Note 8: Love Lost by The Temper Trap

The Temper Trap is an Australian indie rock band that formed in 2005. The lead singer, Dougy Mandagi was born in Indonesia, and some of his rich influences from singing in church choirs and listening to his dad play guitar are integrated into the band's sound. As a collective, the band's vocals, guitar, bass, drums, and other instrumental creations produce this unique transcending sound found nowhere else but in The Temper Trap. Love Lost is one of those transcending pieces.

Beginning with a classy keyboard progression, the song is accompanied by the uniform sound of clapping hands. The singer sings “our love was lost, but now we've found it”. Dougy’s voice that so much resembles the Gibb brother's vocals (BeeGees), add to the song's spiritual and emotionally uplifting quality. With just that first line, those four words illustrate an obvious circumstance in which someone (presumably him) and someone else had once lost their love. He sings with so much passion and raw emotion with the proceeding lines of “our love was lost and hope was gone.” Although those lines are very simple, the way Dougy sings those words illustrates this running image of the situation. Further ahead into the song, the words “and if you flash your heart, I won't deny it” suggests the willingness of the lover to take up this salvaged love once again. He then declares that he “won't deny it”, this sacred love, and this other person's heart. And after that, he says “I promise, I promise.” If the words were sung by any other artist, the ingenuity and power of the lines would be lost.

Encroaching upon the situation, it seems that the love and the pleading person are trying to cross into the once-known barriers of this relationship. He sings “your walls are up too cold to touch it, your walls are up too high to climb”, meaning that this other person is not comfortable opening up his/her heart to this person yet. Either too much damage has been done in the past, or the idea of re-opening this love is frightening and risky. But Dougy then pleads with the comforting lines of “I know it's hard but I can still hear it beating.” He tells this person that he understands the difficulty of all of this, but he also knows that this person's heart is still “beating” with all the love in the world, and that he/she has that recognizable thump (heart beats) rhythm that he knows all too well. He then promises again to not “mistreat it”, or take advantage of this person's heart.

In the end, he acknowledges that their love “was lost in the rubble” of all the things this person has “been dreaming of”, meaning that their first run was disappointing and perhaps even disastrous. Nevertheless, he begs this person to “keep [him] in mind” when he/she is ready, because he is “here to take [him/her] every time.” Those ending lines followed by the usual refrain illustrate the devotion and gratitude of this lover.  

Note 7: Fake Empire by The National

The national is an indie rock band that was formed in Ohio in 1999. Their lyrics are usually described as having a dark, melancholic, and ambiguous quality, and their songs' meanings are usually debated often by zealous fans. The many supported claims about the meaning of the songs add to the adoration of the band for their empowering and mind-provoking music. One of these hotly debated songs is Fake empire, one of their most popular pieces.

Right away, a piano plays the melody of the song that invites listeners to the following powerful lyrics. The first lines of the song stir up images of the first stage of romantic relationships otherwise known as the “honeymoon period”. The two people in the relationship have not reached the period of struggle and improvement, or the period of struggle and deterioration. All they have experienced with one another is the staying “out super late” at nights, the “picking [of] apples”, and “making pies”. The two parties are sang to be “half-awake in a fake empire” (the refrain), meaning that the couple chooses to ignore the upcoming tide that many romantic duos will or have endured. The mixture of the piano and the lead singer's classic baritone voice creates this sadness, yet uplifting purity of the song.

They'll “tiptoe through [their] shiny city/with [their] diamond slippers on.” They will even “do [their] gay ballet on ice [with] bluebirds on [their] shoulders.” These rhythmic and poetic lines suggest that they will not leave this dwelling of happiness that they know and love. Nothing else needs to be troubled with, and all they have endured together is enough for them. Why trouble with the kinks and defects of the relationship when everything else is going well? The last lines of the poems illustrate this image of a night's end to a date or night out. One of the partners will “turn the light out [and] say goodnight.” There will be “no thinking for a little while” and no “[trying] to figure out everything at once.” All of this represents the couple's attempt to take control and hold onto this natural “high” of their young love. 

Before the the last refrain, one dagger line “It's hard to keep track of you falling through the sky” may acknowledge the existing cracks in the relationship. The singer seems to almost beg to not discuss or think about all of this just yet. They continue to try to stay in this state of happiness even though they know that there is this very possible or even very likely end coming to them. Perhaps when they are “half-awake”, they both know that they can't stay in this state forever. The ending of the song concludes with a collection of sounds including the piano, drums, guitar, and the appropriate trumpet to wrap up the song. Building up from this emotional tension, the song closes with a much uplifting tone that may push forth the idea that it is okay to just enjoy the ride while it lasts. Love is a privilege to have with someone, and whether you both fall or rise, be glad that this lifetime experience was given to you. The beauty of the song lies in the celebration of both the happiness and the sadness of the relationship between these two people.