The Blue Between Us by The Novel Ideas
The Novel Ideas are a quartet from Massachusetts. This country folk band of friends describes their music as ‘pastoral, harmony, and plaintive Americana.’ However, I would just call it folk with a tinge of country. Currently The Novel Ideas have 4,398 monthly listeners on Spotify allowing them to be the focus of this week’s artist spotlight.
The Novel Ideas debuted their first album in 2012, a nine track collection of folksy goodness. My favorite song of the this album is The Blue Between Us. A tribute to the wonderful place we all call home. Enjoy your next four minutes of life by listening to The Novel Ideas’ The Blue Between Us. Lyrics and Commentary Below.
Lyrics (Courtesy of LyricFind)
Well my mind’s still limber but my heart’s grown old
From the time I left the only place I know
And it makes me happy we didn’t get let go
I couldn’t stand to see our love just decompose
Now I’ve been walking home nearly every night
And here’s to everyone I ever loved but had to leave behind
For the one thing I can’t find though I’ve been looking half my life
And it’s damn hard to explain but I will try it if you like
If you ask me once I’ll tell you so
That the blue between us never felt so cold
And I miss the folk singers from the days of old
When a three-chord song could save your soul
And no I’m never on time least that’s what I’m told
So why’s everything feel like it moves too slow?
And if I were scared I wouldn’t let it show
‘Cause if I die tonight I’m not going home
Why’s it seem so wrong to miss the town you love?
When there’s just one state that you cannot stop thinking of
I wouldn’t say I’m patriotic but I think that’s what I’ve become
Sometimes it takes where you are not, just to remember where you’re from
Was it my fault that I meant every single word I said?
When I told you it was not the end
And if everything goes wrong, I hope we can get along
If I lost you I would lose my best friend
And now we’re weathering the storm, side by side we’re looking on
It takes a certain kind of love to bear this load
But it’s not the tired romance of the open road
Commentary
I’m not sure why, but I love a song filled with grief. The desire to be somewhere, something, or even someone else can be conveyed so well in music as compared to other art forms. You can experience the distress of the artist in the combination of vocals, instruments, and lyrics that can’t be matched in a brush stroke, chapter, or picture.
The vocals and feel of this song pair perfectly together to express the distress of the singer. A person whose pleasant angsty voice magnifies the lyric’s message of longing. The soulful harmonies give the song depth while the honest lyrics portray a bold authenticity. The singer is nearly embarrassed with his intense feelings for missing home, but I find it endearing.
Here’s a novel idea.
Sometimes the things we are embarrassed by are the same things that endear us to our loved ones and watching world.
What do you think?
The Novel Ideas can be followed the on Facebook or Twitter. You can purchase their debut album on Amazon and iTunes or give directly to them to show your appreciation on bandcamp. I have bad news; as of September of 2018 The Novel Ideas are no longer a band, but you can still enjoy their music on Spotify and YouTube.
If you liked this song you might also like our article on We’re Okay by ghostbird.