Song of the Week #9: "Borealis" by Madeon
Back in 2017, I published a series of blog posts that discussed one song every week. I had eight of these "Song of the Week" posts until I lost interest. I would like to resume the series.
Song of the Week #9 is "Borealis" by Madeon.
Released in 2019, "Borealis" is the last song on the Good Faith album. In my view, it is the spiritual successor to the landmark song "Shelter" by Madeon and Porter Robinson. I wrote about "Shelter" on this blog in May 2017.
[Verse 1]
A light from dark,
In a land by the sea,
Came from the sky.
You'll be named after me.
I discovered "Shelter" at a particularly timely moment in my life: when I was just about to leave my parents' house for the first time to attend college thousands of miles away. Whereas "Shelter" was a song about expressing appreciation for one's parents, "Borealis" is something of a reply from the parent to the child, who is named after the parent. This world contains a fair amount of darkness, but the love between parent and child is a light in that darkness, just like the aurora borealis (the northern lights).
The official lyrics to the song have the last line of the first verse in the future tense: "You'll be named after me." In that sense, "Borealis" might be better described as a spiritual prequel to "Shelter". It is somewhat difficult, however, to discern the line in the future tense—I often hear the line instead in the present tense as, "You're named after me."
[Chorus]
But you'll be made of passion,
Out of love.
Keep us alive up above.
And I won't make a plan for who you'll be.
You'll be named after me.
As "Shelter" also points out, your parents will not be with you forever. The parent in "Borealis" encourages his children to keep their parents alive "up above", perhaps in heaven. The parent has no predefined plan for the course of his child's life: he deliberately gives his child the freedom to decide for themselves who they'll be. The second verse expands on these ideas.
[Verse 2]
You can be someone
I could never have been.
When I'm said and done,
You'll be there after me.
I feel that the chorus of "Shelter" is the perfect response to "Borealis". There, the child makes a promise to his parents: "It's a long way forward, so trust in me. I'll give them shelter live you've done for me, and I know I'm not alone. You'll be watching over us until you're gone." The child, now older and having children of his own, promises his parents that he will love his children and carry on their spirit on this planet.
[Chorus]
But you'll be made of passion,
Out of love.
Keep us alive up above.
And I won't make a plan for who you'll be.
You'll be named after me.
Just like "Shelter", "Borealis" is a song about parents, but from a different perspective. "Borealis" is a song written for one's future children, and "Shelter" is a song written for one's parents after having children of one's own. Despite having a duration of just under five minutes, "Borealis" is a relatively simple song in terms of lyrics. Nevertheless, it is masterfully evocative and is the perfect conclusion to a monumental album within Madeon's career.