Our Mutual Friend

I feel like I've been in this situation, but can't remember any specific example.

However, the emotion that Neil is playing on here is of being a teen/student at a house party, a stage in life where there is more social pressure than in adult life. The narrator, in his exaggerated emotional state (not helped with alcohol) feels a stronger sentimental connection with the girl as she does. I can also empathise with the girl though, if she is a fresher at uni, then she's perhaps more open to making (or perhaps forcing) superficial friendships, but also, maybe, a bit promiscuous.

This song is more atmospheric than ethical. I think the lyrics are constructed to convey a certain adolescent feeling rather than simply tell a story. The way the instruments change for the line 'I woke up the next day' is stressful and the bass makes the anticipation uncomfortable. However, regardless of the narrator falling out with the mutual friend, I don't think that Neil is passing judgement on either the narrator, the girl or the mutual friend in this song. I think it simply is a comment on the way people behave at a certain time in their lives. This gives the song an almost nostalgic essence. The way the song is presented with its exaggerated emotion, I can imagine the narrator reminiscing on this night later in his life and either reconsidering his reaction to his mutual friend, or thinking 'those were the crazy days lol'. The line 'a song that I can't sing any more' seems to contradict me here, but I think that as the song's purpose is to capture a moment in time, that that sentiment is only temporary, and it's purpose is to contribute to the overwhelming emotion of the moment more than be a consequence.

Ultimately, I think that part of the connection between the listener and Neil Hannon is that everyone feels like they have been in this position, even the girl and the mutual friend. It is a very subjective perspective, but at the same time one that most people can relate to. In reality, most people have probably played every character in this song at some point, but the one that tends to linger in our emotions is that of the narrator. This song is simply capturing a moment in every adult's growth, like the final photograph for the baby book. It is not right or wrong, it is simply a historical document of a certain time and place, of which we will play all characters.