So what, life's tough
You should get over yourself
Like everyone else and enjoy
Isn't it a pity how some songs go underrated? Barely Breathing was the main and only hit single for Duncan's debut album in 1996. And most people, yeah, won't go beyond that. But, the eye opening flash happens when you are not attracted by the song at all, but by the whole album. And this can only happen if, either you never paid enough attention to that one hit single on the radio, or if you are so good a visionary to hear more than that.
My case was the first.
It was an old boyfriend who introduced Duncan to me back in 1999. I was riding in the back seat of his car with two other of his friends. They were taking me home after a rehearsal and while they were all chatting away my whole attention was on the record. When we reached my place, I asked if I could borrow it. Him and I weren't even still involved with each other.
Looking back now, I think I only returned it until the day we broke up.... I didn't want to let it go! It was just so marvelous. And yes, I had heard Barely Breathing on the radio, but I never thought much of it.
Serena is all about the presence of a Riff and the absence of a Chorus.
Who told Duncan to compose like that? So uncommonly original I think....
This particular Riff hits exactly where it should. It is so high pitched and so slightly distorted. Personally, at times, it is all I hear in the song. And that is all I heard for the first hundred times I played it.
Then one day, the lyrics came through somehow and made sense.
And just like the Riff had before, the lyrics matched me. But, they matched me because what they said, matched my troubled self. Right there in that moment, my named changed to Serena. There was Duncan calling my name. And though in spanish that name means "serene", it didn't exactly made me feel like that.
Yeah, it is a very melancholic song. But there is nothing wrong with listening to songs like that once in a while, is it? And it is weird the effect this song has, cos Duncan sings it to this girl called Serena, but he speaks of her with such great knowledge of how she feels. Seems to me, he speaks on her behalf and does so much more succesfully than she could ever do.
After every verse, the Riff replies Duncan.... everytime. Even throughout the verses, the guitar lets go these little cries.... here and there, higher and higher in the scale with this tiny bell decorating every note.
If you haven't guessed it already, it is Serena backing him up.
And considering this, it is obvious why Duncan misses singing the chorus: he lets Serena do it.
"Life just passes you by" sings Duncan... then Serena replies with her nice long Riff.
"Serena" says Duncan three times, in what should've been the chorus, and Serena sings back again.
This is more like a duet song, isn't it? But quite an unsual one.
I don't want to close up this Duncan Sheik discussion, since I know I will return to him further on. He sings so many things in so many different ways that it will be inevitable. He so makes me want to write! But for now, let's just say that if you haven't heard Serena yet... please do.
But hey! Before you go clicking away into Limewire or the iTunes Store (ha! very similar sources, aren't they?), try to be as sad, troubled or lonely as possible.
Because so is Serena, and she's had enough with music executives placing her on track 6 of the album. She's tired of being misunderstood.
Enjoy....
