Original publication date: 2024 March 15
V explored two possibilities or two narratives: one where he goes through life alone and the other with someone else. Both ended the same way — with him getting run over by a car.
Death was not a certainty; after all, the ending clearly showed him confronting himself.
By using the same elements in the first half and the second half of the music video — from casting to location and shots — he communicated that these are the same situations; the difference lies in the conditions of the humans.
To me, it demonstrated how we can always do things differently. Every moment is the first moment of the rest of our lives. There are some things we can control, and that includes death, but it’s the journey that counts. In that sense, we can say the way things are unfolding is the way things are supposed to become. There is no unfinished business. Every moment is a fulfillment of our potential — if we choose it to be.
It’s all we can do — make the journey count.
YOUR EMOTIONS CAN CHANGE YOUR PERCEPTION OF REALITY
In the first half, his solitude makes him feel like the world is ganging up on him — everyone has what he doesn’t have. We all feel that way sometimes.
I get the sense that what he sees is not entirely grounded in reality because everything is exaggerated, larger than life, over the top — from the cashier at the store making out to two bus drivers driving the same vehicle.
In the second half, having a partner makes him feel high — so grand and so fortunate that he doesn’t think everyone pales in comparison. Again, it’s the exaggerated scenarios that cause me to think it’s more his perception than actual reality.
It’s an accurate depiction of how our emotions can change our perception of reality — how easily we can cope or dip.
IN THE END, IT’S YOU WHO NEEDS TO LIVE WITH YOURSELF
While relationships are important, solitude is just as necessary. At the end of the day, we need to live with ourselves.
I have thought about other possible meanings of this. It could be himself coming back to warn himself of the accident. It could be that there are two perfectly parallel lives being lived and experienced — the multiverse, in other words. It could also mean this is just the first of a series of releases that will complete a story and many others.
Of course, those are possibilities, especially because he actually conversed with himself in the end.
I just feel that, like most of how the guy sees his world based on his emotions, him finally confronting himself — who he really is, independent of a relationship or the lack of it — is more likely
SAME THING, DIFFERENT MEANING
The first and second halves are locked almost frame by frame, but it’s obvious that the two communicated different meanings and different emotions.
The bus carried him to misery in the first half, but in the second half, the bus was a memorable journey.
The bed was the fullness of his solitude in the first half and the beginning of a bright day in the second.
Even the accident took on a different meaning — it was the end of his suffering in the first half and the end of his happiness in the second.
This is what happens when cinematography works perfectly with scriptwriting.
PROGRESSION OF THE NARRATIVE
V’s first album was meant to tell a complete story. It allowed him the luxury of zeroing in on a single part of a story in each song.
This song, being a standalone release, told a complete story in one song.
In the first half of the song, the guy talks about spending time with a girl who is trying to friendzone him before progressing to expressing how he doesn’t think they can stay the way they are because the connection is just way too intense.
In the second half of the song, the guy laments the inevitability of coming together romantically and the risk they are taking.
“Once we cross the line, there’s no denying you and I can never turn around,” he said. However, he insists that they are meant to be together.
ONE VERSE IS ONE LONG SENTENCE
“You can feel the rush, the unstoppable force of love, not just in the words but in the line breaks themselves.”
In the second half of the song — the part where he is convincing the girl that they should be together — you can feel the rush, the unstoppable force of love, not just in the words but in the way they structure the line breaks.
One verse seems to always be just one thought.
Yeah, but friends don’t say words that
Make friends feel like more than just
Friends.
This whole bit is one complete thought, broken into three lines. It makes you feel the urgency that he feels in convincing the girl it’s time for them to cross the line.
THE VERSATILITY OF V’S VOICE
We first got a taste of the range of V’s voice in “Stigma.” The falsetto he pulls off in the live performances — that sounds even better than the recorded version — proved that he has more to give.
‘Layover’, however, didn’t need him to belt. This song, however, gave him a chance to show his ability to do vocal riffs and runs.
This really gives him a new dimension as an artist and offers a clue to what he can really do as a vocalist. While his baritone makes him a perfect match for chill songs, he has a range that could cover more genres.
A DRAMEDY
Both the song and music video tread a fine line between comedy and drama — between a love song and one of reflection. It’s both light and heavy, and it’s very much V.
In one song, he managed to emphasize the importance of taking risks — because how else are we going to progress? — but also the importance of accepting the inevitability of life and how it can destroy us sometimes.
Watching the MV, I couldn’t help but smile because I can relate. There have been times when the world seemed to play tricks on me, surrounding me with couples — happy and preppy — but I’ve also been on the other side, happy with someone while watching others miserable.
And almost every day, life humbles me with its power as it continues to happen, derailing my plans. It’s tragic in its purest form — but just like V in the MV, it’s all just a matter of perspective. You do need to find the funny in order to move on.
