Dearest Penpals,

I am not quite sure if any of you listen to the same music that I do, but here is an opportunity to indulge in a fraction of it.

I’ll start by saying that there is not really a genre of music I prefer over others, I think all music can be and should be enjoyed. Much like literature, music is an art form, it is the combination of various notes and sometimes lyrics that can invoke a certain emotion in the listener. Is that not the same as the varying genres of literature? Certain writings will make the reader feel sorrow, comfort, joy, or one of the other countless emotions us humans experience throughout our existence. Music does just that as well, it brings out our emotions through the use of rhythm, lyrics, melody, chords, etc.

Some songs will bring about a nostalgia that brings about an ache in the deepest part of a person’s soul. Others will give the listener that small pickup that they were seeking, something to get them through a strenuous day. Music is a universal language, it does not matter what the mother-tongue of the artist is as music is a language of it’s own to tell their story, and others can understand what they are conveying through the tone of their singing and/or composition of the track. I don’t just mean this in a figurative sense but also in a genuinely musical stance.

When I was younger, I was in the school orchestra for eight years. I spent at least two hours of nearly every day learning not only how to play instruments, but also about music and how certain key signatures, scales, and parts of a composition invoke certain feelings. Beyond that I learned that various scales can be associated with different colors. For an example, using my favorite color, C# (sharp) Minor, is often associated with a violet hue but that also depends on person to person. Much like how we all can see colors different ways, and I don’t just mean people with color vision deficiency, also known as color blindness. Next time you are with someone maybe ask them to name the colors of certain things and see if they see the same colors as you. Perhaps what you would consider a true orange to others can be seen as an orange with stronger yellow undertones.

But back to music, what I see as a heartbreaking song about lost love could be seen by another as a more longing love song that appreciates the time the singer spent with their muse. The objective way that we subconsciously view music is fascinating to me. So, on that note, I would like to give you a couple of songs that I constantly find myself returning to. I open you all to dive into each song and share what you think they are about. Do not let my thoughts influence your own, and simply state what you think the story is of each song.

The Songs

Wolf by First Aid Kit

This song tells the story of a child who realizes the less-than-savory parts of their parents, realizing that their parents might not be who they always thought they were. An absent mother, perhaps struggling with addiction or mental health that causes her to look worn and thin every time she returns to the child’s life; a mother who has failed to treat her child right, almost turning their child into a devil. And a father who has many different faces to him, the one he shows to the outside world and the one that only his family sees, one where he does not smile anymore; perhaps because of him watching his wife wither away or because of the implied disgrace his child is to him.

This child finds comfort in the natural world, where all that is around them is the forest, and their only company is the words their parents have said to them, that they are a disgrace. Through this, the child feels the need to escape their oppressive home and find a proper home, one where they are treated with love.

Yet, even when they escape their parents, they still show up at the door and continue to spew venom onto their child. They ask for money and push their child away through their words and actions. The wayward winds keep bringing the voices of this child’s parents back to them. Yet, now they have the comfort of a found family that offers them a lending hand and now this child can not find the same comfort in nature as it always brings them back to that place, a place where they were only seen as a disappointment and forced to carry disgrace with them.

Somethin’ Stupid by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra

I have to start by saying that this song brings back the ache of lost love for me. In my eyes, this song tells the story of a relationship that will never work. The narrator loves this person but their partner can not reciprocate or simply does not believe them and is more interested in others. The narrator keeps confessing but it is never reciprocated, they keep ruining beautiful moments between the two by confessing their feelings. All in hopes that one day that love will be reciprocated and accepted.

Yet, that never happens. This relationship will never move beyond this current state, and the narrator knows this but refuses to accept it, for they are so infatuated with this person. They will always hold adoration for this person, but, in the end, they accept that it will never be reciprocated and just state repeatedly, “I love you,” as the relationship fades away.

Also, I love Frank Sinatra’s music.

Allies or Enemies by The Crane Wives

In my eyes, this song tells the downfall of a relationship. The narrator said things in confidence in a moment of weakness to someone and their partner overheard. Their partner will not let this go even as the narrator states that they didn’t mean it, their words were said when they were not in a right state of mind and they know what they said was bad. The narrator tries to explain this but their partner will not hear them out, but don’t they at least owe the narrator that for eavesdropping.

The narrator goes on to think about the other times they would fight and how the two could never keep a fight going, as both parties would always end up smiling and laughing in the end. Yet, now their partner is holding on to these words they overheard. It leads to the narrator questioning if their partner is their ally or an enemy now. It eats at the narrator and they feel that this questioning will be the death of them. And they can’t keep fighting with their partner.

In the end, the two decide to discuss this issue. Do they try to save this relationship or go their separate ways? The narrator does not want this to be the end of the relationship. Even with their doubts, they still want to make this work. The narrator wants to be let in again, not shut out. Yet, by the end of the song it seems that the two cut ties, but the narrator still holds on to maybe they can be friends but they still question, are they allies or enemies? Continuing this questioning will continue to eat at them and feels like it could be the death of them.

So, my dearest friends, what do you think? What are these songs about to you? How do they make you feel? I hope to hear from you.

Write to you soon,