An Ode to Flowers - A Little Inspiration

Like most people do at some point, I have recently been going through a phase of being completely uninspired. I have been writing; the general rule of writing is to write every day; but what I’ve been writing hasn’t been good enough to share, or good enough full stop. That is, until the last week or so.

Growing up, and still now, music has been a huge part of my life. And moreso than the music, the lyrics to the songs mean so much. I was the teenager who had her favourite song lyrics of the week as my MSN tag name; who would update my Myspace page with lyrics portraying my mood. The words were what made the songs stand out.

In my eyes, nobody’s words reach out to me in the same way as Brandon Flowers’ lyrics. Front man of The Killers, the lyrics to his songs write a story; a story each listener will relate to in their own way. The lyrics aren’t just words; they create images and literally take over your mind as you listen.

Anybody that knows me on a personal level will know that The Killers have basically provided the soundtrack to my life; from dancing to ‘Mr Brightside’ at my first NYE celebrations with my (now) husband; to my daughter singing along to ‘Flesh and Bone’ at just 16 months old; from putting my wedding dress on to the words of ‘The Rising Tide’; to my son being born to Brandon Flowers’ Flamingo album. I’ve even got their lyrics tattooed on my arm as a constant reminder to set a good example to myself, my family and my friends.

 Each song can be perceived in its own way, by whoever is listening to it. But for me, the references to religion are particularly poignant. I could list countless lyrics here that I find inspiring or thought-provoking, to name a few:

“And the decades disappear
Like sinking ships but we persevere.
God gives us hope but we still fear what we don't know”
A Dustland Fairytale, Day and Age, 2008

 

“We're the ones who still believe
And we're looking for a page
In that lifeless book of hope.
Where a dream might help you cope
With the Bushes and the bombs
A-re, Tranquilized”
Tranquilise, Sawdust, 2007

 

“Be still
Wild and young
Long may your innocence reign
Like shells on the shore
And may your limits be unknown
And may your efforts be your own
If you ever feel you can't take it anymore

Don't break character
You've got a lot of heart
Is this real or just a dream?
Rise up like the sun
Labor till the work is done”
Be Still, Battleborn, 2012

 

But this blog post is about one song in particular.

On the 18th May 2015, Brandon Flowers released his second solo album, The Desired Effect. It debuted at number one in the UK, and for good reason. The album as a whole has an 80’s feel to it, channelling Bruce Springsteen and Mark Knopler, as well as a sample of Bronski Beat’s ‘Smalltown Boy’.

Before the album release, I was trawling through youtube late on a Saturday night, when I came across ‘Still Want You’. I hit play and was pleasantly surprised by a catchy piano melody with a smiling Brandon at the helm of the video. It’s not often you get Brandon Flowers smiling in a music video. I kept the song on repeat and got to know the feel of the song and the lyrics. I played it to my husband when he got home, and I played it to my children the next day.

I listened to the other tracks which were being used to promote the album, “Lonely Town”, “Can’t Deny My Love”, “I Can Change”. I liked them all. But I kept going back to “Still Want You”. Here are the lyrics:

Still Want You

 

Everyone's got a combination
If you put in the time
The numbers come like a revelation
You show me yours
I'll show you mine
And when you're down, girl, you got to know this
Nobody else is in your room
We'll make it through

 

[Chorus:]
Time is passing by
I still want you
Crime is on the rise
I still want you
Climate change and debt
I still want you
Nuclear distress
I still want you
The Earth is heating up
I still want you
Hurricanes and floods
I still want you
Even more than I did before

 

I used to think that I knew the big time
Before you came around
But I was up in the velvet gold mind
And you put my feet back on the ground
A piece of mind is a lot to ask for
These silly days
But we got it made
Don't let it fade
Oh, no!

 

[Chorus]

 

And when your mind's made up
I'm gonna bring it down
When you got no time
You're gonna see it found
Your heart, crowds call
There's something on the line
It's hard for me to show
There's something you should know

 

[Chorus]

 

Time is passing by
I still want you
Crime is on the rise
I still want you
Nuclear distress
I still want you
Climate change and debt
I still want you
The Earth is heating up
I still want you
Hurricanes and floods
I still want you
Even more than I did
Even more than I did
Before

 

 

This could have been written by Flowers for his wife, possibly to God, who knows? But for me, this is a big fat down to earth message. There’s so much going on in the world, and I’m one of the lucky ones. I am a sucker for getting caught up in my own headspace and I do need a reminder to bring me back down. I find myself complaining about having no time, but if I slow down and relax, time will come to me. Sharing headspace is a good remedy, and this is me sharing my headspace.

 

So here is my inspiration. A note to remind me not to give in to that self-doubt.

A truth has presented itself, contradicting my prior knowledge.
The missing gem of instruction that I can neither deny nor rectify.
A fact I cannot incorporate into my mental space.
Misplaced; profound; a paradox of simplicity.
A powerful idea diluting my mind.
Master it; take hold.
Fear will only make it lost.