Talon, Like the Claw: Such Is Life
As mentioned in the Overview blog post, "Such Is Life" is what takes the mood of the EP on a bit of a downward slope. I hesitated releasing this one because it doesn't have a happy or even positive ending, which can be a problem when everyone's searching for "good vibes" in contemporary music. Also, my aim as a songwriter is not to leave people down in the dumps. I'd much rather help them feel inspired and joyful in their circumstances. That sounds so much more fun. But I realized while writing this tune that it is incredibly therapeutic to vent/rant about the frustrations in life, especially when there is no straight answer on how to respond to the situation. Sometimes, you just need something to listen and relate to, and that's exactly what I tried to encompass in "Such Is Life."
If you've listened to the track, (LISTEN HERE)
you might have noticed that it sounds a little
different, to say the least, from what is popular on the radio at the moment. I've gotten many comments that it sounds like a James Bond theme song. Others have said it reminds them of the Great Gatsby. And almost everyone has said that it sounds familiar in some way. These people are actually onto something...
Spring semester of 2019, I'm sitting in my music history class at 8 AM. I have forgotten to listen to the assigned musical pieces (LOL) but luckily the professor has us listen to them in class. *sigh of relief* She turns on the first selection--a Mozart piano sonata in F major--and I am perfectly prepared to be lulled to sleep when suddenly, a succession of chords turns the spritely tune into something deeper and painfully beautiful. The succession of chords plays a couple more times and I feel as though I am getting punched in the gut every time. It is a warm feeling but heavy. I clutch my stomach like the location of my soul has just been revealed to me. And then it's gone, and the cute little melody from the beginning resumes.
I was intrigued. I'd never felt that dramatically about a couple chords before, so I resolved to figure out what they were and why they had done that to me. After hours of music theory applied, I was able to play the beloved chords from the Mozart piece. I decided then that I needed to write lyrics so I could better encapsulate the feeling in my gut. I immediately focused on the irony of it--how vulnerably raw the music left me and yet I craved more of it. I thought about Mozart, how brilliant and emotional he was and yet he died so young. The more I thought, the more I realized that in everything beautiful, genius, and divine, there is an element of loss. Immense heartbreak. To me, this is an immediate reflection of God's heartbreak when his beautiful creation--humanity--chose sin instead of Him. And again, when Jesus had to die in order for all of us to be saved. Love causing pain--pain reflecting His love. Wow.
Sooooo, how do you write lyrics to encompass all of that?? HAHAHA I had to reel it in a bit. I realized that this pain vs. love paradox is present in our romantic relationships as well. We have relationships with people, we fall in love, we commit to each other for life, knowing but maybe not fully realizing that we will ultimately lose the people we love. I believe that falling in love and allowing yourself to be loved is quite possibly the greatest thing that you can accomplish in life, but it can also bring about the greatest heartbreak and pain...
You might have heard that "the greatest love is to lay down one's life for another."
In the chorus of "Such Is Life," I lament the fact that if I fall in love with someone I'll probably have to die for them. And then if I die, he'll move on to someone else. But then I express in the bridge that it would be even worse if he died and I had to live without him. I know--morbid right? Still I think about it.Just a classic spiral down the rabbit hole of overthinking. Kinda like the whole process of writing the song was. Kinda like this blog post has been. Love. Pain. Overthinking. Such is life.
Listen to "Such Is Life" on Spotify!!
