As of 2012, I am officially obsessed with all things Ellie Goulding. Her voice, her songs, her accent, it's all so amazing!! But as I first listened to her debut album "Lights", one song really stuck out in particular. That song was "The Writer", and I have been listening to it non-stop since the beginning of 2013.
So what's so great about this song? A song's quality can be measured by two things: lyrics and music.
The music is in the key of A Major, which makes this song light and happy. It starts off with twinkling synths and a piano soon plays a lovely ballad melody. A guitar and strings keep the flow of the song and when the drums come in, they gently charge to song without piling things on. And then there's Ellie's voice...holy crap it is awesome!! She mixes breathy vocals with a gentle charm that's eargasmic upon the first listen, and when she adds more power to her voice, it also helps the song lift off the disc and into the big recesses of your mind. To put this all simply: it's instantly addictive and it maintains high quality, both in music and in lyrics.
Now the lyrics:
"You wait for a silence
I wait for a word
Lie next to your frame
Girl unobserved
You change your position
You're changing me
Casting these shadows
Where they shouldn't be"
So with this first verse, obviously this song is about a crush that does not seem to notice you. They take your breath away, but they just don't know it. Usually I try to stay away from songs like this, but as I've stated before, the music just sucks you in.
"We're interrupted by the heat of the sun
Trying to prevent what's already begun
You're just a body
I can smell your skin
And when I feel it, you're wearing thin"
Ok, so there's actually a plot to this song. Now we've moved past the guy not noticing her part, and now they've begun a romance that is heating up fast. And I'll now point out the metaphors that Ellie uses in a very clever way, her songwriting is just genius.
"But I've Got a plan
Why don't you be the artist and make me out of clay?
Why don't you be the writer and decide the words I say?
Cause I'd rather pretend
I'll still be here at the end
Only it's too hard to ask, won't you try and help me?"
Best chorus for a song EVER!! That's really all I have to say here.
"Sat on your sofa, it's all broken springs
This isn't the place for those violin strings
I try out a smile and I aim it at you
You must have missed it
You always do"
Since I'm a violinist, I love this verse a lot! This is obviously the most straight-forward verse of the whole song, so it's equally as endearing as the rest of this otherwise insubstantial song.
"You wait, I wait, casting shadows, interrupted (Repeat 3 times)
You wait, I wait, casting shadows"
Being the most repetitive verse, I don't really know how this makes sense with the rest of the lyrics, but it's still delivered with conviction, so it's still good.
The rest of the song is just the chorus again, but still, this is just an awesome song! I also encourage you to buy "Lights" (the album) if you haven't already, because most of the songs are like this, bright and shiny with great lyrics. Or at least give this song a listen, since it's the strongest track on the entire album.
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