Friday's Grief Song, 8.18.23
"Follow them to less the pain"
The Wikipedia entry of this week Friday’s Grief song calls this track “Heartland Rock.” I have yet to hone my writing craft to the particular vernacular I associate with music writing, so I appreciate when strung together words describe for me a way a song feels to me. I can definitely imagine this song being played while driving through the midwest with the windows down and a vast blue sky above. I can also equally imagine listening to this song with all the windows down after midnight, while a southern thunderstorm lashes the trees outside and pelts the sky and air with thunder and lightning while barefoot dancing on a cool hardwood floor, getting slowly drunk off ginger beer and Makers Mark missing a lover. There’s a sweet grand nostalgia to this song with cascading tinkle of a keyboard, thick guitar riffs, and lush vocals of two of the best rock folk singers writing and performing today- Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen. I don’t know about you but I always associate Angel Olsen with sad songs and I love this about her. I also love to see creative collaborations between women like this.
This week’s song is Like I Used to-written together and performed by Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen.
This link to Jagjaguwar music label who produced the track gives you multiple options for streaming. Or click on the screenshot image to take you to the music video :)
Enjoy!
Like I Used Too
Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen
2021
Will the marker stain the skin?
Stole the dress I saw you in
Now nothing comes to mind
Saw a life as override
One more session overdrive
The ceiling is the roof
Change address and draw a line
Show my friends a silver lie
Call my family just to know they're there
Sleeping in late like I used to
Crossing my fingers like I used to
Waiting inside like I used to
Avoiding big crowds like I used to
Crawl the field and let you in
Brand my hеart I found you in
To say nothing's more apart
Will my lover be thеre, stay
Follow them to less the pain
The ceiling must be wrong
Well, my head's gone today
Sell my past for a way
To sing and have something left to say
Pray my hands, strain my voice
Give the reason, take away
Make believe an order for the stay
Lighting one up like I used to
Dancing all alone like I used to
Giving it up like I used to
Falling in love like I used to
Open my heart like I used to
Making out long like I used to
Holding hands openly, rights to
Taking what's mine like I used to
Like I used to (Like I used to)
Like I used to (Like I used to)