Ghost Stories
Whether the entire album is about Gwyneth Paltrow or not, Coldplay’s sixth studio album will forever be labeled as the breakup album of all breakup albums. Just a couple months before Ghost Stories’ 2014 release, Chris Martin and his wife of over ten years as well as the mother of his two kids announced that they were getting separated. One year later, the divorce papers were filed and a different sound of Coldplay music launched.
The first song released as a teaser of Ghost Stories was “Midnight,” which painted a picture related to the name of the album through Martin’s ghost-like, echoing vocals and shuddering instrumentals. His drawn out “oohs” are reminiscent of a lone wolf howling at midnight. With this first song’s release listeners’ were initially let in on the artist’s feelings of loneliness and hopelessness, but the repetition of “leave a light, a light on,” showed Martin’s desire for his love to want him to come home as well as help guide him home. “Magic” was released next as the leading single and what would be track #2 of the album, which completely changed listeners’ grasp of what the rest of the album’s dynamics and sound would be. This track similarly contrasted Martin’s heartbreak with his still existing love for his wife. However, the short, fragmented lyrics and upbeat, pop tempo make the song have a breathy, bubbly, or light quality much different from the dark, haunting mood in “Midnight.” Despite the consistent themes of pain and longing between the two songs, the variation in music qualities revealed how Ghost Stories would contain a collection of Chris Martin’s distinct attitudes toward the current, messy, state of his love life.
The opening song of the album, “Always in My Head,” is pretty self-explanatory. Chris Martin coos with drawn-out, hypnotic notes supported by a dream-like, enchanting melody to admit how he cannot sleep or keep his mind off of thinking about his wife. However, the more important part of the message is not revealed until he sighs, “But though I try my heart stays still.” Despite not being able to forget everything that happened between them, both good and bad, his heart will remain attached and longing for Paltrow. It is interesting how Martin is confessing to his continual, involuntary commitment to his wife when this loyalty did nothing to save the life-long, sacred commitment of marriage itself. There are many options for how this irony came into play, but almost all can be sorted into two main umbrella reasons: either Paltrow was the only one who wanted to terminate the marriage or Martin and Paltrow let other factors take precedence over their sheer love for each other in terms of the kind of bond that was holding their marriage together. In today’s society, the purpose of marriage has greatly shifted from its historic obligation of marrying for social, political, or economic benefits to now marrying out of personal choice, for love. A result of marriage’s different functionality is when love begins to fade, as it often does due to hardships and change, nothing is left to keep the institution glued together. Yet, Martin here is opposing this idea of love failing as the cause for divorce by showing how his love for Gwyneth has not faded. Therefore, the artist demonstrates that other factors fueled the divorce.
“All I know//Is that I love you so//So much that it hurts,” is the chorus of the third track of the album, “Ink.” This cry of love for his wife again suggests the idea of an eternal, lasting love and commitment to his spouse even when the marriage has broken apart. Martin suggests that marriage begins as something great that signifies “together through life,” but that definition of marriage really does nothing to keep a couple together. Recently researchers have determined that about half of marriages today will end in divorce, and a good amount of those divorces will occur less than five years into the marriage. Although the percentage of individuals who get a divorce has experienced a sharp increase, marriage is still widely regarded as a concept that signifies a promise to be faithful to each other for a lifetime. Consequently, the idea that so many people choose to end their marriage after once viewing the institution as being sacred and forever does not line-up. There is a great incongruence or inconsistency with Americans’ beliefs about marriage and their practices or ways of carrying out their marriage. Martin touches on this new, conflicting reality of marriage in his melancholy, heavy song, “O.” In this reflection Martin’s vocals stand alone with the rolling piano serving as the only instrument as he tells how in his eyes, marriage is just considered “a flock of birds,” because “One minute they arrive//Next you know they’re gone.” He reiterates how marriage somehow has transformed into a temporary agreement that is just as fleeting and unpredictable as birds.
It isn’t until we listen to “Another’s Arms” that a possible explanation for the breakup is illustrated. Rumors aside, this track emulates two distinct themes with its title. Through the eerie repetition of the phrase “another’s arms” in the background while he describes himself going through his normal, daily life, Chris Martin could be pleading for the comfort of another person, as in his wife’s familiarity, amidst his dark post-breakup period. However, the use of “another” rather than “you,” the almost whispering singing approach taken by Martin, and the fading additional vocalists echoing in the background all mix together to make a stranger or outside lover reference jump out at me. The possibility of Martin demonstrating how an affair continuously haunts both the adulterer and their spouse brings up an important idea of the influences on marriages today. American culture and majority opinion both demonstrate how most people are very intolerant of infidelity because monogamy is one of the promises intertwined within marriage’s lifetime commitment. Yet, at the same time, in today’s society there is an increasing percentage of individuals who have an extramarital affair. Despite a high population of Americans with values that disapprove of unfaithfulness, our high expectations for finding fulfillment and perfection in marriage, which arise from its accepted, socially-promoted definition and standards, makes infidelity all the more common.
