This is Point Zero. In this series I will go back to songs that furthered my musical education. Each blog post will discuss the roads that led me to discover some of my favourite artists and groups. This series will also reminisce the good old days coupled with some reflections along the way.
It was December 2018- my first Christmas as a working individual. In my line of work, the Christmas season is a stressful yet a very exciting part of the year. There are deadlines to meet before the Christmas break, but there are also several Christmas parties and gatherings to attend to. Foods and gifts are every where, it's so overwhelming.
Out of all the foods, gifts, and the whatnots, what I like most about the Christmas season is the 2-week Christmas break. This 2-week break is an opportunity for everyone to go back to their senses and spend time with their loved ones. As for me, there were times during my Christmas break when I would go to shopping malls 2 days before Christmas just to watch people and amuse myself with Christmas displays. When I can't go somewhere, because I feel so overwhelmed with all the Christmas preparations, I would just spend hours watching videos or just writing stuff on my journal. The good all times.
Since I began working 3 years ago, it's always the Christmas break of 2018 that I consider as the most memorable. I can still vividly remember how I spent my 2018 Christmas break watching my favourite Sherlock episode (The Abominable Bride) and gushing over First Aid Kit's version of a classic Simon & Garfunkel song called America. Thankfully, whenever I feel nostalgic and want to relieve that specific period of my life, Youtube is just a click away.
Prior to discovering First Aid Kit's version of America, I was already familiar with the Simon & Garfunkel's version. America is one of the first S&G song I discovered and it instantly became my favourite song from the duo. I always saw that song as a coming-of-age song- that one song to play when things are uncertain and you're starting to feel unsure of yourself and the path ahead of you. While I was reviewing for the board exams around June- July of 2018, I used to listen to that song over and over. It became some sort of a gentle reminder that if ever I'll flunk the board exam, I can still retake it the next year. I did not flunk the exam- thankfully- but I must admit I was totally scared when I was waiting for the board exam results.
Back to First Aid Kit's version, it wasn't a "love at first sight" kind of relationship. I must admit I was hesitant to give their version a try because I love S&G's version.I rarely give cover versions a try especially when I'm already satisfied with the original versions, but what convinced me to listen to their version was my curiosity about the song's meaning. I wondered if the meaning of America will change if it is sung by female singers.
It did change the meaning of the song for me. The song felt closer because it was comforting to hear female signers singing about something I can relate to. The thing is, as a young adult, it feels difficult to be in a situation where you don't know what you're going to do with your life. Three years ago, aside from the board exam results, I was really struggling with my first job- how I'm going to manage my finances and balance my time. The challenges of university life seemed smaller compared to the new challenges of being a worker, and to hear female singers telling you that you're not the only one stuck in that same situation- because everyone is - was comforting. Although it did not entirely changed my situation, I felt a little less pressured about figuring things out.
The romantic aspect of this song- its lack of resolution- is a poignant reminder of the truth about our life's endeavours and adventures. We meet people, we plan our adventures with them, but like time, they'll slip away from us. At the end of the day, we have our own adventures to embark on, and we have to go through these adventures bringing with us the knowledge that the people we encounter along the way, although will help us discover ourselves, will not join our adventures forever.
Another life lesson from this song is about our relationship with our friends, families and lovers. Although it wasn't that emphasised in First Aid Kit's version, the song is actually a story of a young couple traveling their way to a new place and searching for their life outside their comfort zones. Towards the end of the song though, as a listener, you'll begin to wonder if the young couple will continue the adventure together. The adventure was an eye-opener for the lovers- especially for the narrator who realised that despite the comforts of being with a lover, the loneliness and emptiness of life still lingers.
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