6/10

Not June 10th

6/10 by Dodie Clark

"It takes me to a different place, and it makes me sad in a good way. I just really love Dodie Clark too, to be fair."

Stripped down to nothing but vocals and a keyboard, this song lays bare the singer's soul. Clark's voice sounds close to breaking the whole time, which is perfect for this confessional about those days when you feel like a six out of ten.

You're not the worst out there but....still not good enough. There's nothing really wrong, no good sob story. Your'e just. Okay I guess.

I'm glad it makes you sad in a good way, because for me it's just sad in a sad way. It takes me to a different place, too - and that's a different place in time. It captures those feelings of worthlessness so perfectly that it takes me back to high school, when I couldn't ever shake the feeling that you don't want me here.

Of course, I still feel like that sometimes, but not as often.

Clark describes the song in her own words: "it's about social anxiety and feeling just so bloomin insecure in social situations. 6/10 is like...ya know. Fine. People like you I guess but you're just a meh."

It's not fun. It's not a happy song. But there's comfort in it. There's comfort in hearing that someone else understands what you're going through. There's comfort in knowing you're not alone.

The piano is beautiful, and the melody is well-written. It only took one listen to commit the chorus to memory.

Then you get to the layering of vocals that brings the song to a heartbreaking climax. It's like we're really getting inside this girl's mind, hearing that quote that she's saying to herself over and over again: I know that you don't want me here.

At this point, it doesn't matter whether it's true or not. It doesn't matter if everyone thinks she's a 10/10 and wants her to stay - because she has this other truth repeating in the back of her mind like a mantra.

I know that you don't want me here.

You don't want me here.

It's a well-crafted song that reflects conveys its message through every aspect of its composition, from the accompaniment to the melody to the delivery to the lyrics. Maybe you're right about it being sad in a good way.

Overview:

Genre:
Singer-songwriter / Indie folk

Favorite Lyrics:
I'll close my mouth.
I won't say a word...
A nod of pity for the plain girl.

Verdict:
10/10