I can't believe there aren't more comments on this song. With its beautiful, haunting orchestration, it blows the pants off modern music.
I forget where I heard this for the first time, but it grabbed me by the ears and made my arm hairs stand up on end. When the French horns (those are French horns in the middle, right?) kick in, I always get goosebumps.
I see the way this song is orchestrated just as telling as the lyrics themselves. In the more "intimate" parts of the song (during the verses), I see it as the narrator sitting in a lonely room and evaluating what he has. If you're like me and you think a lot, you know being alone with your thoughts can sometimes be very dangerous! I think the narrator realizes that and is on the brink of making a crucial decision to move forward in the relationship or break things off because he's having second thoughts.
When the tempo picks up in the chorus, I see that as the narrator's mind going crazy--almost racing with thoughts. I view John Waite's vocals--the lead--as his foreground thoughts, while the background singers could be that little voice in his head telling him he might be making a mistake. I think when the narrator raises his voice in the chorus and at the end of each verse, he's trying to cut through these voices in favor of his foremost thoughts. That's how the production in that regard speaks to me. I wish there was an interview out there that told the story of this magnificent song. I'd love to hear it!
Whether or not my interpretation is correct, this is still one of the most powerful songs I think I've ever heard. There are certainly others, but this has to be top three for me. I absolutely love this song, and it definitely makes me think!
I can't believe there aren't more comments on this song. With its beautiful, haunting orchestration, it blows the pants off modern music.
I forget where I heard this for the first time, but it grabbed me by the ears and made my arm hairs stand up on end. When the French horns (those are French horns in the middle, right?) kick in, I always get goosebumps.
I see the way this song is orchestrated just as telling as the lyrics themselves. In the more "intimate" parts of the song (during the verses), I see it as the narrator sitting in a lonely room and evaluating what he has. If you're like me and you think a lot, you know being alone with your thoughts can sometimes be very dangerous! I think the narrator realizes that and is on the brink of making a crucial decision to move forward in the relationship or break things off because he's having second thoughts.
When the tempo picks up in the chorus, I see that as the narrator's mind going crazy--almost racing with thoughts. I view John Waite's vocals--the lead--as his foreground thoughts, while the background singers could be that little voice in his head telling him he might be making a mistake. I think when the narrator raises his voice in the chorus and at the end of each verse, he's trying to cut through these voices in favor of his foremost thoughts. That's how the production in that regard speaks to me. I wish there was an interview out there that told the story of this magnificent song. I'd love to hear it!
Whether or not my interpretation is correct, this is still one of the most powerful songs I think I've ever heard. There are certainly others, but this has to be top three for me. I absolutely love this song, and it definitely makes me think!