In “True Love” Chris Martin makes reference to this perfect, ideal image that we hold up of what we think “true love” really is. With more hard-hitting, deep beats in the instrumentation and a bass guitar solo, a sense of danger is created to emphasize the effects of trying to strive for an unattainable romance where there is no conflict and no mistakes. In the verses, the artist describes how failing to be transparent and honest does not save one’s spouse from getting hurt, it only creates more distance between the partners. (We also see this theme repeated in “Ghost Story,” one of the bonus tracks off the album. In this song Martin compares himself to “a ghost,” “a puff of smoke,” and someone that’s “not even here,” because he is struggling to get closer to Gwyneth when she does not open up to him.) Contrarily, in the chorus of “True Love” Martin changes his tone from accusing to pleading. He gives us an example of sinking back into the mindset of wanting to cover up the problems at hand in a relationship in hopes that they will all go away eventually. He begs, “So tell me you love me//And if you don't then lie//Lie to me,” even though just moments before he was upset about how Paltrow was not truthful and never “let [him] know//What’s really going on below.” This lack of wanting to open our eyes and face the actuality of our relationships arises from romantic ideals. We have been accustomed to forming high expectations which becomes problematic. In effect, the end result is that we place great demands and immense pressure on our marriages. The purpose of marriage has blindly come to be viewed as something that will serve all of our needs and give us complete happiness that reaches all corners of our life, whether or not those areas are even related to or dependent on our spouse.
It is very difficult and extremely unlikely to rescue or continue a relationship after a divorce has already shattered the marriage, but is it better to try to put a halt to the divorce or try to prevent the marriage itself in the first place? In Ghost Stories, Chris Martin illuminates the idea of how quickly a marriage can change, and how a once serious and wonderful commitment can easily disappear right before one’s eyes. One way to resolve this discrepancy between how our American culture values and executes marriage would be to change the way we view marriage. Whether that is making it more acceptable to not get married, changing the social definition of marriage to not necessarily mean life-time and monogamous, being more tolerant of infidelity, or redefining marriage for just you and your partner’s unique relationship, it is necessary that we adapt to the changing face of marriage depicted in Coldplay’s album.
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21
London-born singer and songwriter, Adele came into popularity in 2008 after dropping her first single, “Chasing Pavements,” and later first studio album, 19. Not even three years later her next album, 21, saw major success, and multiple tracks emerged as number one hits. The dynamics in the British star’s second album sporadically bounce around between depressing ballads and fiery jams. This contributes little to the collection’s overall quality besides proving Adele to be a chameleon who can kill any style that comes her way. Nevertheless, the artist breaks the mold of classic love songs by creating a melting pot of different genres, while still being able to stay under the R&B umbrella that listeners witnessed in 19. In an interview, Adele credited her mother with exposing her to beloved artists and inspiration such as Mary J. Blige, Lauryn Hill, and Etta James, which helps a bit to understand the album’s background. It is assumed that her fallout with ex-boyfriend and previous photographer, Alex Sturrock, is what inspired the album 21, but whatever the real story is behind these eleven songs, Adele never ceases to provide her audience with genuine confessions.
The album opens with “Rolling in the Deep,” a low steady rumble of rock staples such as a bass guitar and an electric keyboard that crescendos into a bluesy, belting anthem of accusation and anger. The blues influence has been stretched thin by a heightened tempo and the drawn-out bellows in Adele’s vocals. Next, the backup vocals with gospel ties accelerate in “Rumor Has It” to create an energetic soulful tune. Packed with fist-pumping harmonies and stomping drum beats, this track becomes very Aretha Franklin-esque. The absence of classic jazz instrumentals is the only differing quality, causing Adele’s lyrics to naturally flow over any music breaks.
A 180° twist is then made as a
rolling piano introduces “Turning Tables.” Adele’s usual booming alto voice
melts into layered riffs that just peak over the deep-seated strings. A heart
wrenching struggle of the artist trying to build back her strength is quickly
laid out before the listeners as well. The power of the album is diluted even
more after “Turning Tables” when “Don’t You Remember” comes on. Oozing with the
American country touch of Oklahoman co-songwriter and producer, Ryan Tedder,
the attempt at tender simplicity falls just short of a cliché prom song. The average
bass guitar and drums combo tears Adele down, as she settles for crafting a
yawn-worthy whine of retrospect and longing. The repetitive, extended notes of
the chorus have the song reminding me of what I would expect to hear in a
stripped down version of Whitney Houston or Celine Dion classic, thus
exhausting my interest very quickly.
