I donβt know what made me think of this, I havenβt heard this song in decades. But it used to kill me. I started thinking about it and this came to mind. I dunno if it holds up, but itβs the most potent memory of a song that I stopped listening to because it would get me every time.
This one is random, but there's a song by Florence and the Machine on the beautiful album High As Hope called "South London Forever" and when she hits the line about it never snowing again, my heart breaks, about loss of experiences and also death for me. And while that's not "love" heart break, I think what really saddens me is that idea of something being done forever, from life experiences, to life itself.
And we're just children wanting children of our own
It was originally a B-side, written when Thom was an angsty, insecure teenager. He sings about all the little things he loves about her and repeatedly implored her "please don't leave". They wound up together, had 2 kids, then Radiohead rerecorded and rereleased it as she was dying of cancer, giving it a whole new, heartbreaking meaning.
I suppose it was written as some kind of reflection on a relationship, but it's impossible to separate it from Gord Downie's passing now. Highly recommend watching the documentary of the same name if you haven't.
While I never got into Downie or Tragically Hip, it's always heartbreaking when a music artist you love dies - and especially when the music then takes on new meanings.