Twenty-two year old singer-songwriter and guitarist ‘Snail Mail’, otherwise known as Lindsey Jordan, released the widely anticipated album “Valentine” Friday.
The album features singles like “Madonna,” which sets a stong tone for the rest of the tracks. Jordan describes “Madonna” as an explanation for “why love can’t exist between a person and a concept of a person,” a concept that hits close to home for Jordan and many others.
Analyzing some of the lyrics behind this track gives listeners a look into what can be expected from the rest of the album.
“Madonna” is a more modern approach to unrequited love, when you are far more into the person than they are into you. With lyrics like “I consecrate my life to kneeling at your altar / My second sin of seven being wanting more,” Jordan paints a relatable picture of the desire for more attention from the one person that runs around our minds’ all day, rent free.
Similar to being stuck between a rock and hard place because you need that sense of mystery and longing, but you do not want to seem desperate nor to scare them away.
Jordan’s unpolished vocals on the song allow for a certain sense of desirous resentment. All the while the song is invigorating and comforting to hear lyrics that the youth population can undoubtedly agree with, especially in the age of mass online communication forums.
The song shows that the aftermath of a relationship can be messy. Jordan touches on this notion towards the end of Madonna as she methodically hums “Our love’s a sickness, baby / Of holding on tight, I don’t know why / I’ve come to hate my body / Now it’s not yours, now it’s not mine.” Such drama.
The full album dropped Nov. 5, so you can listen to other tracks off “Valentine” and “Ben Franklin.” You can also view Snail Mail’s performance of “Madonna,” which was shot at The Armour-Stiner Octagon House in Irvington, New York.
Snail Mail will be visiting Madison’s Majestic Theatre on 12/8, tickets are on sale now.
