This week’s SOTW is Falling, by Harry Styles.
To this week’s winner, Danish, Falling “represents going into a deep spiral of overthinking, regret and depression”. He finds “the best part about this song is its simplicity”, yet “despite its simple lyrics and tune, it really is able to convey such a deep message that I feel is very relatable to most people”. Through music, Falling vocalises one’s insecurities -
What am I now?
What if I'm someone I don't want around?
[...]
What if I'm down?
What if I'm out?
What if I'm someone you won't talk about?
The winner summarises this anxiety perfectly: “we overthink about our actions, how the other person might react negatively to what we do, and eventually we fear that we might get forgotten or become just another passing memory in the person's life”.
The beauty of heartbreak songs may just be that they could reflect the listener’s feelings on a bad day and give them the comfort of being understood. Falling does precisely this, reflecting our deep desire to be needed by our loved ones, and fear of not being enough to keep another’s love.
Danish would also like to give a shout out to the album Fine Line, which “honestly is jam packed with amazing songs”; It “really describes so many different emotions and each song feels unique in its own way.”
Full interview:
1. How did you discover this song?
I actually only discovered this song recently about near the start of this year. I always try to find new songs by recommendations based on Spotify and from my friends. In this case, my friend recommended that I listen to Harry Styles' album "Fine Line" which released last year and honestly is jam packed with amazing songs. "Falling" stood out to me because it's a song that I resonate with strongly.
2. What do you like most about this song?
I think for me the best part about this song is its simplicity, in that it uses a simple tune and that it doesn't have alot of complex lyrics. However, despite the simple lyrics and tune, it really is able to convey such a deep message that I feel is very relatable to most people.
3. What does this song mean to you?
This song to me represents going into a deep spiral of overthinking, regret and depression. It talks about the possibility that one day, the person you care so much about will just forget about you, or hate you, because of something that you said or because of a stale relationship. It refers to the fear when we overthink about our actions, how the other person might react negatively to what we do, and eventually we fear that we might get forgotten or become just another passing memory in the person's life, because sometimes all we want to be is to be loved, and one of the greatest fears is despite all that we do, we may not be appreciated and loved the way we want to.
4. Are you surprised your song was chosen as the winner? Why or why not?
Actually yes, I only recommended this song because it's a song that I really really feel strongly for and that I listen to in times of depression. I like to listen to music that matches my mood, and I think this song expresses my feelings when I'm down in an accurate way, without me having to say a single word. I didn't expect that it would be the winner honestly just because its a pop song, and I wouldn't say that pop music is in its best state right now and feels abit stale. But since we're here talking about this, I do wanna give a shoutout to the album "Fine Line" and I think everyone should give it a listen because it really describes so many different emotions and each song feels unique in its own way.