Stargazing by Myles Smith is a beautiful and touching treatise on the ease and difficulty of love. The song goes into that moody, romantic, ‘remember when’ ‘in love’ side of romance and Smith’s lyrics make it so personal and you think of that person you love. Lust, thankfulness, reincarnation, all very common subjects in this song.
The lyricism and emotion felt vaguely familiar, yet intense. ‘Time froze up, like a photo’ goes the opening line, and in that, an eternity, and the moment, the space between two people. The song speaks of discovering love that was ‘always there’ and of rebuilding that love with a passion that was missing. Lyrics like ‘Take my heart, don’t break it Love me to my bones’ express vulnerability, a request for confidence and sexual monogamy that adds a layer of emotional power to the song. Smith’s words are idealistic but they appeal to anyone who has felt an uncommunicated intimacy. For a person who enjoys ballads of the heart, these lyrics may resonate.
Musically, ‘Stargazing’ is a warm, drowsy tune, with dreamy, lovelorn lyrics. It’s easy to dismiss the arrangement as simplistic, but the manner in which Smith’s voice undercuts itself against the breezy instrumentation means that the lyrics never get lost. Song is sort of pop/indie, catchy melodies with an emo core that is really easy to love if you’re the type of person who listens to slow, thoughtful songs. There is room in this format for lyric to be heard, and Smith insists on the word being heard.
The lyrics are somewhat repetitive and the whole true love stuff is just repeated over and over in the chorus. This could read like a bit of circular reasoning to some ears, but, for those who prefer a mantra in their music, the trick works. This model is a kind of reassurance for me, a kind of reassurance of the idea that love can survive in the midst of distraction and lost moments.
‘The single chords of the song only make it more intimate, lyrics pouring out without battering the listener with complex rhythms and textures. This imbues ‘Stargazing’ with a certain sonic cleanliness and, in conjunction with Smith’s velvet tone, allows the song’s lyricism to return to the fore. If you’re looking to learn a simple but expressive piece, the chords of “Stargazing” would be enjoyable to play.
As for where it is in Smith’s catalogue, ‘Stargazing’ came out on [if known, insert release date]. Whether it’s a single from a larger album is unclear, but the song works as a single, through its accessible subject and minimalist structure. The sound is clean, indie-pop, for the love-song listener who doesn’t want it to sound too artificial.
There is one thing I’d like to see more of, though, and that is variation in the lyrics. The chorus, repeated several times, has an inviting familiarity to it, so does the pre-chorus, but a lack of lyrical variation might have some wishing for some indication of a story or progression. Even so, if you enjoy songs with steady, hypnotic repetitions, ‘Stargazing’ might be for you.
‘Stargazing’ by Myles Smith is just, frankly, a love song about the love that doesn’t die. It doesn’t have an epic plot, or epic instrumental climax, but what is it about it, it’s a moment between two people, two, two people who know each other very well, and are comfortable with each other. Only the perfect lyrics, the perfect feeling, and the clean, clear, single production for those who prefer their music to be simple but their lyrics to mean something. For anyone who wants something with similar themes, listen to ‘Stargazing’; you just might find yourself coming back to its relaxed mood.
