Have Your Tissues Handy
Above the Clouds of Pompeii by Bear's Den
Recommended by Kim
"This is one of the first songs I heard by Bear's Den, and I immediately fell in love with them. Their sound is very similar to some of my favorite bands (Bon Iver, Mumford & Sons, and all that indie goodness). The lyrics are rather simple and straightforward, but it took me a couple of listens to get the full effect. There's a very airy feel to it all, yet it's somewhat haunting and leaves you feeling melancholic. Hope you get a cool experience out of it like I did, and I definitely recommend their other stuff. I believe they just put out their first full album this past year."
A moving song...I teared up on my first listen.
I disagree about the lyrics being straightforward.
I don't know if this counts, but the title is definitely not literal. It's not taken directly from a line in the song, which always makes me suspicious. If it's not a catchy phrase from the chorus, it probably has a deeper meaning.
As for the actual lyrics, it never explicitly says what's going on, so it took me a while to figure out exactly who the song is talking about in each section. Is the whole song about the son's relationship with his single father? Or is the son talking about memories he had with his mother before she passed? Or was it the grandmother who died? And I can't quite wrap my head around the So my father and my son verse.
Not that the uncertainty takes away from the beauty of the song. The general meaning is clear, and the feeling of loss and nostalgia is inescapable. If I were to describe this song as concisely as possible, I'd say it's a sad smile.
And they certainly do have a beautiful simplicity to them. I have a deep affinity for repeated lyrics when it's done well, like it is here. There are quite a few tripled lines, but the repetition of I was too young to understand and She would want you to in particular struck a chord. They capture the grief, but also the beginnings of moving forward.
I like how you the song moves you from one place to another through both the lyrics and the music. The guitar comes in softly and sweetly as the lyrics speak about how she haunted our home.
Then the strings go silent and there's nothing but a very quiet...wind instrument of some kind, it's lovely...during the I was too young to understands. It's the most poignant moment in the song.
At then it's joined by a steady drum, and the guitar or banjo, whichever, comes back, and it just builds and builds as the singer comes back with Don't cry. Hold your head up high. She would want you to.
Beautiful song, beautiful story.
Overview:
Genre:
Indie goodness, did we decide? / Folk Rock
Favorite Lyrics:
Don't you know I miss her, too?
I miss her just as much as you.
Verdict:
Please, just don't cry is an impossible task. Listen anyway.
Wow I've never actually taken the time to watch the music video for this song, but it really enhances the experience of listening to it. I couldn't help but tear up when the old man started dancing alone with, as you said, a sad smile. So thank you for including the video. I found your interpretation very intriguing, especially the part that speculates who the actual subject it. And I've read some other really interesting comments online, but I think we can take some cues from a direct quote by the lead singer in that there isn't exactly one answer. In an interview he said, "My Dad and I went on a trip to Pompeii together when I was a kid and it made a really big impression on me. It’s a deeply personal song to me and to other people as well so talking about it too much will only ruin people’s own interpretations. It was one of the first songs I wrote where I never actually wrote it down. I wrote it in my head over the course of a month and that process removed a lot of the pressure of staring at a blank page which I used to do a lot. I played it to Kev and Joey in the back of a van on our first tour and we’ve been playing it ever since." The point is everyone's going to have a different interpretation, but that's what makes it so special and unique. That's what makes it a personal experience.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the music video is beautiful! It's like a combination between The Notebook and Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud Music Video.
DeleteThat's a great quote from the singer. The process of songwriting is always so interesting to me...I guess it's because I've never written a song that I can't imagine how you go from a few lyrics and some random notes to a melody and a full-blown piece of music.
Musicians and poets and artists in general never want to say what their work is about, do they? Consumers can see what they want, and any interpretation is valid.