Weightless

One of Dolby's classiest songs. Very influenced IMHO by Donald Fagen's "Nightfly" album. It would easily fit on "Nightfly" and as an experienced session player Thomas Dolby was without doubt familiar with Fagen and had probably even performed in studio with Fagen by the time he wrote this single.

My thoughts about this song are pretty simple: it sounds to me like it's about the loneliness of being a male musician on the road, and could be a fantasy vignette about an equally lonely woman who - if destiny just struck - might be brought together with him to become his soulmate, ending his and her loneliness simultaneously. It's the common "where is my soulmate" question we all ask ourselves in moments of extreme loneliness.

I realize he refers to Lizzy taking "a fistful of Coldrex" - but I disagree that's a suicide allusion. Instead, I always thought he was listing in a humorous way what his poor lonely American fantasy girl, somewhere in New Jersey - that most prosaic and American of states - stuffed in her mouth to distract her from her own loneliness while unaware that somewhere, a lonely English musician is on the road, wishing for someone as ordinary and wonderful as she is.

It's a list of the comical prosaic "housewife" things we women consume while lonely and watching TV at home wishing for a boyfriend: note the calories. Milkshake and dessert, topped off by cold medicine. The poor thing's stuffy and alone at home. Dolby wishes he were there, holding her.

By the way, not too long after penning this song, Thomas Dolby's musical wish came true. He met a beautiful American brunette, I think named Katherine (?), and they fell in love and married. They have been together, still married, since.

So in many ways this song is an example of the Law of Attraction, and a happy and successful one. Good job, Dolby :)