Leading with the simple warmth of a two-chord progression and a sweet little riff, Rocky Quetel’s song Alone deals with arguably one of the most difficult experiences a person can go through, and it does so in a pleasantly poetic and subtle way.
Alone as a story lays out its details in a fairly minimalist fashion. This idea of each time the leading character sees the woman who stole his heart, she doesn’t know what she took from me – it’s one that could be construed as a more widely relatable case of unrequited love. However, as you dig a little deeper, and as you learn what the song really takes on – the next time you see her, bring her back to me – you start to see the uniqueness, the real struggle and beauty of the expression, and with that it hits a little harder.
Alone is a song about a man whose wife suffered from Alzheimer’s. In the later stages, she was moved to a care home for her own well being, and so the man would visit her, but each time he arrived he would have to remind her of their life together and of who he was to her – and who she was to him. There’s an unbearable sadness to the song’s concept, but at the same time – there’s an unquestionable purity and sense of love to it.
The music sounds uplifting, optimistic – there’s joy in the chord progression, in the riff, and indeed in the melody, and there’s hope in the resolve of the hook. Bring her back to me – this is the line you’re left with, and this is how he finishes the expression or the story. Again and again he’ll visit, without fail – he’ll go through the same memories, relive their shared life together. It’s not easy to find that silver lining, but there are likely many couples who rarely revisit their glorious days together in such a manner. There’s some sort of wonder in the idea.
It’s a beautiful song, subtle but mighty in what it details and the way in which it does so.
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