Where I match a song to a specific memory.
…I was leaving for college early that morning. To be more precise, my entire family was leaving to drive me to college several states away. I had spent the last few days/weeks/an entire year saying goodbye to people, packing, sorting things, planning. I served my last two weeks at Pizza Hut, an ex-boyfriend stopped by to give me a good-luck card, I dreaded leaving my cat. It was incredibly early–possibly even five o’clock in the morning–and I stumbled awake and into the bathroom, flipped on the radio and went about my getting ready duties for the last time as a regular resident of the house. And there, right in the middle of washing my face, I realized the song I was hearing, the song with the simple guitar accompaniment and the quiet lyrics, was Dire Straights “Romeo and Juliet.” Mark Knopfler’s song was a sadder, more accepting version of loss and it fit perfectly with the many goodbyes I had just given. To this day, I love both versions for different reasons.
I love them both too! A lover once put the Dire Straits version on a mix tape for me; that was the first time I'd heard it, and given the context, I totally fell for it (I probably would have anyway). And (as I think you know? was I learning it last time I saw you?) I am learning to play it on ukulele.
And yes, you playing it on the ukulele was the reasons I wrote this. It sounds great on the ukulele.
I also love this song, and always knew the IG version first. It is a very powerful and evocative song.
I quite like this turn of phrase: my scab-picking-of-the-broken-heart mental state. Nicely written. It so encapsulates the angst of a teenage break-up, any break-up, really.
I'm feeling vaguely embarrassed that I didn't know Mark Knoppler had been in Dire Straits. Of course, I only recently discovered that Danny Elfman was in Oingo Boingo (and I only discovered that by reading Ready Player One). Now I feel like I need a better grasp of music history.
Anyway, I like this song but I've never been a fan of Indigo Girls.