Melody Noir

Patrick Watson's 'Melody Noir' is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of unattainable love and the emotional void it leaves behind. The song opens with a plea to understand the direction of the wind, symbolizing a search for guidance or meaning. The wind, in this context, represents the elusive nature of the music and the feelings it evokes. The lyrics 'You are my big dark blue / And I want to swim all around you' suggest a deep, almost overwhelming desire to immerse oneself in the object of affection, who is described as a 'sweetest melody' never sung. This metaphor highlights the beauty and perfection of the love that remains unexpressed and unfulfilled.

The recurring theme of a ghostly presence adds a layer of melancholy to the song. Watson sings, 'I feel like I know you / But you’re just a ghost to me,' indicating a sense of familiarity with someone who is no longer physically present or perhaps never was. This ghostly figure provides comfort, yet their absence is deeply felt, creating a paradox of solace and sorrow. The imagery of an 'island of love' and a 'breeze of a song' further emphasizes the idea of love as a distant, almost mythical place that offers rescue and relief, yet remains out of reach.

The song's emotional core is encapsulated in the lines, 'I’ve got a hole the size of your touch / That fits in your arms as much.' This vivid description of an emotional void that grows larger with each attempt to fill it underscores the futility and pain of longing for something unattainable. The Spanish lines towards the end, 'Canta, canta, mi Luna, mi Luna llena / Esta melodia que es el abismo adentro de mi,' translate to 'Sing, sing, my moon, my full moon / This melody that is the abyss inside me,' adding a poetic and universal dimension to the song's theme of unfulfilled love. The moon, often a symbol of longing and unattainable beauty, perfectly encapsulates the essence of 'Melody Noir.'