Say, Say, Say

I think I can vocalize the thoughts of just about everyone reading this with a single statement: It's been a tough week.

I am, essentially, dead: emotionally, physically, mentally, etc.

So it was a great relief and comfort to me Thursday night when I discovered a certain musician whose soft, optimistic voice had me wondering why Colbie Callait ever became famous with talent like this lurking all over Youtube. In fact, Kesang Marstrand (BEST NAME, btw) popped up on my Melody Gardot Pandora radio, and before I had listened to half of "Bodega Rose," I cycled through every single song involving Kesang's voice.

Odd shadows of trees in the park
Claim the darkest dark
While we sleep
Tangled beneath the covers
Tangled in each other
And try to dream deep

Bodega Rose by Kesang Marstrand, directed by J. Wyatt Wilson from Kesang Marstrand on Vimeo.

As whenever I discover a new artist, I spread the word about Kesang to those whom I thought would care the most. Now it's your turn!

My absolute FAVORITE song of all time (for the moment, at least) is "Say, Say, Say," a cover (or as Kesang says it, "a tribute") of Paul McCartney's and Michael Jackson's duet. Now, I personally had no idea that they had ever done a duet, or had even spoken to each other...but you learn something new every day. The original song:



AMAZING video, but below average for the both of them in terms of listenability. Now, force your minds to calm down. Think about a situation in which you were hurt by someone. Slow your heart, switch your ears from pop mode to smooth, sultry Norah Jones' style, and give it a listen.



While the first song, "Bodega Rose," appealed to my melodic sensibilities the most, this song has those lyrics which just stick. They're like glitter. Once you apply it, it will never disappear. You will always find glitter on that outfit you wore that night. Every time you are hurt, the refrain of this song, with its repetition and simple rhymes, will push you to those tears which are floating so near the surface of your eyes. They certainly are not drying, as Kesang sings.

The song offers no solution. You are left to deal with your own grief. The only thing the song asks is for closure, actually. The singer, the listener, all one wants is a truth of some sort. Of course it will sting. Of course it will fester, burn, hurt terribly. But all that will pass. However, the song has to be finished. It ends with an incomplete arpeggio, leaving it open for you to answer the question, be what it may.

So, take a deep breath and face your fears. Then, realize that your emotions are mirrored in the lives of the majority of the 7 billion people on this earth. If anything is a failure, than it's the fact that humanity was made to feel so deeply. But imagine a life without those intense emotions. You would have nothing. It would be an endless night, a Bodega rose.

Disclaimer: Life is truly as cliché as I just made it out to be. Deal with it.