12-15-18
If Awe is “the sensation of being in the presence of something vast that simultaneously transcends one’s understanding of the world,” then Moonchild by M83, has always been one of the most prominent songs to demonstrate this emotion. I realize it’s easy to use anything that is primarily instrumental and say, “see, isn’t that something to be in “awe” of?!?” Regardless, the song does remarkably well to elicit a dreamlike journey which will leave many in awe.
Though sparse, through the lyrics that comprise the beginning and the end, there feels like this much larger narrative being developed. I always felt as if I was stepping into a vast unknown when I’ve listened to this song—not one which scares, but rather excites. It pulls you in and then envelops you in a choir of warmth and tenderness.
Just as quickly as the crescendo comes in, the music breaks leaving this fading voice and piano. There’s a yearning for more to continue, and instead, you’re left wanting, wondering, what the hell was that. After the thousandth listen, that feeling hasn’t gone away, at least not for myself.
I remember when I proposed to my wife I had a similar feeling building. It was as if every moment we spent prior to asking that big question was a simple spoken story, and then in the instant, the flood of emotions, and the energy of the moment came crashing down. I was entering into a vast unknown, but I wasn’t scared, rather wholly excited.
When I went back to memorialize that moment and put it on film, there was no other song that felt right. For that reason, I suppose I will always carry a sense of awe when listening to it.
Lyrics:
They say I made the moon
Everything was in the dark
No memories at all
Just a tiny freezing wind in my back
As I was sitting there
Singing a song they had never heard before
Suddenly, a voice told me
Keep on singing little boy
And raise your arms in the big black sky
Raise your arms the highest you can
So the whole universe will glow
—————————
My first vision was a bush growing down the river
And I couldn’t stop crying
Something was missing
I realized I was in love with a voice
I called it, again, and again
But all I heard was the echo in the light