Burwell - Be My Melody
I know that I’ve already sung praises to Burwell here before and I may well sound like a broken record at some point in this review but if I keep getting sent music that I love, I’m going to keep singing praises!
If you’re looking for a sweet and slumbering song to get you through those secluded winter days, you simply must check out ‘Be My Melody’ by Burwell. Originally written as a wedding song, this piece can definitely be enjoyed beyond the vaulted chambers of churches. When I said I will continue to sing praise, I meant to the musician. Perfect for walking down the aisle, signing the registry and/or that first dance, ‘Be My Melody’ is beautifully crafted…and it kind of sounds like it was recorded in a lofty church, with the intense reverb echoing to my ears.
Clearly a song of hope and lasting love, it is evident that Burwell does not write music by half-measures, no matter that this piece comes from The Tide Rose, Burwell’s folk duo with fellow musician, Keilan Creech. There is a weight to this song, however ethereal it may seem, that sits heavily in one’s heart as Burwell and Creech pull those coronary strings. Gorgeous harmonies, simple but powerful lyrics and a relatively jovial guitar paint a picture of love, elevated to such company as the great romances of old. Bugger off, Mr. Darcy, and Romeo: you and Juliet take the backseat. It’s time for Burwell to take the wheel.
To the details here, I must say that I’m not typically a fan of synthetic ambience when there could just as simply be a heartwarming or wrenching track without being lulled into an almost dreamlike state. That being said, such ambience really does work in this track alongside the heavy reverb. We are meant to enter into that stuff dreams are made of here. This is not just love, it is the love we have yearned for; the love we’ve “been waiting” for. “A love to sing about”.
This is why the harmony is so important here. If just one person sang this, it may easily be taken as a song of unrequited love. With the harmony, we are able to make the connection that true love has been found and reciprocated and we discover, together, that even in moments where “words are escaping” and “ahhs” and “ooohs” must take their place, there is a true power in this kind of, at the risk of being too damned cliched, “true love”.
I love so very much those moments beyond words, and I have to say that, in terms of the writing, my favourite part is the very end where Burwell leaves us hanging by simply singing, “Be my…” and allowing the guitar to finish the melody that would actually deliver the very word “melody”. This is beautifully done as it leaves the listener to complete the lyric, thereby connecting through the music the very idea of such a love and the power it has.
Whether for those weathered winter nights or for those brightest of sun-shiny days, ‘Be My Melody’ is a beautiful song for those who need that hope to cling to in love, and for those who have connected with the right someone through love.
