The Knife – Heartbeats
In my three previous song blogs I’ve written about older songs. Today I’ll share with you my favorite recent song– “Heartbeats,” by a Swedish band called The Knife. It is the quintessential example of a song with nearly all the musical elements that appeal to me, and hence a song that will almost certainly never be played on American radio stations. Let me point out that I am neither snooty nor elitist when it comes to music. The popularity, or lack thereof, of a song in no way influences my opinion about it, and I am never ashamed to admit liking a catchy pop song. “MmmBop” is one of my all-time favorite songs– that alone ought to tell you not only how diverse my taste is, but how open I am to admitting a love that ordinarily dare not speak its name.
Currently Playing: The Knife – Heartbeats
In recent years I have grown very fond of downtempo rock songs with a strong electronic leaning, and “Heartbeats” may be the best example of such a sound I’ve heard yet. On one hand it is a straight-forward pop song. Just listen to the background “ooooh ahhh” harmonies about three minutes into the song– those are more reminiscent of an ’80s-era Wham! song than anything modern; yet the electronica influence is heavy. This is without doubt the sound of rock music for the 21st Century.
In truth, this song doesn’t sound much like anything I’ve ever heard before, but if pressed I’d describe it as the sentiments of Bauhaus, set to the music of Aphex Twin, sung by a vocalist whose voice bears more than a passing resemblance to Björk. Three of my favorite artists rolled into one package? Yes, please!
One night to be confused
One night to speed up truth
We had a promise made
Four hands and then away
Both under influence
We had divine sense
To know what to say
Mind is a razor blade
Lyrically the song tells the story of a brief love affair. I think. Honestly, I’m seldom sure what most songs are about, and this one definitely has its cryptic elements, but I’m pretty sure about this one.
One night of magic rush
The start, a simple touch
One night to push and scream
And then relief
Ten days of perfect tunes
The colors red and blue
We had a promise made
We were in love
Love, right?
And you, you knew the hand of a devil
And you kept us awake with wolves’ teeth
Sharing different heartbeats in one night.
It is a tale of two people with only a moment together, who have fallen in love, yet told in dark fashion over a pulsating electronic beat. Sadly, a song like this has absolutely no place in the realm of mainstream music, and will likely never make it to the airwaves, yet it’s a brilliant piece of music. In fact, I’m not even sure you can buy this in the U.S. I found it online. If I ever do see it in a record shop I will definitely snatch it up.
I can’t imagine anyone hearing this song (and you can do so merely by clicking the link above in the “currently playing” line) and not falling instantly in love with it.
Music
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Electro, Indie Rock, Music
mmm…no one give a comment yet. okie, drop u 2 eProps.
Where do you get all the time and energy to find such music and write about it?????? If you could extract energy and market it to other ppl, as something other just just energy drinks, but a direct transfer, then that’s an idea ^_^.
<3