November Rain
Saturday, November 01, 2014
“When
I look into your eyes, I can see a love restrained. But darling when I hold
you, don’t you know I feel the same? ‘Cause nothing lasts forever, and we both
know hearts can change. And it’s hard to hold a candle in the cold November
rain.” –Guns N’ Roses, November
Rain
Hello,
Readers! I proudly welcome you all to one of my favorite months, November. Why
do I love November? Because in my country, Indonesia, it’s the month of my
favorite season; rainy season (yeayyy! We’re getting ready to get wet in
here!). Therefore, inspired by my favorite season, and also my all-time
favorite song, this month’s theme in this blog is “rain”. Yup, it’s “November
Rain”. And as the opening post of this rainy month, I will write a review about
the one and only song, “November Rain”, by Guns N’ Roses. Well, I hope you all
can enjoy this month of rain with me. Stay healthy and don’t catch a flu! ^^
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| "November Rain" single cover by Guns N' Roses - source: en.wikipedia .org |
“November
Rain”, a rock ballad song by the American rock band Guns N’ Roses (GnR), is a
song that like a time machine for me. It has the power to bring me back in
time; to reminisce every memorable moment of my life and how I’ve been living
this far. It was released as a single on 18th February 1992 in United Kingdom
and also on June 2nd 1992 in United States, and it was also appeared as a part
of GnR’s third studio album, “Use Your Illusion I”, which was released on
September 17th 1991. Written by GnR’s lead singer, Axl Rose, “November Rain” is
one of their longest songs. It peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot
100 chart, making it the longest song in history to enter the top ten of the
chart.
The
lyrics of this song is so philosophical; which is why I love it so much. It’s
the main power of this song, and it got me so at some points. More than just
any average love song, this is a song about life. That life is just a bunch of
phases. And every phase, will eventually pass. Like a rain in the November,
nothing lasts forever. There are some things I want to pin from the lyrics.
First, about rain. Rain is indeed a magical thing that has the power to make
people reminisce, somehow, about their past days, about all the time and events
that people have been through. I guess this is why GnR used “rain” as a term to
describe what event of life is like. Like a rain pouring down from the sky,
memories are flowing down in our thoughts. Like a rain passing away at some
places, events of life are passing away in our times.
Second,
about love and relationship. We both know hearts can change, and it’s hard to
hold a candle in the cold November rain. That part is got me so. Eyes and hugs,
are two things that can express love the most. And when we love someone, even
though we can’t say it through words, those two things can express it, even
better than any words could. When we love someone, even though we can’t promise
them forever, we want that person to know that we love them now. Now is more
than enough for us, the mortal human being. “When
I look into your eyes, I can see a love restrained. But darling when I hold
you, don’t you know I feel the same? ‘Cause nothing lasts forever, and we both
know hearts can change. And it’s hard to hold a candle in the cold November
rain.”
For
people in a long term relationship, there must be ups and downs in it. So if
you want to love me, then don’t refrain, or I’ll just end up walking in the
cold November rain. This part is got me so. When we are committed in a
relationship, there’s no reason to back out just because everything seems so
hard at this moment. Even though the future still seems so unclear, all we have
to do is working it out. Love is protecting, not giving up. Love is struggling
in both ways, not just in one way. So if you want the relationship to work out,
we should work it out together. “We’ve
been through this such a long long time, just trying to kill the pain. But
lovers always come and lovers always go, and no one’s really sure who’s letting
go today, walking away. If we could take the time to lay it on the line, I
could rest my head just knowing that you were mine, all mine. So if you want to
love me, then darling don’t refrain, or I’ll just end up walking in the cold
November rain.”
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| "Use Your Illusion I" album cover by Guns N' Roses - source: en.wikipedia.org |
Third,
about loneliness and broken heart. Even people who are in love must have some
times when they feel lonely. Even people who are in a relationship must have
some times when they feel like being alone. Nobody want to be lonely, but
everybody needs to be alone. In solitude, people find themselves; what they
really want and need, their purposes, and who they really are. “Do you need some time on your own? Do you
need some time all alone? Everybody needs some time on their own, don’t you
know you need some time all alone?” In solitude, people are reflecting.
This way, they can make decision on what they will do next with the love and
relationship. “Sometimes I need some time
on my own, sometimes I need some time all alone. Everybody needs some time on
their own, don’t you know you need some time all alone.”
