Regarding Some Songs

Never Let You Go

First up, let's just make it very clear the song of regard today is the one by Third Eye Blind, not the Justin Bieber abomin—...er, track of the same name. Sorry, Beliebers.

Second up, I should mention I'm not entirely sure what this song is about. Not letting someone go, presumably, but beyond that? Beats me. Take the chorus:-

I'll never let you turn around, our back on each other
That's a good idea, break a promise to your mother
Turn around your back on each other

Um. What? I'm not even sure how exactly one turns your back on each other. I doubt chiropractors would approve. Or grammaticians. And how did someone's mum get in there?

There's stuff in the verses about people changing and staying friends and time moving on and friends being gone and so on, so I'm assuming the core concept is of a relationship not standing the test of time, and—judging by the green cloud zipping around in the video—I guess there's some jealousy chucked in the mix as well. At least, I really hope that's jealousy...

But then the lyrics get a little more arcane:-

But I still feel you pulse like sonar from the days in the waves
That girl is like a sunburn
I would like to say
That the girl is like a sunburn

Arcane, but pretty awesome—I love the tactuality of memory pulsing like sonar. Not to mention the sunburn girl, who presumably—a bit like a day spent at the beach without sunscreen—seemed like a good idea at the time but extracted a painful toll later on.

Hmm. Maybe I kind of do know what this song is about, after all.

I have to admit, I don't really having anything deeply insightful or even humorous to say about Never Let You Go. So, why is it here? Simply because, irrespective of its meaning (or lack thereof), this song is a classic piece of pop-rock, and always one of my first picks for any 90s playlist. It also contains industrial-scale quantities of the 90s guitars to which I am so partial, and as such demands to be played loud and air-guitared to, with extreme prejudice. Socks are optional (but recommended).

Go on, give it a try—while 2020 has taken many things from us, it can't take away our air guitars.