Tying in two of my favorite things Music and Videos! I’m gonna start off with a music video that I think is absolutely gorgeous; simple but tells a beautiful story. I hate when artists throw out a music video that has absolutely nothing to do with the song, it pisses me off to no end. So let’s get to the root of the song first, shall we?  Yes I’m talking about the lyrics, you know me and my love for lyrics, (blame my best friend for that!) lol.

This is “Dust to Dust”- The Civil Wars

*Favorite Lyrics:*

Oh, you’re acting your thin disguise
All your perfectly delivered lines
They don’t fool me
You’ve been lonely, too long

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Chorus:

Let me in the wall
You’ve built around
We can light a match
And burn it down
Let me hold your hand
And dance ’round and ’round the flames
In front of us
Dust to dust

I would categorize this song as a love letter. Dust to Dust acts as a metaphor, a metaphor for breaking down the walls that keep two people apart; (see chorus). The song reflects the idea of knowing someone so well, that you see past those walls, and not only because you can, but because you want to. You want them to let you in, and you want to help them.  You want them to understand that they don’t have to be lonely, because you yourself have been there.  The end is a nice wrap up, proving just that…

You’re like a mirror, reflecting me
Takes one to know one, so take it from me
You’ve been lonely
You’ve been lonely, too long
We’ve been lonely
We’ve been lonely, too long

*Full lyrics HERE

Lyric video HERE

This music video made me want to actually physically be in it. I was like hold on a second, can I just live in this video right now. It’s so beautifully shot, and the color pattern is pretty but a staple for The Civil Wars. For instance the video for “Poison & Wine” uses a lot of the same tones. Dust to Dust is set in Paris, you see the two people separately…Joy buying treats in a bakery, John in a coffee shop writing a letter…which he later hesitates to actually mail, Joy alone drinking wine. All of these shots set up the story, to show that they may or may not have a history of some kind, the solo shots are a nice lead up to the together shots. It’s the whole near, but so far idea of destined faith. There’s actually this one shot, that I absolutely love, it’s around the 1:55 mark, where you see John in a book store through the bookstore window, and he’s looking at books (duh?), but then in his image you see Joy’s reflection, as she looks at books behind him. It’s gorgeous, and it’s my favorite shot, because I feel like it’s so simple yet tells a lot and pairing it with the lyric “You’ve been lonely too long,” makes it even more emotional and serves a greater impact. But then interchangeably you see them together, performing, walking together, having coffee together. A black and white studio session scene is mixed in as well, showcasing the live performance of the song, and even so it almost feels like the storyline of this fictional love affair is still being played out.  They communicate through song, and small looks to know what note to hit and when to hit it, and if that’s not love (no matter what type of love, even if platonic) then I don’t know what is! lol.

There is also a really cool scene that plays along with that last lyrical bit “You’re like a mirror, reflecting me Takes one to know one, so take it from me,” it’s just about at the 2:58 mark where Joy is sitting down at a seat on the train and moments later she is swapped with John Paul sitting in that same seat. They are two lonely souls, either waiting to find each other and waiting for destiny to take things into her own hands, or two lonely souls that have lost each other and need to find a way to recreate what they had and keep re-imagining.

 This video and this song shows how loneliness can be overcome, dust to dust…what was never once can be, or what was once can be better. For example it goes based upon how you see this storyline. If it’s a love affair that has yet to be written well that means that once was lonely will never be lonely again, what never was will be…the love affair is just beginning. Where as, if this is a love affair that has been lost, that means what was once can be better, what was  lost can be found.

I’ve probably spoken about The Civil Wars before, but the first time I heard about them, was actually in concert. They opened up for Adele and I remember falling in love with their song “Poison and Wine.” The lyric “I don’t love you but I always will” was on re-play in my head for days, until I had to find out more about them, and the rest is history. I like to think it was meant for us to find each other, LOL! Anyway, The Civil Wars consist of John Paul White and  Joy Williams. They are both married to other people, but their musical chemistry is something to be reckoned with. In fact I’ve even heard them refer to each other as musical soul mates!

But then again, I didn’t direct the video, so that’s just my take on things!

For more of an inside look at Dust to Dust…

“It seems to take you somewhere” – Joy

Damn right…

Enjoy!

**RECENT UPDATE… I’ve just seen the saddest news, that this amazing duo have actually split for the time being, they are on a hiatus and have since not been on speaking terms. I am unclear as to what caused the split, as Joy is the only one doing press, and she herself has been quoted stating she is unsure as to what went wrong specifically. But both Joy and John have chosen to release this new album regardless of the split. It’s such a shame to hear this, because they truly do pair nicely together, and their voices are meant for each other. I found an article that rather nicely mirrors this new video with their split and is a different take on it then the one I’ve created here myself. Now hearing this news, I can totally see how they came to this conclusion.  *Check that article out HERE

And let’s hope for a safe return to each other…for these two song birds, because if you ask me, musically, they were meant to be!

-<3-