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Music Notes
A blog, generally about music, usually for projects hosted by Jeff Author Icon. I may also write about the 48-Hour Media Prompt Challenge if I don't feel like writing a story or poem inspired by the given song. Other bits of poetry or different topics of discussion might end up here as well.

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February 27, 2025 at 9:55am
February 27, 2025 at 9:55am
#1084445
My 27th choice is a deep cut from the 2024 OneRepublic album Artificial Paradise. It brings the album's themes around full circle, being one of the most serious, thoughtful and lyrically dense songs on it.

Sound:
The first thing I noticed about Last Holiday is how real it is. It begins with applause and a guitar hook, sweeps up some cello, with handclaps and harmonizing backing vocals… everything about it appears to have been recorded at an real performance, almost like sitting around a campfire, rather than in a studio. This makes the message come alive in a truly memorable way.

Front man Ryan Tedder's voice comes through quietly, with an honest, heartfelt tiredness and urgency which is fitting for the bottom of an unusually long album.

Theme:
Last Holiday strikes a tone of urgent maturity, with Ryan coming to the realization that life doesn't go on forever and certain things like love, family and personal faith should be prioritized above others such as money and career.

It has a deep weariness, even jadedness to it, as the chorus goes "I don't believe in the stars anymore/ they never gave me what I wished for…" It reminds me of children growing up and realizing life isn't a Disney movie.

"Press pause and take some moments/ find God before it all ends…" Honestly, the simple yet deeply philosophical lyrics don't need much explanation. They're a reminder to get our life's act together and live with no regrets, because we never know when it will be over.

Significance:
I wish I could tell you Ryan's backstory about Last Holiday… but I don't like podcasts. Ryan Tedder appeared on the Kyle Meredith show after AP dropped last year, and one of the "teasers" was something like "the dark truth behind Last Holiday."

When I saw that I was like "OMG, I must find out!" Because I knew there was something more to Last Holiday than it might seem. But the podcast is over an hour long, it rambles all over the place, Kyle Meredith seems like an obnoxious interviewer, and I can't carve out an hour to listen to a show or another hour afterwards to take notes on everything I learned.

It would be far easier for me to read the transcript… but Apple podcasts does the worst transcription job I've ever seen. They couldn't spell the host's name right, forget labelling who was speaking. I would have to jump through digital hoops to try to get a legible transcript. So… it drives me crazy, but I don't have the scoop. If you have time to watch the interview on YouTube and find where Ryan talks about Last Holiday, let me know! ▼

I will say this was a significant song for me last August as I prepared a story for the Official WdC Contest, What a Character. I was dealing with subjects far more intense than I'd ever thought I would attempt to write about, and Last Holiday was my early draft choice for the heroine's theme song, something she listens to and takes refuge in during a crisis.

With this in mind, I must've listened to Last Holiday a couple dozen times, trying to absorb the experience and match up the song's themes with what I was writing. At some point I realized there was a mismatch, and the song I ultimately went with and took my title from was God Only Knows, from For King and Country. Indeed, I made myself tired of Last Holiday, and quite frankly have not listened to it again until writing this up!

Last Holiday is a timeless classic, with a somber yet optimistic tone as it reminds us to appreciate and hold on to what we love before inevitable change takes it away.


 
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Will the road she’s on lead her home? 1st in What a Character, August '24
#2325210 by Amethyst Agape Angel Author IconMail Icon


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