Relationships are strange things. You can go for months agonizing over whether this is the ‘right one’ for you, poking at the doubts and insecurities as if you’re trying to solve a murder, and then suddenly wake up to the knowledge that perhaps it’s not any of that, perhaps you’re just terrified to make a choice. Now, Olivia Cox‘s ‘Burn the Boat‘ presents a fairly dramatic way of solving the problem: burn the boat and remain on the island.
The song was penned in a songwriting retreat in Jersey, with the producer Kaja Riedle and the composer Eloise Weeks and taps into that all-too-familiar feeling when you start to question whether doubt is actually a good thing, or whether you’re simply overthinking something that’s going well. Are you in the right relationship? Are your dark thoughts providing us valuable lessons or are we just overanalyzing everything? To give a nod to The Clash, should I stay or should I go?
“Burn the boat” uses that metaphor to make the decision of staying seem irreversible. Burning the boat removes the easily accessible escape hatch and leaves only the rather terrifying possibility that you will have to live with your decision. It is romantic, albeit one that could give a travel insurance company a stroke.
Sonically, “Burn The Boat” by Olivia Cox pivots toward a more organic, live feel, combining an 80s-inspired sound with an upbeat modern alt-pop kick to reflect the thematic ebb and flow of the track, from initial doubts about a relationship to ultimately making the choice to stay. The song plays with the metaphor of “burning the boat” and choosing to remain despite the uncertainty.
The end product is a song about a pretty common dilemma: We crave certainty before making a leap, but clarity sometimes only manifests itself afterward. It’s inconvenient, for real. Wouldn’t it be much easier if life got us to read the terms-and-conditions statement before allowing us to love?
“Burn the Boat” doesn’t imply that fully committing will automatically obliterate doubt. Rather, it is the question of whether we’re signing up for someone that entails rolling the dice a bit and waving goodbye to that to-goodness every time the little voice in our head pipes up. There is always an option to keep searching and searching for a way out, or there is choosing them and seeing what develops.
Just maybe keep a fire extinguisher nearby.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for various publications around the world, the former lead writer of review blogspace Atop The Treehouse and content creator for Manila Bulletin.
