The Wanderer

Music has the unique ability to connect people. Regardless of your own intentions or beliefs, somehow someway we can find common ground through common tunes. And in a effort to share the music that’s been hitting that sweet spot in the back of my brain, I want to highlight the song that’s been on repeat this week, one that my roommate (shoutout Vivek) showed me on the drive over to Costco a few days ago.

Majid Jordan is one of those artists I’ve only really listened to through other artists. He’s shown up on some of my favorite Drake songs, “Just Hold on We’re Goin’ Home” and “Summer’s Interlude” come to mind, but this is one of the first solo song’s I’ve listened to from him. This song, Violet, is a beautiful 7 minute song that, through long fluid repetitive lyrics and soft synth notes, asks the age old question “Am I worthy of love?”

My roommate described this song as a ‘sleeping song’, something he plays right before bed to soothe him into slumber. Long songs like this have that ability to lull you into the repetitive pattern and get lost in the notes. Listening to this song, you can’t help but sway your head as Majid serenades you into a trance. The slow subtle build up through the long verses into the pre-chorus, and then finally into the iconic chorus. As Majid describes his love his voice is transformed with the synth notes in the background to bring the listener into a dreamlike daze, and he sings “She’s got a better taste / more than a pretty face / tattoos around her waist / something you can’t erase.”

This chorus, repeated 3 or 4 times throughout the song, gets better after every listen. That last line, “something you can’t erase” hits so hard, you can’t tell if Majid is referring to the tattoos on the girl’s body or the girl stuck on his mind, just as this song is stuck in mine. The second half of the chorus reads “Where did we go wrong? I’m ready to move along / I’ve been around them all Baby I’m coming home” bringing the attention from the girl to the author, or even the listener. The author had relationships before, but nothing like this. Throughout the verses the author paints a picture of a character who’s asking for forgiveness, someone who doubts himself and his ability to treat this girl right, but is so deep in love that he’s willing to try and be better. When the chorus comes in, all that doubt leaves his mind as he sings about his love, ending with that line “Baby I’m coming home,” cementing his desire to be the man for her.

The repetition of this song adds a few layers as well. In my mind, every verse sounds like a reminder of those very real doubts in his head, and each chorus a declaration of love. Doubt and insecurity triumphed by love over and over again, until the end of the song, where Majid ends with his last declaration of love, repeating the chorus over and over again, with a vaguely spiritual haze over the whole song, it almost sounds like a prayer to me.

I highly recommend listening to this song, and the whole album Good People. The combination of Majid Al-Maskati’s beautiful voice and Jordan Ullman’s stunning production, Majid Jordan gives a synth dreamy escape to reality. Side Note, I did not know Majid Jordan was two people, they’re insanely talented, and I will for sure be relistening to all of their songs after I publish this blog.

Let me know how you guy’s are liking this format, I’m doing two posts a week and that’s been working really well for me. If you have songs that are on your mind please leave a comment down below and maybe I’ll review it soon! Thanks for reading, I’ll see y’all soon 🙂