This is yet another hard one. I suspect this is going to be a common refrain throughout this meme, but interestingly, the reasons they are difficult are different from one to the next. This one’s a hard one not just because I try to avoid things that make me sad, but because I don’t associate music with any especially sad moments in my life. Music is kind of constant with me, but for some reason – I’m probably emotionally stunted or something – even my strongest memories generally don’t get associated with music. (This may make future posts in this meme difficult as well, when we get to the “a song that reminds you of…” entries.)
Musically, this song hits me right between the eyes, especially at the bridge. It’s beautifully crafted, the chord changes, the tempo, the modulation and crescendo at the bridge, the whole package. I have a friend who talks about the “oh wow” spine tingle you get in the presence of something awesome. I often get that feeling, or something close to it, from different chord progressions. When I am singing along in the car (admit it, you do it to) and he gets to “I whisper ‘I love you’ each night as they sleep, but no one hears me when I speak,” it breaks both my voice and my heart.
The upshot is that this song doesn’t really make me sad, really, but it is a sad song; and it resonates with me: lyrics like “I just miss being young, and I grew old so fast,” and the themes of suppressed emotion and foregone opportunities, strike closer to home than I would probably care to admit. (Yet here I am admitting it, so go figure.) There’s a wistful sadness to the whole thing, and I’m sure it’s my age talking, but I feel it. Completely.
But don’t tell anyone. I’d hate for this to get out.
Someone's Got To Say It 