Drifting away... drifting away...
Music is most powerful when its subject matter is something people can relate to and also something they consider to be important. This is the reason why there are disproportionately more songs about love than any other subject. But scratch beneath the surface of this week's Top 20, away from "I love you and you love me", "I love you but you don't love me", "I used to love you but now I love your best mate" etc. and you will find more imaginative situations we can still relate to.

The two songs I Miss You by Bjork and Blues Away by Erasure are musically very different. Different instrumentation, mood and tempo. But the subject matter is exactly the same: singer is fantasising about their perfect partner they believe is out there somewhere but they've yet to meet. World Full Of Nothing by Depeche Mode is about the delicate trust and vulnerability of a girl and boy losing their virginity to each other. You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC is about a curvy woman who made quite an impression ;) So yes, we can have serious and tongue-in-cheek songs about all kinds of complex situations involving love. The ones that stand out are those we relate to at an important juncture in our lives.

And though her mood is fine today, there's a fear they'll soon be parting ways.

I'd been with my girlfriend for nearly six years and she was the only girl I'd ever truly loved. Hell, it was my only relationship to last longer than a fortnight! Realising that despite being still very much in love you're miserable being together is hard, but it's even harder to accept and do something about. It was obvious to both of us that living together was breaking us but we'd come to accept it and put up with a daily grind of arguments and unhappiness for over a year or so. I'd leave home from work feeling tense thinking about walking through the door; I couldn't switch off at the pub with friends knowing I'd get a text or call asking me to come home early; I dreaded the weekend where I'd count the hours trying to fill the time in peace until Monday would come round to save me again.

And then I met her. To be honest, it could have been anyone. It was the first girl in a long while to have shown any notice in me whatsoever. Nothing else needs to be said about her other than nothing happened between us and she moved away. But it was a wake-up call. Most of my twenties had already gone by and instead of being out there experiencing life, enjoying myself, doing... well anything, I was suffocating alongside someone I loved more than anthing else in the world knowing that she was feeling exactly the same.

"We need to talk..."

It was strange finally mentioning the elephant in the room. I decided to take a big picture approach and started by saying that we knew she wanted children one day and I didn't so it was probably best we ended as a couple. There was no big fight or lengthy relationship talk, just little conversations where we mentioned splitting up. I remember taking a half day to come home early to pack a bag and walk out, shaking as I started to pile up clothes before bottling it. I recall one morning where we were just chatting happily in bed and she started crying, quickly setting me off the same, as we admitted we didn't want to be with anyone else. We knew the inevitable was coming but neither of us were strong enough to walk away.

And though he's too big a man to say, there's a fear they'll soon be parting ways.

I waited until the next time we'd be apart for a few days before suggesting we make that the time we officially broke up. It would be tough living together in the same house until we found somewhere else to live but we'd never get moving unless we did something. With that in mind, I'll never forget December 2005. I shared the taxi with the love of my life to the train station. Embraced and kissed her passionately on the platform and saw her away with tears in her eyes. The next time we saw each other we'd be single people.

The train left and I reached for my mp3 player. Music is the soundtrack to my life, I'm always listening to music. I'd known for months that I was going to kiss goodbye to my girlfriend and immediately after I would listen to Parting Ways by Pearl Jam: a beautiful love song about two people living with being in a relationship that they know is soon going to be over. My eyes welled up as the gentle guitar and strings intertwined and I walked back home on a clear Christmas Eve, to spend Christmas in my house on my own. Truly on my own for the first time in a long time.

Parting Ways - Pearl Jam (youtube)
( djtrialprice, Mon 1 Feb 2010, 16:25, 8 replies)

Hurrah for post-Ten Pearl Jam ref!

(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Mon 1 Feb 2010, 16:33, closed)

is it on Binaural? (don't know the track names)
in my opinion their most shockingly under-rated album
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 1 Feb 2010, 16:41, closed)

Yes
this is the epic from Binaural I mentioned last week (it's the last track on the album). Cheers Vip, baz.
( djtrialprice, Mon 1 Feb 2010, 16:46, closed)

I'll have a listen later on

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 1 Feb 2010, 17:03, closed)

bloody hell
that sounds like it wasn't easy. good on you for doing the right thing

also, "ain't working for the man, I'm an allosaurus baby" that sort of thing is why Monster Magnet are one of my favourite bands.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 1 Feb 2010, 16:40, closed)

poof

( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Mon 1 Feb 2010, 22:24, closed)

yer arse
And then to top it all off I got a phone call from you 3 days later to tell me our family dog who I'd had since I was 11 had been put down.
( djtrialprice, Tue 2 Feb 2010, 0:21, closed)

We nearly did this
Then got back together because we couldn't face it.
Except she started seeing someone else and let us get shouty and messy for almost a year, then I found out, and we split up.
As painful as your one was, at least you did it nice.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Tue 2 Feb 2010, 12:53, closed)

what I completely forgot to mention
is that 4 years on from this event, she's still my best friend. She works in the building opposite to mine and we spent yesterday lunchtime with each other talking about our current problems.
( djtrialprice, Tue 2 Feb 2010, 13:18, closed)

we haven't stayed friends
Merseyside Police will tell you...
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Tue 2 Feb 2010, 13:42, closed)

Oooof.
Sounds familiar. Different details, but same basic story.

Except that I and she weren't nearly so dignified about it - which is a shame, because I still think the world of her.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Tue 2 Feb 2010, 13:33, closed)