Steemit Recordpool: Poignant Reflections on Infidelity in "Promise" by Kaskade
I first got drawn into this song by the way K.Flay says "Promise Oooooooh" in the chorus. Something feels so satisfying about that. After listening multiple times I began to really appreciate the way she paints this melancholy picture of solitariness with her lyrics. It also seems to explore and embrace the emotions of a taboo subject that people shy away from.
She starts off with vivid, lonesome imagery. I think we've all been wandering drunk somewhere late at night, or maybe just walking alone in your thoughts on a cool evening
3 am and no one around
All the shops are closed and I'm close to passing out
Got a place I oughtta be
And someone who's missing me
But my mind, no, my mind can't get out
After she sets the stage, she sings like she's been dealing with a situation where she loves someone, but he's with another girl and its weighing on her mind. It seems like they've gotten together regardless of the fact he's with someone else. She has real feelings for him, and knows that's a bad thing that she shouldn't acknowledge or publicize. But she begrudgingly accepts that she can't be his alone for whatever reason. She feels that all she can do is ask for this "promise" that he will keep her in his mind when he's with the girlfriend.
I know I'm not supposed to think
But I got it bad, bad, bad
I know I'm not supposed to say it
I know we can never be
But I want it bad, bad, bad
Promise when you're with her that you're picturing me
That it's all you can do
That I'm all you can see
Promise when I'm with him that I'm picturing you
And when you're loving her
Promise that you're loving me, too
I just feel her yearning and desperation. It's kind of sad, but I love how vulnerable she is making herself so people can empathize. I think it struck me so hard because a few years ago when I first listened, I was going through the exact same thing with a girl. I was really into her and she was into me - but not as much. Because there was that imbalance I didn't want to overwhelm her and come off as clingy, I wanted things to run their course and see if we were right for each other. I never asked for a "promise" like the singer did but I was hoping that I was anywhere near as on her mind as she was on mine. Wanting to be with someone you can't be with has been a motif in songwriting for ages, but this song is unique because you don't always see it in dance music. I typically prefer my songs straight beats no lyrics, but this one is a shining exception.
I think the greatest songwriters of today are ones that can tell the audience a story that has little controversial elements in it which highlight how life is three-dimensional, not two. It wouldn't be as interesting it things were just black and white. Life is complicated and full of uncertainties, and when it's genuinely reflected like that in song, it's one of the most beautiful things.
I have a hard time getting into Kaskade's newer stuff but I'm glad he collaborated with K.Flay and blessed us with this gem. You can't beat his immortal 2000's rave classics like Move For Me, Angel On My Shoulder, and one of my all time favorite songs I Remember. The song is below steemit, hope you enjoy it too.
Kaskade - Promise ft K.Flay
Always had a hard time getting into Kaskade, but he knows how to produce a vocal. Don't mind this at all and I appreciate the deep dive on the lyrical meaning for you. Makes me wish I still had a copy of my high school english final where I wrote 6 pages on the lyrical meaning to Underworld's Born Slippy (essentially arguing the dropping of the repetition of the word boy represented a slide into the consequences of adulthood). K. Flay's singing on this instantly got Dennis Ferrer's Hey Hey stuck in my head. Very similar vocal inflections.
Yeaaaa there's a lot of similarities there! This is a really interesting song, I like the shifting structures, he really changes the vibe up on you constantly. Thanks for sharing this is awesome
Yea Kaskade doesn't always adapt to everyone's taste. I gotta be in the right mood for it myself. But he's suuuuuuuper popular down here in southern California it's like if you listen to dance music down here - you had a kaskade phase at one point.
One of the downsides of being a fan of this stuff prior to the rise of EDM is that there is a small group of artists that you really enjoyed at a certain space in time that feel like a completely different artist now and while I don't want to throw out sellout like some teenager who doesn't understand that artists grow and change over time, it is really hard for me to separate the musician that I originally liked from what they sound like now. Kaskade is one of those few artists that fall under that. I got into him with some of the early releases on OM and Naked, but the more he got drawn into the EDM sphere the more I just kind of wanted my old Kaskade back. It's a weird relationship with an artist, but I will say he does EDM with more depth and nuance than 99% of his contemporaries.
I totally agree. I don't like stamping the label sellout either, you gotta appreciate the growth. A group that I'm experiencing that same thing with is Above and Beyond. I love going back to their early Anjunabeats Vol. series and see the shit they used to spin on Anjuna, and I think their new stuff is such a different, softer approach but they've volved as artists. But dang I miss the old shit. Made me think of flying through space and different dimensions while the new stuff seems grounded in the Earthly world.
But for Kaskade even I started listening to him around that late 2000's era so I consider that "old" kaskade. But I came across his first LP with "What I Say" and "Meditation To Groove" and i was like FUCK. this is amazing and he sounded so different back then but that might be my favorite overall sound by him.