Jacob Collier’s Hideaway is my addition to our Exit West playlist. Aside from being being a gorgeous song, the lyrics and musical content of Hideaway very much relate to the themes and ideas of Exit West. Half love song, half meandering lament, Hideaway definitely deserves a spot on our playlist.
The lyrics of the song revolve around the idea of a “hideaway”, a metaphorical safe space which may or may not represent an actual physical location. In my mind, this search for a hideaway corresponds to the migrant experience in Exit West: a journey out of peril, in search of a haven. The lyrics “whichever way the wind may blow there will be a place for me to go in my hideaway” represents both the safety of an imaginary place and also the nomadic quality of wandering around. The song has not found its hideaway--it is still searching. The rest of the lyrics echo this sentiment: “wherever I go wandering I’ll find a home in everything in my hideaway.” This line reminded me of Nadia and Saeed’s bond with each other. No matter where they had to travel, they always had each other and their hideaway.
The musical feel itself also seems appropriate with regards to the tone of Exit West. The chords have a dreamy, almost wandering feel. The chords travel around the song’s tonality ebbing and flowing in and out of resolution. The polyrhythms and counterpoint echo the complexity and conflict of the novel. All in all, Hideaway matches the tone of Exit West quite well.
First off, I absolutely love this song. Secondly, you did a very nice job explaining how this song relates to Exit West. I wanted to expand on a point that you made at the end about the tonality and polyrhythms of the song. The song keeps itself moving with polyrhythms, never quite settling into a place that is comfortable. In addition, despite the incredibly warm chords surrounding the beginning, the chord changes keep the audience on their toes and the surprising chord changes in the chorus and the bridge don't allow the audience to settle into the song. This constant movement of the song reflects the ever evolving nature of location in Exit West. There is so much movement in this book all occurring at once that the reader is never allowed to settle into their surroundings before they are thrown to a completely new place and new people. It is for all of these reasons that I totally agree that this song should be on our playlist.
ReplyDeleteConsider it added: https://open.spotify.com/user/bheidkamp/playlist/7zV977JCJGibf9UQhhu4wg?si=ri_dIUAdSvSlHNoa6Nmx7g
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