Sunday, December 30, 2018

"8 Letters" by Why Don't We

I heard this song very recently - the Friday before I started my vacation - and I made a mental note to write about it, because I found it meaningful at the time. It's about how hard it is to say those three simple words. And now I'm about to go on an epic philosophical rant - you've been warned.

It should be hard - it should be hard to say "I love you." Because there's so much weight and meaning behind them, that those three words aren't nearly enough sometimes. And if they don't have that momentous heaviness, if you can say them without even considering it first, then why even bother? I've gotten into this space where I feel like I hear it so often that it feels meaningless, like it means even more if they're not said but shown. Actions speak louder than words and what not. When I do say it, I try to make sure I'm really feeling it first. Because if I don't feel it, I don't want to say it, just because it's expected, just because it's required. Because I don't want them to be a lie. Okay, maybe the rant wasn't that epic. Sorry for building it up so big.

You know me the best
You know my worst, see me hurt, but you don't judge
That, right there, is the scariest feeling
Opening and closing up again
I've been hurt so I don't trust
Now here we are, staring at the ceiling

There are things that are just hard to say. I find writing them down helps. I write a lot more than what I put down here, some of which I know (and hope) no one will ever read. That's a common therapy technique, something I found helpful when I was recovering from my eating disorder. Writing letters to the people who have hurt me - and especially to the people who I have hurt. They will never see them but it helped to put the words down on paper. It helped me forgive them and myself, which is essential for loving people. That's what a lot of people don't understand - you can't really love anyone if you don't love yourself first. You'll always just be expecting them to fill a hole that is your responsibility to fill, and that's too much to ask of somebody else. Especially if you really, truly love them.

The video is pretty unremarkable. A boy band singing in beautiful locations - meh. The interesting thing about it is that each of the locations appears to be in a state of suspended animation. More importantly, the location would be and are an absolute mess when the movement begins again. I think the director was trying to evoke the overwhelming, out-of-control feeling that Love can create. Why Don't We is a test tube pop band, in the vein of N'Sync. The theory is that if you get five attractive young men who can sing together in the same recording studio, magic happens. It generally works, at least financially. "8 Letters" is the name of their debut album and the latest single that was released in 2018. It's still climbing the charts but currently, it's well within the Top 40 for Pop.

"8 Letters" Video

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