Music Monday #52: This Is What The Truth Feels Like by Gwen Stefani

This list started with Gwen Stefani and 'Love Angel Music Baby' an album that ranks high in my music library.  I thought it would only be fitting to end this list where it began with another album by Gwen Stefani, this time 'This Is What the Truth Feels Like' which was released in 2016.  This album didn't do as well as LAMB but I think that it deserves much more love than it received. 

The quasi title track 'Truth' talks about being honest about your feelings and the liberation that is felt when you do.  The lyrics to the chorus "So this is what the truth feels like, This is more of what I had in mind, Yeah, this is what the truth feels like, And I'm feeling it, I'm feeling it, Something about this just feels so right, alright?" talks about that moment of revelation and liberation.  The song itself is a narrative composition telling the story of a lover that admits their desire for something more, to commit to a life together rather than just taking it one day at a time.

This doesn't always end well, moving too fast too soon can make everything fall apart, this is something I have experience of which is why the track 'Used To Love You' speaks so much.  The lyrics "I don't know why I cry, But I think it's cause I remembered for the first time, Since I hated you, That I used to love you" talks about the resentment and hatred you can feel for how things ended, the tempest that rages eventually gives way to clear skies and with that clarity you look back and feel emotion you allow yourself to feel for the first time once more that the reason you were so upset about it ending was because what you felt was real, that is the true moment of realisation of loss and the path to grieving and acceptance.

There are tracks on this album that feel as though they belonged on other albums released by Gwen, none exemplifies this feeling more than 'Naughty' which feels like it should have been part of 'The Sweet Escape' released in 2006 with its parallels to vibes of '4 In The Morning' and 'Yummy' from that album. 

I'd like to close off this list talking about one last track from this album.  'Rare' is a track that talks about recognising in others the qualities and the personality traits that are a rarity in the world.  I mentioned before in this series of posts that I have been lucky enough to meet some incredible people with one in particular in my mind this song articulates the sentiment I hold in my heart, "I am broken, I am insecure, Complicated, oh yeah, that's for sure, I feel worthless, I've been hurt so bad, I get nervous you won't love me back" these feelings don't surface as much as they used to thankfully, but in those moments of darkness, these words describe that feeling that takes hold, when you think of all those who love and care about you and you begin to doubt yourself so much that you doubt your perceptions and convince yourself that nothing is real, you convince yourself in those moments that you are worthless and nobody could ever truly love you.  Like I said these feelings don't surface as much in my life now thankfully.

This series of posts took a lot of effort to write but I enjoyed the journey that they took me through.  I set out to create a series of posts that would give a much deeper insight into my life and my mind and tell you more about my life story than the regular posts on this blog convey.  I think this series has managed to achieve that objective and maybe even in some cases it went beyond it and shared too much but every word was true and represents a reflection of who and what I am and how I got here.

We all live lives that take us through a maelstrom of emotions and a labyrinth of thoughts.  We need perspective in life and context to keep ourselves grounded, to be able to see beyond the here and now and know that times of trouble will pass and we will survive and that we will feel happiness again.  Focusing on that journey is what will keep you alive, as long as you keep moving along that path and remember to live then you will survive.  The night always gives way to day in the end, even in Tromsø the sun will rise again.