If the first 20 seconds of "Somebody" pass without some part of your body moving in time with the music, then something has probably gone terribly wrong.
From Jukebox the Ghost, I've come to expect the kind of punchy piano whips and falsetto jaunts that make me sit up in my chair — and then dance my way off of it completely — and the opening track from Safe Travels is no different. All the ingredients of the trio's piano-centric pop are in place: propulsive riffs, handclaps and sing-song "ohs" in all the right places, and the dynamic give-and-take that keeps the four-minute tune feeling short.
But the true heart of "Somebody" lies within its wistfully optimistic lyrics. Walking the line between externalized reflection and a hopeful plea, the searching phrases culminate in a singalong chorus that stares down the heaviness of longing and replaces it with infectious musical solidarity.
In an email, Ben Thornewill told us about the song's inspiration:
"Last year, I remember watching a couple, and I could just see the girl's eyes over the guy's shoulder, and she was looking up into the sky in this longing, beautiful sort of a way. The image stuck with me and I remember thinking, "What if she is looking for me?" The song was sort of born from that feeling; the hopeful longing for someone. In the end, we all want somebody to be waiting for us when we get home."
Safe Travels comes out June 12.
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDM3NjYwMjA5MDE1MjA1MzQ1NDk1N2ZmZQ004))