I came upon this song by Agnetha Faltskog about a month ago. I have to say, it is the first upbeat grief song I’ve come upon (at least as I interpret it). I suppose other such songs of lost love exist, but this one song perked my ears only because it came across my path at a time when my spirit was able to receive a song which was a tad bit livelier.
PLAY— Song: When You Really Loved Someone
It’s been 5 years almost to the day since Ruth died. (It is anguishing to have had Ruth die in a season where people go around saying “merry” and “joyous” and “glad tidings,” but that’s another story for another day.) Through the years, I’ve come across a number of “grief” songs which voiced the feelings I was feeling. Listening to them was cathartic in many ways. And this tune is the latest one in a string of songs I’ve collected over the years.
The difference in this song is that, to me, it is upbeat. Oh, the lyrics describing a love that is no longer is still anguishing. But there is something in the song that makes it different. The analog synthesizers and electric guitars that create a full orchestration with an ’80s upbeat feel evoke a certain “happiness.” The arrangement calls forth a beautiful memory of a real love and of a joy of a partnership that existed in between the words of pain. Remembering that joy and beauty is what makes it “upbeat” and gives one strength.
It is perhaps fitting that I’ve been playing the song on my smartphone daily in this last week of the year. The loss of a love is still painful, but I can look back and recall the beauty and joy of it. And I hope that the happiness in that memory will provide the strength to have a more upbeat year ahead.