You left me no choice but to stay here forever
Out now: Episode 24: Deep Dive - right where you left me!
If our Instagram feed is accurate, this week’s episode is a deep dive into a fan favorite! This week we went in deep into the bonus track “right where you left me” from evermore. From Charles Dickens to Netflix shows, Elle Woods to Foucault, we realized this song is pretty relatable across a lot of time periods, stories, and people. If you’ve ever felt stuck in your life, you’ll probably find this episode pretty relatable too!
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Last week I brought you a throwback to grad school, but this week I wanted to maybe go a little bit lighter (you’re welcome). We discuss so much about “right where you left me,” but I wanted to spend a bit more time on the idea of nostalgia. As a millennial, I’m experiencing what many generations before me have experienced - my generation is of the age where we are able to create art and content at a wider scale, so our nostalgia is a large part of the current zeitgeist. Particularly as a woman, it’s been an interesting couple of years as we culturally revisit my childhood. Looking at some of the ways we are revising these touch points tells us a lot about where we are today.
(note: of course generalizations about a whole generation are inherently flawed, but this podcast is a hobby and I simply don’t have the time to do enough research into all the possible nuances, so just roll with it.)
The Barbie Movie
Talk about revisiting our childhood. While millennials aren’t the only generation that had Barbies, Greta Gerwig is a millennial, so we are claiming this. I know there is a wide range of opinions and reactions to this movie, but it is certainly nostalgic. The dream house, the outfits, the throwbacks to limited edition dolls - it takes you back.
However, one thing I think that is worth noting is that it isn’t rewriting history. A key part of the story is Barbie realizing that the Barbies didn’t actually create a world that empowers women. They failed both in the movie and in reality in a lot of ways. This film doesn’t pretend otherwise.
Spoiler alert - the movie also doesn’t end with Barbie creating an empowering world for human women. Instead, it’s a much more complicated ending. The Barbies figure out their self worth, as do the Kens. Barbie herself goes through a transformation. And Gloria is empowered to embrace her weird and dark side. Interestingly enough, the character’s empowered happy endings isn’t perfection, it’s embracing who you are and what you want, even if it’s different than what you expected or what is expected of you.
Maybe it’s part of growing up, maybe it’s a result of everything that’s happened in our lifetimes, but I love that we are revisiting childhood classics and making them messier. However, note that the happy ending is still that, happy. Millennials are often called pessimistic, but I’m not sure. Maybe our version of a happy ending is just not the same as it used to be?
Taylor’s Versions
One of the joys of Taylor re-recording her albums is undeniably the nostalgia. (I will be unbearable when she re-releases her debut album. Sorry, not sorry!) However, much like the “Barbie” movie, Taylor isn’t just hitting copy/paste on all of her older albums. She is creating new branding, releasing vault tracks, and in some cases, rewriting lyrics. Some of the changes are required legally I believe (lawyers, let us know in the comments!), but many of these choices are simply her revisiting an album from her past and re-envisioning it for now.
In case you aren’t aware, the lyric rewrite I am talking about comes from “Better Than Revenge” from Speak Now and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). Let’s quickly look at the before and after lyric change.
Before:
“She’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress.”
After:
“He was a moth to the flame, she was holding the matches.”
We discussed the impact of this lyric change in last week’s episode, so I won’t go into that in more detail. However, it’s interesting to see such an intentional revision. And similar to the new take on Barbie, it’s a more complex, nuanced version. The old version is pretty simplistic slut-shaming. The second is acknowledging that multiple people were involved and decisions were made.
I have read enough think pieces about the idea of “cancel culture” to know that I have no interest in being another one of them. What I will say though is that this new form of nostalgia where we throw it back to our childhoods but are thoughtful about how we as individuals and society have changed is great. “right where you left me” is all about feeling stuck and holding on to a time that has long passed away. Holding on too tightly isn’t going to serve anyone well, so let’s do a throwback, but thoughtfully.
“Trends change, rumors fly through new skies” - Where Are We Going Next?
If this is all about millennial nostalgia, what comes next? I personally am a huge fan of the more Gen Z art I’ve seen recently. A good example is the Netflix film Do Revenge, which I would argue feels like a Gen Z version of Mean Girls, Heathers, etc. (does each generation have a version of this story?). However, in this new version we get a way more diverse cast, a pretty nuanced and entertaining look at gender roles and fake allyship, and not a single fat joke (bless). I have a slight twinge of hope that we are moving away from lazy jokes that just poke fun at anyone who is “different” and actually into smarter, more interesting humor. It’s a trend I fully support. Also, if Bottoms is any indication, Ayo Edebiri is my new north star for all things comedy. If you don’t believe me, I’ll leave you with her SNL episode. Enjoy!