Sienna Spiro’s “Great Expectation” is about falling in love with the idea of someone rather than the person they actually are.

It’s about waiting for somebody who continually disappoints you, while keeping an imagined version of the relationship alive because the fantasy feels better than accepting reality.

Spiro has explained that the song was inspired by a period when she was living in New York and talking to someone who repeatedly said he would come to see her.

Every morning, she would briefly imagine that he might be waiting outside.

He never was.

Eventually, the song became less about that particular person and more about expectation itself: whether hope is something beautiful or simply a way of setting yourself up for disappointment.

That idea clearly connects with listeners. “Great Expectation” is currently No. 5 on the UK Official Singles Chart.

What does “Great Expectation” mean?

The title is deliberately interesting.

Normally we talk about “great expectations” in the plural: the things we hope will happen in our lives.

Spiro reduces that to one great expectation.

One person.

One imagined future.

The person isn’t giving her what she wants in reality, so she constructs the relationship in her mind instead.

That creates the central contradiction of the song.

She knows he’s disappointing.

She knows his promises aren’t reliable.

Yet the possibility that he might eventually become the person she wants him to be is enough to keep her emotionally attached.

Is “Great Expectation” a breakup song?

Not quite.

A traditional breakup song begins once something has ended.

“Great Expectation” is more uncomfortable because the relationship never seems to become what the narrator imagined in the first place.

She’s grieving potential.

That’s a surprisingly common experience.

Sometimes losing a relationship hurts.

Other times, losing the future you imagined with somebody hurts even more.

You’re not only letting go of the person.

You’re letting go of everything you thought might eventually happen.

Why does she keep waiting?

Because expectation can become emotionally addictive.

If somebody disappoints you nine times but you remain convinced the tenth time will be different, the possibility keeps the relationship alive.

The imagined version of them can eventually become more powerful than the evidence in front of you.

Spiro described the situation particularly clearly: living with the idea of him felt safer than having nothing.

That’s really the heart of the song.

The fantasy isn’t necessarily healthy.

But it provides comfort.

Why does “Great Expectation” sound so dramatic?

Spiro’s music draws heavily from older soul and jazz singers.

She has cited artists including Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, Etta James, Dinah Washington, Barbra Streisand and Al Green as music she grew up hearing.

You can hear that older musical language throughout “Great Expectation”.

It begins around piano and gradually becomes much larger, allowing Spiro’s voice to carry most of the emotional weight.

There’s something deliberately timeless about it.

It doesn’t sound particularly connected to a specific pop production trend.

And that’s probably helping the song stand out.

Is Sienna Spiro similar to Adele?

The comparison is understandable.

Both are London singers with powerful voices who can build huge emotional songs around relatively simple piano arrangements.

But Spiro’s influences stretch further into jazz and classic soul.

There’s also more theatricality in her vocal delivery.

If you like Adele, however, there is a good chance you’ll find something to like in Sienna Spiro.

Other artists worth exploring include Amy Winehouse, RAYE, Olivia Dean, Yebba, Celeste, Lianne La Havas and Etta James.

What album is “Great Expectation” on?

The track appears on Spiro’s debut album Visitor.

The album explores impermanence, relationships and the feeling of never being completely settled.

“Great Expectation” fits neatly within that theme.

The person Spiro is imagining never truly arrives.

She is waiting for someone who is emotionally temporary.

Why is the song connecting with so many listeners?

Because it describes something slightly more complicated than heartbreak.

Most people know what it’s like to want someone.

A lot of people also know what it’s like to want a version of someone that doesn’t actually exist.

You keep thinking:

Maybe tomorrow they’ll change.

Maybe this time they’ll turn up.

Maybe they’ll finally mean what they say.

Hope is usually considered a positive emotion.

“Great Expectation” asks a more uncomfortable question.

What happens when hope is the thing stopping you from moving on?

That is what makes the song so effective.