Song has always been used to express aspiration and optimism, the idea that there is something better over the horizon. And ever since we invented the small-town experience, young people have been trying to leave it behind, destined to forge a new life elsewhere. So, songs such as Free, the new one from David Belle, follow an age-old tradition.
But if the nature of the song is nothing new, the delivery certainly is. Over a platform of wandering, melodic bass lines, chiming guitars, and rhythmic grooves, Belle narrates his take on this age-old rite of passage in his beguiling, almost spoken-word narration.
The twist on this song is that while the Juliet of the piece might come from such a place, her Romeo is a big city kid, reminding us that small-town America is a state of mind, a concept rather than an actual place. You can be just as lost and isolated in the heart of NYC as you can living on the edge of Hicksville (pop. 347, please drive carefully).
They meet, find redemption in each other’s arms, and start a new life elsewhere. Okay, it’s a fairy tale, but it gives us all hope, and isn’t that the point of the song?