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Tuesday, September 12, 2006 Songs that Matter, Part I: Over the Rhine Over the Rhine is my favorite band; not only are they strong musicians, but they have an honesty and lyricism that is truly rare. It's not often that art moves me to tears--I never cry in front of people--but these songs have the capability to do just that, to leave me in a crowd trying desparately to stop the impending flood. I was fortunate to catch their performance at the Old Town Wine Crush on Saturday, and each of these songs, played live, resonated with me in a way they hadn't as strongly on recordings (the exception is "Etcetera Whatever," which they didn't play): "I Want You to Be My Love," "Born," "Etcetera Whatever," and "Latter Days." Lyrically, "I Want You to Be My Love" is incredibly simple--it, and the rest of Drunkard's Prayer ("Born" is also a part of that album), are a departure from the group's usual literary quality. Yet knowing the story behind the songs makes a difference here; the stress of their musical career was taking a toll on Linford and Karin's marriage, and in an effort to save it, they "bought two cases of wine and decided we were going to put a bottle on the kitchen table every evening and start talking until nothing was left. The idea was not to get plowed, but to talk face to face deep into the night." The album came together from those conversations, that near loss. Thus there's something very poignant about those simple songs; for me, they express my own longing for another. I want so much to find a love that will endure, a love that's willing throw everything aside (they canceled most of a tour) in order to save our relationship, to have a relationship that is worth saving. And I want to learn to love without fear. There's a line in "Etcetera Whatever" that I've held onto like a lifeline: "We're gonna be alright." Sometimes when I can't handle life anymore I've just sung that line to myself over and over, trying to believe that it's true, that things one day will be alright, in spite of everything that's crumbling around me. "Latter Days" captures my longing to leave more than cliches, more than even a song--there are moments when even words fall short, when you have nothing left to give, when you're just a shadow of yourself. There are parts of ourselves that we hide, that we can't express. We're afraid, but we still want those parts to be known--to be known and yet loved. ^ Top | 11:02 PM | | | 
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