Music: Too Good at Goodbyes by Sam Smith

I must have listened to Sam Smith’s Too Good at Goodbyes over a hundred times in the last week. Something about it makes it resonate intensely. His voice, the lyrics dripping with emotion and hurt, the melody, the accent (“less” sounds like “liss”), the all-race and all-gender inclusive video - there’s so much to like. Everything’s crystal clear - no subtitles needed.

It starts off with just his voice and a little piano accompaniment. Then the finger snapping starts. The high pitch of the third para (“Every time you hurt me”) is perfect and ushers in the emotions with a bang. Backing vocals kick in the chorus. It’s only after the first chorus that the drums and orchestra join in. And in the final chorus it’s back to piano alone.

By the second verse, my eyes are already moist:

I know you're thinking I'm heartless
I know you're thinking I'm cold
I'm just protecting my innocence
I'm just protecting my soul

The way he emotes “heartless” and “soul” gets me every single time. The “No” pre-chorus towards the end is masterful. When I try doing it myself, I lose my way and it comes out flat. When he does it, it’s magical.

I’d already heard the song plenty of times before the emotional punch hit me and I grokked the lyrics. It first happened on the morning commute to work and my eyes welled up. One of the rare times I’ve used the Repeat track feature.

Funny thing though - not sure why I can relate to the multiple breakups experience this song is about. I guess over my almost 18 years of marriage, I’ve seen enough in my and others’ lives that it’s easy to project this as something that could have happened to me.