Teary Eyed Tuesday: He Said/She Said

Today's installment will focus on a particularly moving variation on the breakup song- the male/female duet. So much of the relationship and post-relationship angst in pop music is one sided, and its often difficult to remember that there are two sides to every story. Two songs in particular have come out in the past few years that pull this off absolutely beautifully, and I'd like to offer some thoughts on them today.

First is "Nothing Better" by The Postal Service. The album version features Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and little known indie chick Jen Wood. However, I'm partial to the live version from KCRW that features Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley, not because I'm a music snob, but because I adore Jenny Lewis (but more on that tomorrow).

On the whole, I'm not a huge fan of either Postal Service or Death Cab (though both have turned out some good stuff), but I love this song. The lyrics are really well done and the two parts play off each other perfectly- the guy desperately trying to understand what's going on here, while the girl feels like she can't explain it to him any more clearly than 'it's over'. When Ben sings that he "will block the door like a goalie tending the net in the third quarter/of a tied game rivalry," I'm willing to ignore the fact that hockey is in fact played in three periods because the sentiment is just so completely relatable.

The Postal Service- Nothing Better (Live on KCRW)

The second song, "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" by Stars, is a much more post-mortem take on the concept, which if anything makes it that much more haunting and beautiful. There's a hell of a lot I want to say about this song, but it's really hard to get into words. I think most of all it's an example of how you can’t take lyrics at face value. When Torquil Campbell sings that "all of that time you thought I was sad/I was trying to remember your name", you can tell he's completely lying through his teeth- seeing her again hurts, and the only way to get through is to keep telling himself it doesn't. Likewise, the intense refrain at the end of "I'm not sorry I met you/I'm not sorry it's over/I'm not sorry there's nothing to save" lacks a certain resoluteness, said not because it makes them feel empowered or to hurt the other person, but because in the end, it's the only thing they can do.

I'm going to cut myself off here because I should be getting some sleep, not to mention work on actual schoolwork. However, I'm posting the video here as well (via You Tube- apologies for the slow loading, but its worth it). I think it really supports a lot of what I feel about this song, in addition to being a brilliant homage to my favorite scene in the similarly themed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (for those curious, you can read my Valentine's Day musings on the film here).

Stars- Your Ex-Lover is Dead
(Alternate video link here)