan prince who kidnapped Helen to cause the Trojan War, and Paris is also the one who killed Achilles by shooting him in the heel. So when she says “I’ll end this part like my name’s Paris”, she is saying she will put an end to the relationship. I love this song too – so many little details!
Paris was the Trojan prince who killed Achilles by shooting him through the heel with an arrow😊
When I heard the song the thing I loved most about it was the line about Heracles I was so excited to see that considering most people think that Hercules is Greek when in fact he is Roman Heracles is the Greek one
This is a great point, Michayla! J. Maya definitely knows her Greek mythology well. When I teach courses on classical myth I always make sure to note the difference between the two names, Heracles and Hercules. I suspect that much of the confusion over the name resulted from the Disney Hercules movie