Sunday, September 6, 2015

“Unrequited” by TOTEM – A Song Review

     The lyrics of “Unrequited” are pasted at the bottom of this post (and the handwritten lyrics from TOTEM are pictured above). The chorus, which begins “Soon as I left...,” is visited four times. There is a passion in the first two, but it is a mistake to assume that it won’t get better. The increases in energy and in importance of the instruments during the third and fourth visits set “Unrequited” apart from the other high quality releases from TOTEM, such as “Wildfire.”
     The motivation behind writing “Unrequited” was stated within an email invitation to introduce the song to Indie Obsessive. According to the email (thank you Paul O'Donnell):
   “The greatest and the worst thing about falling in love in a big city is that there are options everywhere. So any time we do find someone, there's always a temptation to go off in search of something that might be "better." Of course, most times, it's not better. You end up feeling selfish, or worse yet, like you made a terrible mistake. The allure of the chase is powerful...but often destructive.
   I decided to write the song "Unrequited" about two things. First, I wanted to put myself in the shoes of girls in situations where I fucked up. Ultimately, they were better off and I was left wanting them back. Second, I wanted to write a sort of fantasy account from my own perspective about women that haven't treated me the greatest. There's a darkly invigorating power in refusing to take someone back that's at the center of it all. Like real life, I kept the song open ended too. You never quite know whether the end result is personal catharsis or just a game itself.”

     “Unrequited” by TOTEM


Lyrics of “Unrequited” 
Soon as I left, you feel the doubt
Under your skin, crawling out
Overthinking what you found
Unrequited - feel it now

Only cobwebs at the door
My response is all she needs to know
No one asked to be let go
But falling is freedom's core

Soon as I left, you feel the doubt
Under your skin, crawling out
Overthinking what you found
Unrequited, feel it now

It's the cost you can't ignore
Second chances nevermore
Soon we'll always have what never was
And you'll have the blame to score

Yeah, soon as I left, you feel the doubt
Under your skin, crawling out
Overthinking what you found
Unrequited - feel it now

Soon as I left, you feel the doubt
Under your skin, crawling out
Overthinking what you found
Unrequited - feel it now

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