30 January 2006

James Blunt: The most depressing music you'll ever hear.

It's funny how much music you listen to and like in your life. What's funnier is the fact that you seldom take the time of day to actually hear what's being said. Case in point: James Blunt. My ex is a huge fan of his, and I think it was she who introduced me to the guy... it was romantic music to listen to, nothing more. But then, at some point, I started listening to the actual lyrics, and what I discovered what depressing themes the bloke sings about. Consider for example the song Beautiful. He goes on about seeing a beautiful woman in public, how she smiled at him, and how they "shared a moment that will last till the end". And the crux of the song? "And I don't know what to do, cuz I'll never be with you."


Now, am I just being a soppy bastard, or does that not bespeak a metaphor about lost love? The next song is "Goodbye my lover": A massive ode to a lost love, about saying goodbye to the person you love. And for all those who have loved and lost, there's a certain ring to that. (Lyrics at:http://display.lyrics.astraweb.com:2000/display.cgi?james_blunt..back_to_bedlam..goodbye_my_lover)

And the theme goes on: Cry, Tears and Rain, High, Out of My Mind..... why is this guy so depressed? Or is it just a commercial ploy? Expanding on the theme a bit more, why are all these soppy (yet admittedly beautiful) soft-genre romantic songs popping up? James Blunt, Damien Rice, Katie Melua, Norah Jones...the list goes on. Still, James is the king of depression. But it all begs the question: why the obsession with hurt and pain?

Do we, as humans, truly define our existance through pain (as Agent Smith in the Matrix said)? Or do we just like to be reminded alternately of what love and pain are, depending on which situation we're experiencing? Are we all emotion junkies?

And the questions await an answer....in the interim, I shall be listening to some depressing music.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with u, that "beautiful" song is the most depressing ever!

Fedaykin said...

Depressing, indeed! Whenever I'm in the mood to write something tragic, I just put on some James Blunt!

Anonymous said...

depressing it might be but i nearly cried when i heard goodbye my lover. know im a big fan of james blubt

Anonymous said...

i completely agree his lyrics are so depressing.
another interesting thing is that almost all the music is about relationships ...