JCHReview: Miranda Lambert - Dead Flowers
April 17th 2009 23:41
In country music, it is common to hear stories of a love ending in heartbreak and tragedy or simply two lovers growing apart overtime and eventually reaching some form of coda. Lambert explores a relationship that has not reached its end but instead sits there, going through the motions, existing but depleted.
The verses in the track illustrate images of defeated symbols including dead flowers “I feel like flowers in the vase/He just brought them home one day, “ain’t they beautiful” he said/They’ve been here in the kitchen and they water’s turning grey/They’re sitting in the vase but now they’re dead” and burnt out Christmas lights, “They lit up our house on Christmas Day/But now it’s January and the bulbs have all burnt out/But they still hang”. Within the opening verses, the narrator finds symmetry in these images and the vacant relationship.
However, as the second verse progresses into the chorus, it becomes apparent that the emotive verses fail to meld comfortably into the chorus, sounding slightly awkward as the sullen subject content is coupled with an upbeat arrangement and weakened melody (which in the past has often been regarded as one of Lambert’s strengths).
“Dead Flowers” arrives at a standstill as the sullen heartrending verses become over-ridden by the unbefitting energetic chorus. However, the poised delivery as well as restrained vocal on this track have the makings of impending brilliancy, reflecting Lambert aging as a songwriter, vocalist and artist in a positive course.
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