American Songbook

I'm in the process of "shedding" a family friend, so I appreciate Bonnie Raitt's new single, "Made Up Mind":

It starts out slow.

With: Go ahead and go.

Pretty soon, the melody is like

A rainstorm tin-roof symphony.

But it starts out slow.

Raitt is describing the early stages of decay. What does a dying friendship sound like? "Go ahead and go." Also: bitter remarks, like pounding rain on a tin roof.

It goes on and on

For way too long.

It always ends on a bad note.

If you could dance at all, you'd dance alone.

It goes on and on.

Raitt is sort of an actress, and the way she hits the word "way" is like something from the catalogue of Meryl Streep.

The quiet behind a slamming door.

The break of a heart that won't break no more.

Getaway wheels in a straight line--

Serenade of a made up mind.

Suddenly, the rate of decay accelerates, and the use of parallel structure creates tension. "The quiet," "the break," "the wheels." The moment one person decides to detach: This is the shift of the front wheels out from the "turning position." A trigger is pulled.

This is all very sad, but also sort of exciting: Someone with a pen has found a fresh way to describe a thing that we have all been through.

Love this song!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qTQjuUfLu0

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