Eli refused to let me write about “I Don’t Wanna Love Somebody Else,” so for our last reflection I have chosen “Already Home,” off of A Great Big World’s album Is There Anybody Out There? I’d recommend both of these songs, or any song off of Is Anybody Out There? not just because the songs themselves are great to listen to, but because writers Ian Axel and Chad Vaccarino write most of their songs by themselves, which is particularly impressive.

This song describes a man who is struggling to keep a relationship, weakened by time and distance, alive. He describes the difficulties surrounding a long distance relationship, and trying to persuade his partner that these difficulties are worth it. Music is oftentimes ambiguous and difficult to interpret, but “Already Home” is a raw plea by a desperate lover, easily seen as a one sided conversation on why their relationship is worth it. “Already Home” begins with a quiet piano, slowly building with the entrances of singers Ian Axel and Chad Vaccarino. The intensity of the bridge, marked by the crescendo of the percussion, is the most touching to me, because the real power is not in the drums, but the vocals when he expresses “Sometimes we just don’t get to choose … Promise you’ll wait for me / Wait til I’m home.” The song revolves around the fact that the lover is “already home,” demonstrating that even though he is away, the man is with her in spirit.

Although “Say Something” is the most well known song off of this album, “Already Home” is without a doubt one of my favorite tunes by A Great Big World. I was first introduced to this song in the beginning of the fall semester, a few days after moving to Stony Brook. This song struck a particular chord with me, because although I don’t live too far from New York City (ahem), moving away certainly did put a strain on some of my relationships back in Jersey. At the time I was home sick and worried that I would lose the people I was once close to, so my favorite line was “When you’re scared and alone and alone / just know that I’m already home,” because I know that the people that matter the most will be there for me, regardless of the distance.

Ian Axel Music, Chad Vaccarino Publishing, Sweetrock

lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/greatbigworld/alreadyhome.html