The Lights Go On, The Music Dies

A while ago I wrote about Robyn's "Dancing on My Own," a song beloved by the world and a song I rank really, really high.

I'm happy to report NPR just did a piece on this song, in its American Anthems series:

https://www.npr.org/2019/06/10/730641583/robyn-dancing-on-my-own-alone-together-american-anthem

Among the main points:

*This is a strangely jaunty tune paired with a sad story. The clash between rhythm and words seems to capture something about Robyn's state of mind; she is in mourning, but she is also resolute; she is a mess, but she'll keep going. (It makes me think about "Walking on Broken Glass.")

*Some gay listeners think, when Robyn sings, "I'm not the girl you're taking home," she is in fact saying, "I'm not the guy you're taking home." (And she DOES achieve something weird and ambiguous with that syllable.) All this calls to mind gay male cabaret performers who make use of Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me" -- without changing any pronouns.

*The song has around 130 words. Each line took approximately two or three days.

*Critics talk about "sparseness." There's a simple, terse observation--then around six seconds of silence. Over and over. The gap between lines is unusual in a pop song. The sparseness seems to be an invitation--a way of almost *requiring* you to empathize with Robyn as she tells this story.

*One portion has become a kind of eulogy, used by people whose spouses have died:

So far away, but still so near--
The lights go on, the music dies--
But you don't see me standing here...
I just came to say goodbye...

*NPR closes by noting the big paradox: A song about being lost actually makes listeners feel *less* lost. Robyn is saying: "I feel your pain." Attention must be paid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J294A-R1Cjk

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