Bon Iver - My Hero and Inspiration

For those of you that don't know me, I love music, especially when there's raw and real meaning behind the lyrics. My all time favourite artist though (if I had to choose one) would have to be the amazing and truly talented Bon Iver. If you don't know him already SHAME ON YOU, but he is a truly inspirational man who has composed countless beautiful yet heart wrenching pieces. Each song he sings, I believe, conveys a message whether it be about his past memories or a dream. Bon Iver never ceases to emotionally connect with the audience and I was lucky enough to see him live last week at the Tivoli. Standing on the balcony and watching my hero belt out my favourite songs of all time (such as Perth, For Emma, Skinny Love, Holocene and Stacks) was truly mind blowing! So many emotions flooded over me that eventually I ended up in tears. The way he was completely engrossed in his music by the closing of his eyes and swaying of his body was so beautiful to see. He was entirely engulfed; nothing could break Bon from this trance. The musicians that accompanied him were equally as involved with the sounds they were playing. I remember when the final song was playing, the mezmerising silence and awe was felt by all. It was as if he was hypnotising the audience with the sweet melody arising from the single guitar and voice. This was truly one of the best nights of my life!

What I love most about the songs Bon Iver creates is that there is so much meaning and truth behind every word. This is especially the case in his most famous piece, Skinny Love. He explained during an interview what the meaning behind this particular song really was about; his former girlfriend: "We dated and she's an incredibly important person that I lived with for a long time, but it's about that time in a relationship that I was going through; you're in a relationship because you need help, but that's not necessarily why you should be in a relationship. And that's skinny. It doesn't have weight. Skinny love doesn't have a chance because it's not nourished. Part of the trouble with the old haunting love, is that it messes with your future loves, and can damn and ambush your relationships." This insightful meaning made me ponder a lot about relationships and the power one song can have on your thoughts.

Anyway, I just wanted to share with you all my love for Bon Iver and leave you with the song that I fell in love with :)