在当今繁星璀璨的欧美娱乐天空,Passenger乐队并不算一颗非常明亮的星。直到2012年作品《让她走》(Let Her Go)问世,乐队才从舞台边缘走向了舞台中央,并凭借此歌在各国的音乐排行榜中攻城拔寨,真正地火了一把。
能在歌迷中引起共鸣的歌曲往往都是走心之作。而很多走心的作品也是创作者欲将心事付瑶琴的心血之作,能讓听者在歌中读到作者的故事,又看到听者自己的影子,于是心有戚戚焉。同属疗伤系的Let Her Go的创作过程也大致属于这一类。
主创兼主唱Michael David Rosenberg是一名英国独立音乐人,这首歌的创作背景也是他本人的亲身经历。创作这首歌曲之前,他和恋人刚分手不久。一日他在澳大利亚为另一支乐队助演,他的演出未赢得观众的好感,反响寥寥。在失望、失落、失意中,往日和前女友花前月下的回忆忽然如潮水般汹涌,让他无比眷恋,仿佛风雨中的异乡人忽然想回家一般。回忆带动艺术的灵感,推动创作的欲望,在很短的时间内他一气呵成,将对前女友的思念谱入乐谱,创作出这首估计他自己也没想到后来会大红大紫的作品。用他自己的话说,歌曲的灵感pouring out of him。
纵观歌曲的副歌部分“You only need the light when its burning low, only miss the sun when it starts to snow”“Only know youve been high when youre feeling low, only hate the road when youre missing home”,所有类比其实都是为“Only know you love her when you let her go”作铺陈,这句才是歌曲真正的落脚点和归宿。
一般的歌曲都是先主歌,后副歌。而这首歌在前奏之后,先进入由吉他和键盘轻盈伴奏的副歌,然后引入鼓点、贝斯等乐器,节奏变强,进入主歌,之后进入副歌,再主歌,再副歌,最后引入阿卡贝拉无伴奏模式,在歌手的清唱中收尾。整首歌曲优美婉转,歌词押韵工整,节奏层次分明,带动力强,情感随歌曲的演进层层递进,由浅入深,由轻渐浓,最后在高潮时突然中止,在歌手忧郁的清唱声中留下无限惋惜和遗憾,也让听众深深沉湎于旧情难舍的无限感慨中。
据说歌手的前女友后来也知道这首歌为她而作。但可惜生活不是肥皂剧,最后并未出现两人因一首情歌就重归于好的桥段。在2014年接受《滚石》(Rolling Stone)采访时,Rosenberg告诉记者:“Were good friends now … I think shes still kind of got mixed feelings about it. Shes happy for me, but it is pretty weird.”
Passenger这支乐队最早由Rosenberg和Andrew Phillips组建于2003年,但四年之后才出第一张也是最后一张专辑。很快Phillips选择离开,乐队在2009年正式解散。但Rosenberg选择扛起Passenger的大旗,之后一直以Passenger的名义继续他的演艺事业。
Well you only need the light when its burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go
Only know youve been high when youre feeling low
Only hate the road when youre missing home
Only know you love her when you let her go
And you let her go
Staring at the bottom of your glass
Hoping one day youll make a dream last
But dreams come slow and they go so fast
You see her when you close your eyes
Maybe one day youll understand why
Everything you touch surely dies
But you only need the light when its burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go
Only know youve been high when youre feeling low
Only hate the road when youre missing home
Only know you love her when you let her go
Staring at the ceiling in the dark
Same old empty feeling in your heart
Cause love comes slow and it goes so fast
Well you see her when you fall asleep
But never to touch and never to keep
Cause you loved her too much and you dived too deep
Well you only need the light when its burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go
Only know youve been high when youre feeling low
Only hate the road when youre missing home
Only know you love her when you let her go
And you let her go
And you let her go
Well you let her go
Cause you only need the light when its burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go
Only know youve been high when youre feeling low
Only hate the road when youre missing home
Only know you love her when you let her go
Cause you only need the light when its burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go
Only know youve been high when youre feeling low
Only hate the road when youre missing home
Only know you love her when you let her go
And you let her go