Monday, December 6, 2010

Ghost notes

Songs named after emotional states can be pretty dicey, and it's a rare track that can shoulder the weight. It's especially tough when the emotion is actually a knotted set of feelings. According to some quick research, saudade is a Portugese word referring to a longing for something that was loved and is now lost, not only a deep desire to have it back, but also a belief that one day it will actually happen. Refusing to let the thing or person go means that the ghost is always present. And the constant failure of the past to return creates something that's both a huge emptiness and a crushing sadness. Interestingly, in Brazil, they have a holiday for it (January 30, if you want to mark your calendar).

Apparently, saudade has no true analogue in English, and I'm probably missing a lot in the translation. Thankfully, music can do it a lot better. So...does old Vini Reilly nail it with this one? Songblague says yes. Agree?

Durutti Column - Saudade

1 comment:

  1. We(I'm brazillian) use "saudade" as an equivalent to english Miss/missing, but it's usually in a sad way, relating to people or places. :(

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