Tuesday Tune Two-Fer: Where Do I Begin

Love Story came out the year before I was born, and it was extremely popular, so I’ve been hearing its theme song for most of my life. It was so ubiquitous, in fact, that I just started thinking of it as shorthand for “schmaltzy elevator music” and stopped paying attention the second I recognized it.

I even forgot that it has lyrics. Shirley Bassey’s version does the thing she does the absolute best, which is make any lyrics, no matter how insipid or shallow, sound as if they are the most profound and powerful poetry.

But because I never paid attention to the lyrics, I just assumed what the gist was from the title: being so deeply in love with someone that you can no longer tell where you end and they begin. (Or vice versa).

As it turns out, it’s more prosaic than that. More “I’m so much in love with this dude that I don’t know how to even start talking about it.” Which I guess is less codependent, but is a little disappointing after spending so long thinking it was more existentially romantic.

So I think ultimately I prefer the Chemical Brothers’ take on “Where Do I Begin.” Which could be an account of an existential crisis, or it could just be about waking up with a hangover after a one-night stand. Either way, it builds to a pretty spectacular drum break. And love means never having to say you’re sorry for appreciating a good drum break.