Sorry for the delay, but I’m back and here to pull some more in-depth thoughts out of music, and this week it’s none other than One Direction. You may be thinking, “there is no way you could pull some meaningful messages out of a One Direction song” but I am up for the challenge. I will admit, I was a big One Direction fan and I still think some of their songs are some real bops.

Now, this song I’ve got for you really tugs at the old 90s boy band heartstrings. “What A Feeling” by One Direction is a fairly underrated song off of their fifth album, Made in the A.M. This song really demonstrates these boys’ abilities to harmonize. While you listen, you can hear the influence of Fleetwood Mac (which might explain why I love the song so much), and it is generally an all-over feel-good song. Within the lyrics, there is an ethereal quality to it sort of like “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac. The song is almost hypnotic and has a hazy vibe to it. I’ve heard many people admit that this song is pretty good even though they have never liked this particular band before. So, before you dismiss this song, honestly, go give it a listen because if you enjoy late 70s music, this song is for you.

Lets’ dive into the lyrics shall we. The song opens with fairly strange lyrics but dives into the larger meanings when they sing “with no way out and a long way down, everybody needs someone around, but I can’t hold you, too close now.” This could imply the struggles of long-distance relationships, which I have seen play out before and the emotional strain that is experienced. It could also imply that someone’s significant other is unable to be with them at this moment. Then the beautiful harmonizing happens where they sing, “what a feeling to be right here beside you now, holding you in my arms, when the air ran out and we both started running wild, the sky fell down” which could imply the same thing as mentioned above. Someone is not present for the other, and that is having an effect on one of the significant others. I really love the second half of that quote about when the air ran out and such because it has such a 70s vibe breeziness to it. These words are so strange that you really cannot explain the meaning in words, but you also get it. They continue to sing, “but you’ve got stars, they’re in your eyes, and I’ve got something missing tonight, what a feeling to be a king beside you, somehow, I wish I could be there now.” These are the main lyrics as the song is very repetitive. But, it works with this song to just repeat the same verses. Even though the song is a feel-good song based on the instrumental, the lyrics are very plaintive.

I’ve seen many individuals go through the struggle of long-distance relationships and just even not having a special someone next to them for important events. Emotional, it’s challenging as you have to have a very high and stable level of trust with that other person. Trusting individuals is not easy for everyone either. It’s an overwhelming process as sometimes you miss important moments for each other and other times where you are over including them in your life. Some partners are unable to have a meaningful and serious face to face conversations weekly which can be very trying for a relationship especially since it makes them feel less trustworthy and less close. Technology has made this both better and worse as it is far easier to communicate and stay in touch with others but what we end up doing is over sharing our daily lives where there is no room for deep, meaningful talks. Long distance tests relationships and this does not mean that people should give up on a relationship just because of the distance or time. I’ve also seen people grow stronger from the distance as it shows what important moments to share with one another and the great feeling of having that person close to you again later. Sometimes, being constantly with your significant other actually strains the relationship as this closeness can become muddled that this closeness is no longer appreciated.

All in all, even though technology makes it easier to communicate with someone regardless of distance, that connection makes meaningful attachment more difficult. Distance used to be challenged by communication and now it is challenged by a lack of depth, for some. There are other challenges but this tends to be a major one. Hope this brings you to reflect on what you share with the world around you and the connections you are making with others. Take care lovelies!