To say I love the song, “Pieces'' by Alejandro Aranda is an understatement. I remember having a similar feeling when I heard the first few notes of “Return to Sender'' almost 3 years ago and immediately felt chills throughout my body. Maybe it’s because I already knew what to expect from the snippet he posted on his Instagram and I was so excited to hear the rest of the song. Whatever the reason is, my favorite artist is back releasing new music after taking a one and a half year hiatus. A lot has happened since then, mainly Alejandro left Hollywood Records and became an independent artist. He also doesn’t go by his moniker anymore but in fact, decided to use his real name so he can “bring more of himself into everything” instead of hiding behind the facade of Scarypoolparty. Perhaps he realized it’s time for him to make some changes that would benefit his career in the long run.
“Pieces” is a song about heartbreak; a gut-wrenching feeling that everyone has felt at one time or another. He loves her and cannot let her go. He loves her even though she broke his heart in pieces. Why? Perhaps she’s a narcissist. Perhaps she cheated on him. Whatever the reason, he is unable to walk away from her because he loves her so deeply despite the fact that she hurt him. The lyrics, “I can’t live without you by my side. I’m losing my heart and all my soul. I can’t seem to ever let you go” describes the angst and hurt he feels when he knows it’s time to let go but is having much difficulty doing so.
I was surprised at how upbeat the melody is. I notice the synth, his guitar and many layers of sounds. The layers really make the song complex and therefore, is a new sound I have not heard from him yet. There are certain points in the song that the melody feels haunting. His voice is ethereal, almost in a dream-like state. Listening to this song with headphones is a must because there are so many nuances in the song. On the left side of my headphones, I hear the steady sound of his guitar that is signature Alejandro while the other side has all of the other sounds. Then the sounds all blend together and then I hear the guitar on the right side of my headphone. This happens throughout the song. This play with the sounds is an immersive experience and elevates the song in so many ways. It’s ironic that the melody and lyrics of the song are in fact, a juxtaposition. You have a sad song about heartbreak but yet you can certainly bop along to the music. Some fans may not enjoy that but for me, that is one of the pleasant surprises I found in the song. I wasn’t sure how he did it without messing up the song entirely, but somehow it works and that is one of the most amazing things about Alejandro. He is able to combine different sounds and make them mold all together so beautifully into one song. I have always said that is one of Alejandro’s precious gifts. He has an ear for music and is able to draw inspiration from any type of music he listens to from John Mayer to Code Orange to Bach to Aphex Twin to Rage Against the Machine to Dua Lipa to Billie Eilish…. His creativity is truly limitless.
I notice the way Alejandro sings the line, “1000 miles still to go” meaning it’s taking a really long time to get over her and has essentially become an endless pilgrimage. That is the only line in the song that he sings in a lower register which I thought was a nice twist in the song. Alejandro likes to change things up and of course, it goes along with the fact that he creates and produces songs in many genres. I also notice that after the first verse, there is a silent pause and then you hear a “snap” which then quickly goes into the chorus. That build-up of suspense is brilliant and it adds a touch of excitement to the song. I agree with Sarah Hoffman when she said that perhaps the snap signifies falling in love again with a narcissist “in a snap” because you keep falling for him/her over and over again so quickly. “We’re running in circles all the time. But I feel like it’s in my mind. I swear that I fall for you every time.” Or perhaps the snap means that she broke his heart “in a snap” but for him, it’s something that will take a long time to heal and he feels like he will never get over her.
The video brings the lyrics to life as do many music videos. As he is singing about heartbreak, we see an AI generated Alejandro, singing on the beach playing his guitar. The color red is all around him including the ocean. Perhaps the red water signifies blood or flames, both of which may mean war, seduction and warning; words that describe their toxic relationship. We also see a city skyline beyond the ocean and there are flashes of the galaxy within the video. These different worlds perhaps signify the worlds in their relationship. It has been said through hearsay that perhaps the video has elements from the movie, Oppenheimer (which was released the same day that Alejandro’s video was released). I also see art embedded in the video that reminds me of Salvadore Dali’s surrealism artwork. Knowing that Alejandro’s music is inspired and influenced by many artists, there is no surprise that Dali’s work (whose themes include dreams, religion and science) is an inspiration to the video.
At one point in the video, Alejandro faces the ocean and the letters “onu” flash on the back of his jacket. According to Urban Dictionary, it is used as a non-professional shorthand for the term, “of no use.” Perhaps at that point, he’s realized that there’s no use thinking about her anymore because she will never come back and the relationship is over. He is of no use to her anymore because she doesn’t love him. At the end of the video, he makes a heart with his hands. The heart is lit and then it quickly flashes and becomes dark as he walks away. He convinces himself that it’s over and he is finally ready to move on.
My hope is for Alejandro to continue to surprise his fans with his vast musical abilities and not be afraid to try new things, even things that may completely oppose each other. Yes, he does make music to please his fans so they continue to support him and his music but he should not compromise himself and lose focus with what’s really important to him… and that is to be an artist and create any kind of music he’s inspired to make. He mentioned that he’s going to release a lot more music (he’s written 400 songs in the span of 3 years to be exact) and I’m so excited to see what’s to come in this next chapter of Alejandro’s beautiful musical world.
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