Fire Away

You Were Crying At the Airport

Fire Away by Chris Stapleton

Recommended by Manny

"Love this song. Great lyrics and meaning. Shows a man's love for his wife and his willingness to take whatever to show his love for her. This video draws attention to mental illness and a potential eventuality that it may cause. Please watch the video and see if you cry like I did, and tell me what you think about this song and the video."

I did, in fact, cry like you did.

I used to look at music videos and think, "it's just a tiny little film, why shouldn't it take 1/10th the effort of a full-length film?"

But now I've come to the conclusion that music videos are a deceptively difficult art form. You have about 5 minutes, give or take, to engage the audience with little to no dialogue (because, you know, the song is playing). That's not easy.

The video for Fire Away pulls it off flawlessly. By the end of the 4 minutes 23 seconds, I felt like I knew these two main characters, and I was so invested in their story that I couldn't hold back tears. It was just so beautifully crafted, juxtaposing the happiest times of the relationship with the very worst.

Furthermore, as Manny mentioned, the video brings up a topic that our society tends to just gloss over far too often: mental illness. It's real and painful, but we have to talk about it to end the stigma associated with it. I think it's great that more public figures are starting conversations.

Huffington Post actually has a glowing review of the song and video (here) that goes into a serious discussion on the culture surrounding mental health and suicide in the United States. It's worth a read.

(highlight to view spoiler): [ How nice would it be if this girl and her significant other knew where to go to reach out for help with her mental illness? The ending could have been completely different.]

The song doesn't mention mental illness as specifically as the music video, but if you're looking for it, it's there.

It's there in the way you load up your questions like you'd load up a gun. The way you choose the words that cut like a razor. The way I wish I could say that I've never been here before, but it's clearly an unhealthy cycle that neither of us knows how to end.

If you look at the lyrics, there actually aren't that many of them, yet the song still tells a complete, evocative story. I admire that.

Then you have the music. Nothing flashy, just an understated guitar accompaniment and drum beat supporting a simple, soulful melody.

It's a great song that's enhanced by a great music video.

Overview:

Genre:
Country

Favorite Lyrics:
Your love might be my damnation,
But I'll cry to my grave.

Verdict:
Takes aim at an important societal issue