Anatomy of a song - Motion City Soundtrack "Broken Heart"

Many times when listening to music we forget the real reason we listen: the way it makes us feel. Strip away all the pretentiousness in music, all the self-indulgence, all the added instrument solos and ask yourself "how does this song speak to me?" The songs that are best are the ones that speak to you. It can range from a simple melody over some chords to a trance-electronica song with 120 different tracks in it. If it exhibits a proper emotion, one that hits the listener in the gut, that's what makes it great.

This summer, Motion City Soundtrack's "Broken Heart" was one that did that for me. No, I'm not going to delve into some she-done-me-wrong type story, I'm leaving my personal life out of this. Instead, I want to talk about what's behind the lyrics and why they strike such a chord, not just with me, but with many.

I'll start this broken heart
I'll fix it up so it will work again
Better than before

Then I'll star in a mystery
A tragic tale of all that's yet to come
With fingers crossed there will be love

When you're alone or after you've severed ties or been left my a significant other, there's hardly a more vulnerable time in your life. At first you want to jump-start your heart so to say, jump right back in there not only to convince your ex that you're still in the game, but to convince yourself. The "mystery" the author is speaking of is the life after love is lost, which is indeed quite the tragic tale. But even as our protagonists drifts through this hopeless lost world without his heart, he'll still cross his fingers. That is until...

But I get carried away
With every day
And every fantasy
The deeper the wound
The harder I swoon
And wish that that was me
With so much to say
But no words to convey
The loneliness building with each passing day
But I'm getting used to it
You have to get used to it

How many times do we sit back and replay the events of losing the one love over and over again in our head? How many times do we look at someone on the street, in class, in our office with some type of desire and it only pours salt in the wound realizing that they can't love you and you'll never have them. How about that feeling when you want to scream from the top your lungs everything that's causing your pain yet you can't even begin to construct the sentences to describe to anyone else what's going on inside.

There's really no way to defeat loneliness. No matter how many books you read, how many movies you watch, it still lingers in your head, heart and in your stomach. But, alas, you have to get used to it because you have no other choice...

I'll devise the best disguise
A brand new look and take them by surprise
They'll never guess what's not inside

I'll express myself with ease
With confidence and character complete
With fingers crossed they'll talk to me

So while you're attempting to reconstruct the damage you're going to try to put a mask in to let everyone know that you're in control. Hell, you might even by some new clothes, get a new haircut, be open and warm and friendly for a change. Everything you can do to make sure no one ever finds out about the damage that's going on inside you. You'll laugh, you'll smile, you'll make a few witty jokes here and then to ensure everyone you've got confidence. Hell, maybe that'll make people start talking to you and, just maybe, you'll find that someone.

Let's not get too narsiccistic here. Not only could you be carrying around a broken heart, but others as well. How many times a day do we greet people with warm smiles and they return one back at us. How many of them could possibly be walking around with some sort of devestation that they're currently dealing with. It's amazing how civil we are with each other and how many times we answer the question of "How are you doing" with "good" when we all hardbor so much guilt, pain, resentment, anger, hurt and fear. We'll put on this friendly face to try and hope to bring people into our personal bubble and help deal with the pain. Maybe, just maybe, they'll be able to understand and they'll bring about the feelings we've been missing. Still...

But I get carried away
With every page in every magazine
The cheaper the thrill
The deeper I fill my head with blasphemy
With so much to say
But no words to convey
The loneliness building with each passing day
But I'm getting used to it
You have to get used to it
(So get used to it)

Still you can't get away from the fact that you're alone and have no one. Reading those magazines telling you the new fads, how to get into relationships, how to meet women/men, how to end your heartbreak, how to get a new look, etc. only add to your overwhelming feel of being disgusted, disillusioned and overall apathic to the everyday world. You try to meld yourself into "normal" society only to find that you're alone, you're on the outside, everyone else has that someone, everyone else has it together. So, take a deep breath, feel that sting in your eyes and realize that this is all you have.

I'll destroy this useless heart
I'll fuck it up so it'll never beat again
Not just for me but for anyone

But I get carried away
With every phrase
And made up malady
The longer I hide
Behind these lies
The more I disintegrate
With so much to say
But no words to convey
The loneliness building with each passing day
You never get used to it
You just have to live with it

That's it, you've had it. You'll stop your own heart so you don't have to deal with it and it'll never have to deal with anyone else. How many times have we pledged to ourself after a dismal relationship: "I'll never fall in love again"? So many poeple say that each day but yet, they still take on the quest to find what they lost. The longer they tell themselves lies, the longer they put on the fake face, the longer they try, they still find themselves falling apart. And, while falling apart, there's no one around to put them back together.