On The Rocks?

This has to be one of my favorite songs from Sara Bareilles.  The good news for me is it has the same title as the Neil Diamond song, but isn't at all the same.

Unlike a lot of other music I listen to I am not sure if this song is about alcohol or the intoxicating effects of the wrong relationship, but Sara's voice, timbre, and delivery make the song intoxicating for me.

Here's a simplification of everything we're going though
You plus me is bad news

Too tired this time to deal with old suits you wear with your ties that won't bind.

Babe, baby believe me
If I stay it ain't gonna be easy
Okay we'll do it your way
But this is the last time
You'll hear the beautiful sound of love coming down
Love on the rocks.

I mean in this who world who has time for the runaround she speaks about in the next stanza?  And I wonder if Miss B might have spent a few moments reading through Fifty Shades of Grey with the line about "with your ties that won't bind?"  She talks about hot as Hell and cold as ice.  Sounds like one of those classic rocky relationships that people go through that is perfect despite its imperfections.


I guess is the question is will Miss B and whoever actually be over after this "last time" or will their music keep going?  Binding ties and old suits or otherwise?

The Science of Relationships

I heard a live version of this song a while back...I find the live version will just rip, not tug, at the heart strings if you were in a relationship like Miss Bareilles' clearly was.  It is pretty clear to me she has found the wrong guy and is having all kinds of problem breaking away from Mr. Wrong.

Maybe he wasn't even Mr. Wrong, just not Mr. Right.  She gets involved and she finds he has this problem or that, but she can't pull clear.  He keeps pulling her back in, or maybe even reeling her in.  Who knows?

Maybe, I don't get the song, but the lines below are just wow for me.

 

But you're neither friend nor foe
Though I can't seem to let you go.
The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down.

Talk about juxtaposition.  If you can find the live version on Between The Lines: Live At The Fillmore, her notes when she sings "...keeping me down" aren't down, but up and she just holds it like it was meant to be clear she was yearning for a higher calling, a higher love, but knows this isn't it.

How many of us have held onto that person we knew just wasn't right, for just a little too long?  As for me, I keep coming back to Sara Bareilles because of the incredible song writing.  Enjoy your Friday.