Back to December

“Maybe this is wishful thinking, probably mindless dreaming, but if we loved again, I swear I’d love you right. I’d go back in time and change it but I can’t. So if the chain is on your door I understand.” –Taylor Swift, Back To December

Penyanyi dan penulis lagu muda berbakat asal Amerika Serikat, Taylor Swift, merilis studio album ketiganya, “Speak Now”, pada tanggal 25 Oktober 2010. Lagu “Back To December” dirilis sebagai second lead single dari album ini pada tanggal 15 November 2010. Lagu ini ditulis liriknya dan diaransemen sendiri oleh Swift. Ia mengungkapkan bahwa ini adalah pertama kalinya ia meminta maaf kepada seseorang melalui sebuah lagu. How sweet! According to Swift, “Back to December” is an apology to a former lover in the form of a song, something that she has never done before. She continued, “I’ve never felt the need to apologize in a song before. But in the last two years I’ve experienced a lot, including a lot of different kinds of learning lessons. And sometimes you learn a lesson too late and at that point you need to apologize because you were careless.”

“Back To December” tells about regrets. Terkadang, tanpa kita sadari, kita sering menyia-nyiakan cinta yang datang kepada kita. Dan orang bilang, penyesalan selalu datang terlambat. Namun tidak pernah ada kata terlambat untuk sebuah permintaan maaf. “Back To December” tells about apologizing. Terkadang, kita tidak menyadari betapa indah dan berartinya sesuatu yang kita miliki, hingga sesuatu itu hilang dan pergi dari kita. Setelah itu, penyesalan datang kemudian. Penyesalan yang membuat kita ingin untuk memutar waktu. Sesuatu yang mustahil untuk dilakukan. Satu hal yang mungkin adalah memohon maaf. Maaf yang mungkin bisa memperbaiki segalanya. Maaf yang seharusnya dapat membuat keadaan menjadi lebih baik. Selalu ada pelajaran yang dapat kita ambil dari setiap kisah. Menyadari kesalahan kita sendiri, serta datang untuk meminta maaf, adalah satu bentuk kedewasaan dalam pembelajaran.

Jadi, bagi para pria, ketika seorang perempuan datang untuk meminta maaf kepadamu lebih dulu, ada baiknya bagi kalian untuk menemuinya, sekacau apapun dan seberantakan apapun keadaanmu pada saat itu, karena dengan mendatangimu saja ia sudah menurunkan harga dirinya hingga level terendah, apalagi untuk meminta maaf terlebih dahulu. Itu berarti kalian benar-benar sesuatu baginya. Itu berarti dia sungguh-sungguh menyayangimu. Temuilah, karena bersembunyi dari cinta tidak akan menuntunmu kemana-mana, kecuali kehampaan. Temuilah, karena lari dari cinta tidak akan membawamu kemana-mana, kecuali kesendirian.

Lagu country pop semi ballad ini menuai tanggapan positif dari para kritikus musik dunia. Stephen M. Deusner from The 9513 called the song “an elegant ballad full of orchestral swells, solemn guitars, and pleading lyrics”. Selain karena musikalitas Swift, lagu ini juga menuai pujian berkat liriknya yang indah dan dalam. Ryan Brockington from New York Post lauded the song, writing “it’s a very surprising, and somewhat brilliant, apology track where Taylor sings about wishing to fix a relationship she wished she wouldn't have ruined in the first place.” Sebuah music video (MV) ini ditayangkan secara perdana pada tanggal 13 Januari 2011, dengan Yoann Lemoine sebagai sutradara dan Guntars Asmanis sebagai model prianya. Selain sukses secara kritik, “Back To December” juga menuai sukses secara komersial. Indeed, this melancholy apology song is such an impressive and beautiful one. It successfully shows the truly feeling of sweet sorrow.

“But this is me swallowing my pride, standing in front of you, saying ‘I’m sorry for that night,’ and I go back to December. It turns out freedom ain’t nothing but missing you. Wishing I’d realize what I had when you were mine. I’d go back to December, turn around and make it all right. I’d go back to December, turn around and change my own mind. I go back to December all the time.” –Taylor Swift, Back To December

* Ditulis sambil mendengarkan lagu “Back To December” oleh Taylor Swift.

“I’m so glad you made time to see me, how’s life?

Tell me how’s your family, I haven’t seen them in a while
You’ve been good, busier than ever, we small talk

Work and the weather, your guard is up and I know why
Because the last time you saw me is still burned in the back of your mind
You gave me roses and I left them there to die

So this is me swallowing my pride
Standing in front of you, saying “I’m sorry for that night,”
And I go back to December all the time
It turns out freedom ain’t nothing but missing you
Wishing I’d realized what I had when you were mine
I’d go back to December, turn around and make it all right
I go back to December all the time

These days I haven’t been sleeping, staying up

Playing back myself leaving, when your birthday passed and I didn’t call

And I think about summer, all the beautiful times

I watched you laughing from the passenger side, realized that I loved you in the fall
And then the cold came, the dark days when fear crept into my mind
You gave me all your love and all I gave you was, “Goodbye”

So this is me swallowing my pride
Standing in front of you, saying “I’m sorry for that night,”
And I go back to December all the time
It turns out freedom ain’t nothing but missing you
Wishing I’d realized what I had when you were mine
I’d go back to December, turn around and change my own mind
I go back to December all the time

I miss your tanned skin, your sweet smile, so good to me, so right
And how you held me in your arms that September night
The first time you ever saw me cry
Maybe this is wishful thinking, probably mindless dreaming
But if we loved again, I swear I’d love you right
I’d go back in time and change it but I can’t
So if the chain is on your door, I understand

But this is me swallowing my pride
Standing in front of you, saying “I’m sorry for that night,”
And I go back to December
It turns out freedom ain’t nothing but missing you
Wishing I’d realize what I had when you were mine
I’d go back to December, turn around and make it all right
I’d go back to December, turn around and change my own mind
I go back to December all the time, all the time”