For
people in love, there must be some times when they have their heart broken. “I know it’s hard to keep an open heart,
when even friends seem out to harm you. But if you could heal a broken heart,
wouldn’t time be out to charm you?” This part is got me so. It’s my
favorite part. It’s hard to keep an open heart, when even friends seem out to
harm you. If you could heal a broken heart, then time would be out to charm
you. Those sentences are masterpiece. Indeed, it’s hard to open up our hearts
to someone when we’ve been hurt so deep. However, if we could get through the
broken heart, time would calm us down. It doesn’t heal, but it will make
everything better. At least, we are getting used with the pain.
Last
but not least, about life, and fears in life. So never mind the darkness, we
still can find a way, ‘cause nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain.
This part is got me so. “And when your
fears subside, and shadows still remain, I know that you can love me when
there’s no one left to blame. So never mind the darkness, we still can find a
way, ‘cause nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain.” Even though
happiness could disappear in a blink of an eye, so is sadness. So don’t get too
high when you’re happy, and don’t go too low when you’re sad. Nothing lasts
forever, neither happiness nor sadness. “Don’t
you think that you need somebody? Don’t you think that you need someone?
Everybody needs somebody, you’re not the only one.”
There
are ups and downs in life, there are problems in every relationship. This song
is about someone who convinces his/her lover to stay strong and hold on even
though the storm (menyerang) their relationship. Everybody needs time to be
alone, but eventually, everybody needs somebody to be by their side at the end
of the day. Because nothing lasts forever, so as a human, we can only cherish
every moment, face the problem and deal with it, work it out together. As long
as love is still there, then breaking up is not the way out. As long as we
still believe, then everything will be worth fighting for.
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| The gorgeous Stephanie Seymour, with the genius musician Axl Rose, in "November Rain" music video - source: showbizgeek.com |
“November
Rain” has every aspect of a song that can’t help but falling in love with. The
music video (MV) is a masterpiece. Directed by Andrew “Andy” Morahan, it’s
stated that the narrative quality of the MV accentuated the epic nature of the
song. It even won an MTV Video Music Awards for the Best Cinematography. As the
one of most expensive music videos ever, I can say that the budget are worth it
all. It’s epic! It’s the most memorable MV ever from my childhood. The most
memorable thing is the one and only Stephanie Seymour, the model of the MV and
also Axl Rose’s then-girlfriend. Her wedding dress is sooo lovely (and I really
wish that I could have a dress like that on my wedding day)! About the story,
what more can I say? It’s amazing. The twist is just so unpredictable yet
heartbreaking, which makes it more memorable for me. For a note, the MV’s story
is based on the short story written by Del James, titled “Without You”.
The
melody of “November Rain”, hhh, nothing more I can say but; masterpiece. It’s
incorporating classical orchestra music with rock sound, making it a subtle
heartwrenching rock ballad. I love the intro part, and of course, Slash solo
guitar part is the most outstanding one (with his cigarette and everything). Overall, this song is satisfying all
of my whole senses. That’s why I choose it as the all-time most favorite song. Somehow,
it has the power to cheer me up whenever I feel down, but at the same time, it
also calms me down whenever I feel frustated. It gives me strength to move on.
And I hope, as much as this song affects me, it could affect you too in the
same good way. So, never mind the darkness, we still can find a way. Nothing
lasts forever, even cold November rain.
“I
know it’s hard to keep an open heart, when even friends seem out to harm you.
But if you could heal a broken heart, wouldn’t time be out to charm you?”
–Guns N’ Roses, November Rain
“When
I look into your eyes, I can see a love restrained
But
darling when I hold you, don’t you know I feel the same?
‘Cause
nothing lasts forever, and we both know hearts can change
And
it’s hard to hold a candle in the cold November rain
We’ve
been through this such a long long time, just trying to kill the pain
But
lovers always come and lovers always go
And
no one’s really sure who’s letting go today, walking away
If
we could take the time to lay it on the line
I
could rest my head just knowing that you were mine, all mine
So
if you want to love me, then darling don’t refrain
Or
I’ll just end up walking in the cold November rain
Do
you need some time on your own? Do you need some time all alone?
Everybody
needs some time on their own, don’t you know you need some time all alone?
I
know it’s hard to keep an open heart, when even friends seem out to harm you
But
if you could heal a broken heart, wouldn’t time be out to charm you?
Sometimes
I need some time on my own, sometimes I need some time all alone
Everybody
needs some time on their own, don’t you know you need some time all alone
And
when your fears subside, and shadows still remain
I
know that you can love me when there’s no one left to blame
So
never mind the darkness, we still can find a way
‘Cause
nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain
Don’t
you think that you need somebody? Don’t you think that you need someone?
Everybody
needs somebody, you’re not the only one”
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