songs about things

Here are some song stories. Loosely interpreted, admittedly.

'Kay bye.

When We First Met by Hellogoodbye

 Lyrics

Plot: Forrest meets Chelsea and her long, brown hair and it's the nineties and she wears shoulder pads and this vest that she still has in her closet, somewhere. She cuts her hair in 2003 because Meg Ryan did it first, and now it's 2011 and almost to her elbows again and she uses a flat iron to make it shine. Forrest keeps their haircuts on calendars, circles the days with a red Sharpie, keeps the old calendars in a drawer in his room. And now when he looks at them, all those days, all he wants is this. Chelsea and her brown hair (short and long) and the haircuts circled on the calendars, years and years of haircuts.

Characters: Forrest, a twenty-er-thirty-something musician, clad in plaid and one of those skinny ties for their Christmas photo.  Chelsea Lynn, who was quiet in high school.

Conflict: Chelsea's ever-changing hairstyles give Forrest anxiety.

Theme: Love is very similar to hair. (Enduring love, whatever.)

Setting: Beachy California, kitschy tourist tee-shirts abounding.

Kill the Director by The Wombats

Lyrics

Plot: Boy likes this girl called something like Allie or Ellie, but he's not so great at social interaction yet, not after the last one. She looks over and he pretends to check out the soap opera section of the local paper. Checks out All My Children, a little General Hospital. It's England, so there's also Brookside and maybe Coronation Street, he nods to himself like "yeah, that Victoria is a rowdy one, I saw it coming". Allie/Ellie walks on by, so Boy decides he'll make up a little band with too much distortion on the guitar, write some songs about her, get a bit famous.  His life is suspiciously close to a romantic comedy, and he hopes he isn't doomed to a tragic, if not laughable, end. This is no Bridget Jones, that's quite clear.

Characters: Boy, and he's angsty, basically. And not so tactful.  Allie/Ellie, mile long legs, probably.

Conflict: Allie/Ellie really doesn't, and isn't about to, notice Boy. She's got a kind-of-boyfriend going to school in Kent right now. Has no time for boys in garage bands with too long bangs and a secondhand guitar.

Theme: Love angst, the irony of it.

Setting: Some city that you've never heard of in England, everyone talking in cockney accents and pink-cheeked as only the British are. There's this trashy news stand nearby, with a little striped awning.

 Cheers,

Syl