“This Is The One,” The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are back! After forming in 1983, ushering in the Madchester scene of their hometown, and siring an entire generation of Britpoppers, the band split in 1996, having released only two albums—The Stone Roses and Second Coming. In 2012, there is once again the opportunity to experience the Roses’ magic live on their world tour. All four core members have agreed to participate: vocalist Ian Brown, guitarist John Squire, bassist Mani, and drummer Reni. Lucky concert-goers will be sure to be treated to a version of “This Is The One” at next year’s Roses shows.
Released on the Stone Roses’ self-titled 1989 debut, “This Is The One” is a memorable treasure from the outstanding album. This track is a remarkable lesson in restrained exhilaration. It presents a tempered perspective on the ecstasy of finding love. But this is not the usual romantic fluff of pop songs; it is a passionate reward hard-won after considerable wait. The prolonged loving fixation which resists fulfillment drives the song’s ethereal longing. This is the person yearned for and finally found. The bittersweet journey to love underscores the delight of its triumph, amplifying the deliciousness of this moment.
A wide-ranging melody coupled with fast-moving guitar and bass lines lend this recording a nostalgic quality. Nostalgia only lasts for so long, though, and the Roses are eager to unburden themselves of the past. Brown dreamily declares: “I’d like to leave the country | For a month of Sundays | Burn the town where I was born!” Reni’s drumming is just right; it mirrors the vocal lines and drives the ballad beyond the form’s standard metric confines.
The first half of this song feels like a secret. But it’s one that can’t be kept. Brown’s soft, whispery style engages the listener and intimates an immediate kinship. As the track progresses, this confidence can no longer be kept, for the lyrical narrative is too joyful not to be shared. Towards the end, Brown is joined by jangly backing vocals that tirelessly proclaim to all that “This is the one she’s waited for!” Happily, the secret doesn’t falter and sound nauseatingly repetitive or garishly gossipy; it becomes more beautiful—and thrilling—each time it is intoned. These vocals complete the tune, gradually fading to nothing yet everything at the same time. Perhaps this is a love that has burned itself out, for it was born, as Brown tells, of “a girl consumed by fire.”
As someone who has listened to this song many times (and often with you, Angela, since it's one of your favourite car tunes), I can genuinely say that it always stirs excitement and wonder. It's incredible how guarded it begins and then unfolds into uncontrolled, beautiful chaos. Oh, and I need to see the Roses on their tour. We should go together!
ReplyDeleteI might have heard this song in passing without ever noticing what makes it so interesting. Thanks to this blog post the song comes alive for me in a way that it is doubtful it would have had I not read this post. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, I would have to say
ReplyDeleteI find nothing captures the freshness of new love like Mozart's Requiem Mass. A song to march us into the afterlife is the perfect metaphor for a new romance.
(ok that was a joke)
How about "Buried Bones" and "Let's Pretend" by The Tinderstickes. Maybe "Kiss Could have Killed Me" by Scout Niblett.
"This is the One" DOES get better with every listen! Love the song's emotionally charged progression to its intense climax. I'm beginning to really appreciate The Stone Roses now.
ReplyDeleteI think your analysis is consise!! Good job! What do you think about my idea that the frequent, almost unnoticed modulations (because they are so fluid) represent the changes that occur naturally in life's journey? Good work, Angie.
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful post, Angela. For me, Nick Drake's "Northern Sky" captures the transformative power, confusion, doubt, and foremost, beauty, of love's beginnings.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to your future posts!