In 2013, the Belgian artist Stromae released a song that took the world by storm. It was titled "Papaoutai", a clever play on the French phrase Papa, où t'es? which translates to, "Dad, where are you?" It is a track wrapped in an upbeat, infectious rhythm, but if you listen closely to the lyrics, beneath the melody is the haunting, agonizing cry of a child looking for an absent father.
