Hears the Lyric, Heres the Rhetoric

Samson - Regina Spektor


You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first, I loved you first
Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth
I have to go, I have to go
Your hair was long when we first met

Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
He ate a slice of Wonderbread 
And went right back to bed
And history books forgot about us 
And the Bible didn't mention us
The Bible didn't mention us, not even once

You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first , I loved you first
Beneath the stars came falling on our heads
But they're just old light
They're just old light
Your hair was long when we first met

Samson came to my bed
Told me that my hair was red
Told me I was beautiful and came into my bed
I cut his hair myself one night
A pair of dull scissors and the yellow light
He told me that I'd done all right
And kissed me until the morning light, the morning light
And he kissed me until the morning light

Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
Ate a slice of Wonderbread
And went right back to bed
We couldn't break the columns down
No, we couldn't destroy a single one
And the history books forgot about us
And the Bible didn't mention us
Not even once

You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first




Every time I listen to this song the same person comes to mind. When a song is able to bring an image, a face, to the surface of your thoughts you know it is powerful music. Regina, in this song, is practically pouring out love. Every word, every beat speaks it. More so obvious in the lines "I loved you first", however it is also visible in the little things she speaks of. 


This "love" she speaks of is a complex one, despite the simple things that make it what it is. Or was, I should say. I've put it in the past tense now, because the "history books" and "Bible" suggest a sort of past relation. 


The whole first verse is like a summary. "You are my sweetest downfall" says, theres no regret yet definitely disappointment. Suggests mistake and failure, but no unhappiness towards it. "I loved you first", pretty straight forward. A first love, everyone experiences one and one can never forget it. The repetition of the line suggests how it will not be forgotten. "Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth." Shows that perhaps there has not been full honesty, all that is wanted to be said has not been, and fear plays a role in that. It is much easier to write down how you feel than say it out loud. "I have to go, I have to go". Fear, shown plainly here. Black and white. The repetition portrays urgency, as if scared the lover will find out the true feelings, scared the reaction will not be as expected. "Your hair was long when we first met". Shows how long the hidden love had gone on and on, and how the lover has no changed. 


His hair- Regina explains was once long, however he let her cut it off herself. This is highly symbolic, relating to a mans, masculinity or his guard. It shows how she was let in, how she "cut" him up finally, and how that is the one thing she will not forget and will cherish. 


The Wonder bread- the little things, that made all the difference. 


Then, essentially, the first and the last lines of the song, simply speak what she is trying to say to him. 
(I love you, and I always will, but it is the past.)

"Had a bad day? I dare you to listen to Regina Spektor."

Regina Spektor


"The Best Kind of Album"


From the likes of another person, Regina is described and praised just as I would. Maybe not even enough. An Article titled "Why Regina Spektor's Begin to Hope  is the Best Kind of Album to Buy", by Ever Odessa, struck me as a perfect match as I was on my search for some kind of review of this collection of songs. Straight forward and to the point, title tells me what I want to know, I like it already.

"..curiosity got the best of me."
There is a line I can relate to. Reading this, I undertood completely what Odessa was talking about. When I had first heard one of her more famous songs "Fidelity", I was intrigued  therefore curious to hear more. Like Odessa, I too was a little skeptical. Thinking she was probably a one hit wonder. Until I came across the album Begin to Hope.

Odessa does a nice job crediting Regina for her work, and seems to show real fan qualities in her writing. She sells her  nice, if that is okay to say. And hey, there is no harm in trying to sell her, she should be shared with the world.


http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/116882/why_regina_spektors_begin_to_hope_is.html?cat=33

"The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle" by Ariel Swartley

FM or AM? ..a term I've recently been hearing in pieces from the past. I hadn't just yet gotten what it meant till now. In this world it was your either "this" or "this". FM or AM.

"you picked a side and made a stand.."

Swartley consistently juxtaposes and compares two things throughout the piece tying it all together with the kind of things she wants to be able to want to do while listening to her album out in the wilderness. I also like that her stranded place of choice is in the forest, considering the "wilderness" and the "crackle" of flames, most commonly found while doing some kind of camping.

"... the horns are waggling their hips and sassing him." -- Just a GREAT line! I'm in love with it.

The Best Introduction I Can Give: Stranded on an island. "Which album would you bring?"

21 Questions. A game usually played through some sort of technological social communication device, whether it be AIM, Facebook Chat,or texting on your super cool i-Phone. A game usually played by flirty teens bored and seeking some way-- any way, into this other person. A common question asked, known through personal experience with a guy who obviously was either a terrible conversation starter/keeper or just really enjoyed the game because it was all he'd ever suggest to talk about, is "If you were stranded on a desert island, what would you bring?". Of course everyone knows the logical answer to this, some food, some water, but in a game one is allowed to be playful right? Most might take a TV, video games, an i-pod. Some form of entertainment usually.

This assignment however is a little more specific. It asks, what my "desert island disc" may be. In other words, if I were to get "stranded" literally or maybe figuratively, what artist and what album of theirs would I bring with me to listen to. Eventually and essentially becoming it, if not best friends with it from all the quality time we'd be spending together.

First, before sharing what album I would bring with me in my loneliness, I think I should start off with, the what soon will be obvious truth, that I am in no way a "blogger". Second, I should probably define my view on the word "Stranded". I have not yet decided if I would like to take the more literal or figurative approach, so I can only say being Stranded, to me, usually means theres no way out, of whatever it may be your in, And if there is, It's going to be a hell of a long and complicated, maybe dramatic, possibly painful, and most definitely tedious journey. And if I know anything, MUSIC, is one of those drugs of rhythmic sorts, that enable you to forget it all, go numb, and just take it.

Begin To Hope. A sensible choice I would say, for myself that is, by Regina Spektor, a wonderfully talented and soulful voice that I can easily connect to and sing along with. This album I have come to find is filled with a whole lot of thought, considerably coming from the heart. The lyrics hold meaning that is not always easily caught in the first or second listen. It requires you to think and piece an image together to understand. It also allows you to understand and take it in your own way, as all music should. Although she may have meant it one way, I may connect to it differently, feeling almost welcomed to do so by her soft and wispy vocals and the presence of the piano.