Blue Wind

General CommentIt's really sweet that you typed up all these.this song is great.

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General CommentA paper on the Hapsburgs.

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General Commentthis is one of the most haunting songs i know. absolutely beautiful. and the interplay between "don't do sadness" and "blue wind" is simply brilliant.

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General CommentIlse's song Blue wind is in the same song as Moritz's suicide song, Don't Do Sadness.

It's kinda like a contrast of characters...Moritz has lost all hope and is wondering what he'll be after he kills himself. Ilse is hopeful of life despite her horrible daddy issues. *aka, her father raped her and led her into prostitution*

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General CommentIt is quite stunning how the amazing contrast can be amazing when combined. Yes he is suicidal, and she does have hope, but there is much more deepy rooted in their speech. She is almost the wisened character of this musical, seeing as she has been through almost every form of abuse, and yet still has the courage to press on with life and try to find some happiness. But no matter how hard she tries to convince him that life is worth living, he is set on taking his own life.

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General CommentThis duet is gorgeous! However, it is heart breaking.

Ilse is a young teen who is constantly abused by her father. This song has so much symbalism.

"Sure, when it’s autumn
Wind always wants to
Creep up and haunt you
Whistlin’ it’s got you
With its heartache, with its sorrow
Winter wind sings and it cries"

You can almost look at this part as if her father is the wind. In the song "The Dark I Know Well" Ilse and Martha talk about how their dads will come up to their rooms and sexually assault them. He creeps up to her room and then he holds her tight and probably, in a very controlling way--he may tell her "I've got you"

In the third verse Ilse is the "Blue Wind", and again, if you look at this symbolically her dad has become part of her as it is he who forces her into prostituition.

I know a lot of people say that she is being positive and looking on the "bright side" of life, and trying to convense him why he should live. I used to think this too. But now after looking at it from another angle I can see that's not the case. She's actually talking about how lonely she is--how misrable life is--and how she wants him to help soak up her hurt.

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General CommentNicely put, Cid. I agree about Ilse's message of hope, while Moritz is just sinking deeper into his depression. I'm not so sure what Ilse means by "blue wind", but she may be talking about either herself, Moritz, or humans in general. Also I think spring and summer are to her a time of hope, while in autumn and winter there is suffering, but that "every other day" spring and summer will return. So basically she's saying to Moritz that his state of sadness is only temporary and soon will be over. (similar to the message of Purple Summer-the future holds hope)
Of course, I'm not really sure.

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General CommentA lot of people view this song as being very hopeful, because in th dialog on th Cast recording, Ilse comes off as bubbly and fun, and she sings Purple Summer, which is the hopeful ending message in the musical. However, like Bwayfan said, it's not actually a cheerful or inspiring song. The recording leaves out a lot of dialog, during which it is revealed how sad, lonely and desperate Ilse is.

Examples- Ilse tells Moritz stories of her crazy and fun life in Priapia, the artist colony where she movs from painters bed to painters bed, being dressed up and drinking, laughing. But At the end of every story, no matter how fun or adventurous she makes it sound, she gets sad, something bad happens. With the first story about Fehrenforf, she talks of how he chases her and stabs her with his paint brush, ending with "Thats men, if they can't stick you with one thing, they'll try another" which is a funny line until you put with it the physical and violent nature of their relationship, and Ilse's father's abuse.
She also speak of "we all got so drunk and I just passed out in the snow. I just lay there unconscious all night" which says her "friends" left her drunk in the snow, alone. And finally she talks about staying with Gustav Baum, and how it was so wonderful until he wakes her with a gun and threatens to kill her. While she makes them out to be funny anecdotes it always comes down to "I just lay there.." "it really gave me the goosbumps" etc.
And after her first solo part of Blue Wind, she begs Moritz to come home with her, telling about the things they did when they were children and how they can do those things again together. When he says she can't, Ilse is visibly upset about being turned down. And after their duet, Moritz finally refuses no matter her begging. Her final line before running off (usually in tears) is "By the time you finally wake up, I'll be lying on some trash heap"

Ilse was sexual and physically abused before finally being thrown from her house because she fought back. Her life consists of wandering from man to abusive man to abusive man, never having an stability, seeking comfort in what was once her torment. While she eventually is the voice of reason, at this point she is a deeply morose character. The song says it to, the wind is sad and pained and lost. She is haunted and won't be let go by her past.

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General CommentI partly agree with 12steps. I don't think Ilse is completely hopeful and carefree. Her dialogue is funny but also depressing. However, in this song, she is definitely trying to convince Moritz that he should not take his own life. She knows life can be awful- she has been raped by her father and driven into a bohemian life of prostitution. But she would never kill herself.

Moritz, on the other hand, is obviously set on committing suicide. He is wondering what it would be like to come back as inanimate objects, unfeeling and with no consciousness. He would rather feel nothing at all than feel pain.

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My InterpretationAs I have been studying this song because I auditioned for the role of Ilse, I came up with my own interpretation:

I think this song is a metaphor for Ilse's manic depression, or bipolar disorder. "Spring and summer" refer to her good days, when she is feeling manic or normal, and "every other day" refers to the roller coaster back-and-forth of her condition. "Autumn" and "winter" symbolize her depression, the "Blue Wind" being her mood as it travels through the "seasons" of her illness.

Since Ilse has had such a tragic life, it is easy to imagine she has horrible days and better days; she has many reasons to be depressed, but she also tries to find the hope in everything.

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