Fresh Feeling
The official Eels website has a live video of this song. It is worth watching. The lyrics were obtained from www.EelsTheBand.com
you don't have a clue
what it is like to be next to you
i'm here to tell you
that it is good
that it is true
birds singing a song
old paint is peeling
this is that fresh
that fresh feeling
words can't be that strong
my heart is reeling
this is that fresh
that fresh feeling
try
try to forget what's in the past
tomorrow is here
love,
orange sky above lighting your way
there's nothing to fear
birds singing a song
old paint is peeling
this is that fresh
that fresh feeling
words can't be that strong
my heart is reeling
this is that fresh
that fresh feeling
some people are good
babe in the 'hood
so pure and so free
i'd make a safe bet
you're gonna get whatever you need
This is an all out fantastic and beautiful song. It sounds fantastic - more beautiful than freakish. A sweet string intro somehow captures the essences of the song. The strings speak of freshness, or a new beginning and optimism. Yet somehow they have just a hint of sadness to them as well. Combine this with a solid bass (apologies - adjectives escape me) and a fantastic drumbeat, and this sound just sounds excellent. As always with Eels, there is a hint of darkness to this beautiful music. The bassline is somehow quite hard and aggressive, giving the song an almsot rough undertone. The slightly distorted drumbeat also adds to this roughness.
The soundtrack leads neatly in to the meaning of the song. The lyrics are nicely straightforward, and speak for themselves. It is a song about unrequited love - or possibly a break up. He (again, He is the narrator or speaker of the song) is basically heartbroken that he has been forgotton or unnoticed. Words have been said to him which say something along the lines of 'its over' or 'forget about it, I don't love you'. The idea behind this song is that there is - or more importantly, there should be - some resolution from these words. Its over, and He is now unchained and free to do as he likes. 'That fresh feeling' is the feeling where the world is completely open to him. It is the kind of thing a friend might tell you to console you - don't worry, you're off the hook, plenty more fish in the sea. In fact, the song as a whole feels like an attempt to cheer himself up. A chain of thought which He is going through to come to terms with his pain. As such, the ideas of the fresh feeling and optimism feel quite contrived and forced. It is as if he is trying to convince himself that, in a way, the rejection is a good thing. It is Liberating.
Of course, He does not feel liberated. The optimistic, cheery tone of the song is ironic. The idea of optimism comes from the line 'birds singing a song'. This line conjours images of spring, of birds singing and heralding a new day, a fresh start. Clichés of spring romances and the beauty of the world spring to mind. This idea is then instantly clashed with that of paint peeling. It evokes the same kind of idea - something old passing, giving way to something new. In this case, the paint coming away to reveal whatever may be underneath. But to me, the paint peeling is a very negative image. Peeling is not a nice process. It is unpleasant, gradual. The paint coming off gives way to something which was being hidden - the wall which the paint was trying to improve. It is a fantastic metaphor for that fresh feeling. It isn't birdsong. It isn't spring mornings and a cheery optimism. It is a slow process of some old darkness coming forward. The once good feelings (the paint, the love) come away slowly, painfully, to reveal the bland ugliness underneath. This is that fresh feeling. Contrasting the two images - how it should feel, and how it does feel - serves to make the pain more real, more powerful.
This powerful metaphor and imagery is supported strongly by the next part of the chorus, 'words can't be that strong / my heart is reeling'. This tells us that words have been said which have struck him powerfully, knocking him off his guard, breaking him down, battering his heart. In these direct lines, there is no room for doubt. He has been hurt. And this so-called fresh feeling is his broken heart, reeling from the impact. Its pretty powerful stuff - and these two lines tend to get stuck in my head.
Another lyric supports the 'idealised' fresh feeling idea. That is, the idea that the break up/rejection is a fresh start. 'try to forget what's in the past / tomorrow is here'. These lines express the idea that what's done is done, and He should look to the future. The use of the word 'try' is powerful - and its repetition is surely significant. For forgetting the past, and his feelings, is not an easy thing to do. The fact of it is that tomorrow is likely to be forgotton, as He struggles to come to terms with the past, and the rejection, and his feelings. It is another attempt at optimism. Another ironic good side to the whole situation.
There is much that is beautiful in this song. At first listen, it is clear that the music is beautiful. Watch the live video and see for yourself. Lyrically also, this song is beautiful. The opening lines 'you don't have a clue / what it is like / to be next to you' are wonderful. It is a humble, shy confession of profound feeling. I'm sure we've all been there: standing next to someone who has such a power over you. You feel proud to be able to stand next to them; humbled in their presence; and pressured into saying or doing the right thing, even though you know you can do nothing in the light of this person. I imagine some people may not see the beauty in this. Why not compare the person to a midsummers morning, or simply say 'I love you'? This is not E's style. For one, it is too straightforward. For another, it is not real. In real life, you do not look at a loved one thinking about how she is like a rose, or a flower. You are simply touched, deeply and profoundly, just by being in their presence. Especially if it is a new love, or a fresh love. Also consider that E is the little guy. Shy, not confident, not the big I Am or wonderfully attractive. He's just some little guy. From this background, these words are powerful. Understated, and yet so profound and moving. Words from the heart and soul, not just from the mind.