Welcome to the Alternative Echo “31 Days of Songs” challenge. For the entirety of October, we will be tackling a different theme each day in an effort to spread appreciation for some of the best tracks out there.
Is there anything better than rainy fall days? Yes – rainy fall days when you don’t have to go to work and can sit at home with a cup of tea and the record player on.
Today was not one of those days.
But even when you’re stuck at your desk, following the water droplets as they race down the window pane, you can still enjoy the music of home, and maybe, just maybe, forget that you’re trapped in a dead-end nightmare you’re convincing yourself to put up with in order to provide a better life for your cat.
Too specific?
Any good rainy day needs the perfect backing; something to compliment the pitter-patter of droplets hitting your roof. Something that can make you feel at home without actually being there.
Day Two: A song for the rain
“All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye” by John Mayer
The quintessential pairing: John Mayer and stormy weather. Is there anything more perfect? Both good on their own, but together, they hold the ability to transport you to another atmosphere. It’s almost as though they were made for each other.
You’re no longer in an office, a living room, a library. You’re collapsing an umbrella as you walk into the humble neighborhood coffeeshop, greeted with the warm aroma of roasting beans alongside the gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar.
While it may not be the happiest of tunes, “All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye” is sincere in its storytelling. Maybe its a story Mayer has told a few too many times: a failed relationship that no matter how many times he walks away, he comes back, and walks away again. Try as he might, he just can’t shake her from his head.
“Why do you want to break my heart again?/Why am I gonna let you try/When all we ever do is say goodbye?”
For the sake of Mayer, I hope he finds a relationship that sticks. Seems like a good guy.
However, I will selfishly say that I like getting songs like these. Sad songs pair well with grey clouds. But every coffeehouse set must end, and the room will once again become filled with chatter of friends catching up and the awkward stumblings of first dates.
Every grey cloud will one day part for the sun. Every puddle will evaporate to the sky. Let’s take a moment to make the most of these gloomy days. We do have the perfect song for it, afterall.
Alternative Echo 