There’s something so beautifully painful about “Gonna Take a Miracle.” In a way, she sounds almost happy about the hurt that her lover’s leaving has caused her. It’s a jubilant, upbeat song, and yet, she’s upset.
Laura Nyro: “Gonna Take a Miracle” (download)
It captures such a particular point in time, such a particular feeling. It’s an odd thought, finding joy in the misery of love. Is it because that’s how we know love: when we are willing to suffer so much in its name? A quote jumps to mind, courtesy of Swingers:
Mike: How did you get over it? I mean, how long did it take?
Rob: Sometimes it still hurts. You know how it is, man. It’s like, you wake up every day and it hurts a little bit less, and then you wake up one day and it doesn’t hurt at all. And the funny thing is, is that, this is kinda wierd, but it’s like, it’s like you almost miss that pain.
Mike: You miss the pain?
Rob: Yeah, for the same reason that you missed her… because you lived with it for so long.
These moments are so infrequently portrayed in art, but for some reason, so effective when it is. Does anyone else have a favorite song, quote, moment, etc., that captures this oxymoronic emotional state?
11 comments
wendy says:
Jan 14, 2008
It’s better to feel pain than nothing at all 😉
I love Laura Nyro, thanks for the download!
links for 2008-01-23 « Chatquah and Galoshes says:
Jan 23, 2008
[…] T-Sides » Blog Archive » Lost MP3 of the Week: Laura Nyro, “Gonna Take a Miracle†(tags: folk music media) […]
Wesley says:
Jan 28, 2008
I heard this song in A Home At The End of the World and absolutely fell in love with it. I’ve been trying to track an Mp3 of it down for months, so thank you!
-Wes
Taylor says:
Jan 28, 2008
Funny, Wes, that’s where I first heard of her, also.
Ralph Bruno says:
Jul 19, 2008
The emotion isn’t sorrow so much in the song “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle.†It’s the mixed emotions that follow completion and acceptance. Along with “Désiree,†Laura was acknowledging a love to her then “flame†and eventual life partner, Maria Desiderio.
In producing “Gonna Take a Miracleâ€, creativity wise Laura’s contract gave her carte blanche. The CBS archives expressly state that these two songs were “…lesser-known covers.†After a four-year hiatus, Laura and Maria had a rendezvous in June 1971, to celebrate Maria’s seventeenth birthday. Laura’s attribution of “Désiree,†was the paean to that love. “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle†was the catharsis. At this time, Laura had few options to pursue this love. Therefore, she turned to her music.
Ralph Bruno says:
Jul 19, 2008
The emotion isn’t sorrow so much in the song “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle.†It’s the mixed emotions that follow completion and acceptance. Along with “Désiree,†Laura was acknowledging a love to her then “flame†and eventual life partner, Maria Desiderio.
Laura and Maria had a rendezvous in June 1971, to celebrate Maria’s seventeenth birthday. Laura’s attribution of “Désiree,†was the paean to that love. “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle†was the catharsis.
Ralph Bruno says:
Jul 19, 2008
The emotion isn’t sorrow so much in the song “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle.†It’s the mixed emotions that follow completion and acceptance. Along with “Désiree,†Laura was acknowledging a love to her then “flame†and eventual life partner, Maria Desiderio. After a four-year hiatus, Laura and Maria had a rendezvous in June 1971, to celebrate Maria’s seventeenth birthday. Laura’s attribution of “Désiree,†was the paean to that love. “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle†was the catharsis.
Ralph Bruno says:
Jul 19, 2008
The emotion isn’t sorrow so much in the song “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle.†It’s the mixed emotions that follow completion and acceptance. Along with “Désiree,†Laura was acknowledging a love to her then “flame†and eventual life partner, Maria Desiderio.
T-Sides » Blog Archive » Lost MP3 of the Week: Huey Lewis & the News, “I Never Think About You” says:
Aug 11, 2008
[…] The chorus goes, “Now I’m living by myself without a care in the world / I never think about you / And I’m happy as I’ve ever been — well, I pretend I am / I never think about you.” In my version, that third line went, “And I’m as happy as I’ve ever been — without pretending I am.” This makes for a huge change in the song’s message. In actuality, Lewis thinks about this person all the time and is singing all this for show, where I had thought he was genuine. I probably should’ve guessed I was hearing it wrong, because it’s not exactly a happy song. I suppose I just assumed that he was sad to see it all go, like that quote from Swingers I love so much. […]
Jay Fluck says:
Nov 17, 2009
It has been ages since I heard this song – for sure full of pain and brings back memories…
btw – the d/l link goes to an error page?
Statement Of Purpose | T-Sides says:
Mar 22, 2011
[…] Beyond that, the mind forms its own connections that are worth exploring. You might wonder if the character from your favorite novel would get along with the character in your favorite movie, or the emotion captured in a song might remind you of an emotion captured in a movie (as I wrote about here). […]