Frequent Rejection, Occasional Affection

Eleanor Friedberger “I’ll Never Be Happy Again”

The mood of this song is very precise: A steady, low-grade sadness that slowly but surely downgrades all your hopes and expectations, but never feels too uncomfortable or painful. It sounds like a permanently overcast horizon. It’s a feeling that seems infinite, but doesn’t have to be. You can tell Eleanor knows this in the tone of her voice, but she indulges it anyway, and sings about other people’s struggles with love and low hopes with an aloof sort of empathy. The killer line here, sung in the chorus, is so wise and accurate that it just sort of stings every time I hear it: “Frequent rejection, occasional affection / it’s often offered in the wrong direction.” Maybe that’s not true for everyone, but if you see even a bit of your life in that, it will get under your skin a bit.

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