LogFAQs > #955939419

132. Bright Eyes First Day of My Life (2005)
from the album Im Wide Awake, Its Morning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwFS69nA-1w

Key lyrics:
Im glad I didnt die before I met you

Writing a sincere love song without a hint of sentimentality is difficult to achieve. With First Day of My Life, Bright Eyes hits the right note by starting at a downward angle. The opening lines suggest a man walking outside to blow off steam after a fight, only to realize the strength of his feelings while alone. This messy side shows Bright Eyes is not placing love on some magical pedestal. Minor disagreements can explode into more, and this song hones in on that fragile feeling that you might be about to lose everything. First Day of My Life reflects on love, not through rose-colored glasses but with perfect clarity.

The most intense declaration is framed as an old quote from the partner. Through this distance, Conor Oberst drains any sentimentality by making it an observation. Presented directly from a singer, these lines would read as an overstatement as something a lover might say to another, it reads as perfectly authentic. Adding to the authenticity is how the song largely avoids metaphors. One comes in during the final chorus, but Oberst turns the trope on its head. Love is a paycheck. This almost feels reductionist; where most songwriters rely on flowery language, Oberst uses something mechanical. But he is aiming for a higher truth: love requires constant effort or else it ends. First Day of My Life suggests the true beauty of love is in its mundanity.

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My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/