This single is dark, so very dark, although given the subject the song tackles this isn’t surprising – it addresses the subject of coping with the grief of losing someone close. The arrangement is appropriately sparse and the vocals are so full of feeling, it’s almost too much, the sense of grief is oh so heavy.
The lyrics of this song are simple but convey the feeling of grief, of losing someone important to you, so effectively. And although clearly this is very much a personal song, it’s something so many of us can relate to. The words and the meaning are universal and incredibly moving.
There’s a sense of tribute here, the song has something of the feel of a eulogy. Musically there is a beauty in the arrangement, an appropriately understated beauty. It’s those two things that work together to make it so emotionally effective.
Reviewing something like this is difficult, I found myself thinking of the passing of people close and important to me, maintaining any sense of objective perspective is virtually impossible as a result. Given that there may be people listening to it who haven’t experienced that, the test is ‘does it convey the feelings of a person experiencing that?’ The answer to that is very definitely yes.
Although it may seem strange to describe this as beautiful, that’s what it is.
‘Stuck’ is available to buy on 7” turquoise vinyl here
The info
‘Stuck’ was written after the passing of LELO’s grandfather, and addresses the subject of coping with the grief of losing someone close. For the music video, an invitation went out to various friends and acquaintances, each of which were asked a simple question: “If you could say something to a person you have lost, what would that message be?”. Each participant is filmed in turn, writing their message and holding it up to the camera. The result is a thought provoking piece of film that leaves a lasting impression.
Speaking about the song, LELO says: “Stuck is a song that I had wanted to write for quite a while. It’s great to find inspiration for songs in things that are out of the ordinary, but sometimes something happens to you and you just have to write about it for your own sake, no matter how many times it might’ve been done before. I wrote the song 6 months after my grandad had passed away. It was the first time I’d really experienced losing somebody I was close with. It remains the most important song I have ever written”.