Luckily, the modern pop harmony
in “Set Fire to the Rain’s” picks things back up. Starting with a piano base once
again, in this track percussions erupt and chase after Adele’s staccato,
controlled verses. The artist’s old soul is upgraded, but not hidden, by modern
beats and dramatic production elements to form a catchy hit about letting the
person go for your own health and sanity.
“He Won’t Go” is one of the subtler songs, but Adele’s silky voice does grow with confidence over the course of the recording. An unexpected harp is backed by a cool jazzy groove, radiating an authentic, vintage feel. Following this, Adele’s extensive, raw vocal range is revealed right off the bat in “Take It All.” Accompanied by a background piano, the artist’s approach is very reminiscent of Alicia Key’s R&B collection. The natural intricacies in Adele’s tone are perfectly complimented by just one instrument, and the return of backup gospel vocals make for a calming lullaby-like testimony of what it’s like to give up on love. In “I’ll Be Waiting,” brass instruments solidify the song as the most jazz inspired off the album. Additionally, an extra sultry quality in Adele’s voice emits an Amy Winehouse aura, an artist who also shares a similar English soul music background. The next track “One and Only” is too similar to “Take It All” in my eyes because I continue to mix up the two despite listening to the album numerous times. Essentially it’s a slow-building tragedy that does manage to paint a charming scene of something along the lines of a 19th century couple effortlessly executing the waltz dance.
Adele’s second to last song on 21 is a cover of The Cure’s “Lovesong”
from 1989. While deviating far from the alternative rock hit’s original
version, the artist also distances herself far from the rest of her work by
featuring this track. The acoustic instrumentation has a Latin flare that makes
the song not easily sorted under any specific genre. Though the blues roots never
come into play, Adele’s method for interpreting the Cure’s lyrics overflows
with her soulful rhythm and gooey, in-the-pocket pitches. Last but not least, “Someone
Like You” concludes the album; a well-known song that has been used in
countless parodies about stereotypical rough breakups (including Emma Stone’s
commendable performance on Saturday Night Live). An undeniable pop song, Adele
manages to keep an air of sophistication and class, a la John Legend. The solo
piano fluctuates its tempo throughout, however, a definitive beat never
surfaces like most hits we are trampled with on the radio today.
In the age of contemporary rhythm
and blues, this branch of music typically constitutes electronic elements or
automated sounds. Adele on the other hand, implements the preceding R&B qualities
of jazz, gospel, and soul into her second album. With her retro melodies,
classical instrument use, and smoky voice, Adele draws the connection to past
legends in the R&B realm like James Brown or Marvin Gaye. However, Adele’s
experiences cross-country traveling in the United States as she promoted her
first album, 19, inclined the artist
to double dip into a variety of styles for 21,
from bluegrass and country to hip hop and rock. Although the ordering of the
tracks on the album can come off a little disjointed by switching between
extremes of energy levels, the artist daringly conglomerates distinct music
techniques together, manipulates and morphs the pieces, and filters them to fit
into her individualized artistic puzzle. Since 21 is only her second album, Adele has the freedom and ease to
continue to create a name for herself and test the waters of the direction she
wants to take her so-far successful career. The songs with minimal
embellishments stick out next to the high-spirited outbursts, however, the
contrast matches the artist’s feelings in the aftermath that jump from
bitterness, to devotion, to resilience, to caution.
Looking at the thematic angle of 21, Adele explores many of the different
emotions and reactions to a difficult romantic separation, like the majority of
breakup albums. In contrast however, the artist removes herself from the
typical downward spiral of each song grieving more and more over the ex-lover. Instead
Adele also proclaims a lot of reflective thoughts about her own personal story
independent of the former partner, especially in “Take It All” where she sings,
“I will change if I must. // Slow it down and bring it home, I will adjust.” Additionally,
in “Don’t You Remember” Adele admits she has “a fickle heart and a bitterness,
// And a wandering eye, and a heaviness in [her] head.” The entire collection
of 21 addresses her relationship in
the context of cause and effect with other spheres of her life; Adele’s
experiences of maturing and entering the adult world hidden in the shadows of
the romantic conflict. Just as her first album was titled 19 because it was a snapshot of what was happening to the artist at
that age, 21 represents a different
stage in Adele’s life illuminating the changes she has undergone in the past
couple of years. It is evident that the singer carefully carved her heart into
this album and bravely committed to vulnerability, making 21 deserve to be considered as more than just another breakup album
lost in translation, despite having a few inconsistencies sprinkled here and
there.
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