Nightly Song
Musings on Songs that Strike a Chord Tonight

Archive for the ‘Dave Alvin’ Category

Fourth of July – X

July 5, 2010

Fourth of July – X

Originally performed by the band X and written by Dave Alvin.

In the relationships that matter, sometimes we need only the slightest glimmer of hope to keep trying. That glimmer can come in the oddest of ways – an off-hand conversation or the stirring of a memory. In this song, the epiphany arrives on the Fourth of July with the spark and sparkle of the Mexican kids shooting off fireworks. In that moment, which the chorus of this song captures, love becomes possible.

For us to understand the rejoicing in the glimmer of hope, we need to understand the sense of loss, the drifting apart and the failure of the relationship. Dave Alvin captures the poignancy of fading love in exquisite detail.