Skip to main content

Sing My Life: Birthday By Disclosure, Kehlani, Syd

"Can I call you on your birthday? Just to make sure that you're okay"

 


Birthdays can bring out the real in all of us. Happy Friday and it happens to be the Queen’s Birthday. Yes Beyoncé! Yeah,yeah, everybody loves Beyoncé. Shout out to all the Virgos! I'm so loving the Disclosure video for 'Birthday' featuring Kehlani and Syd. The visuals take on the 'Alice in Wonderland' aspect where Syd and Kehlani are stuck in a shrunken room. The giant versions of Syd and Kehlani wrestle with thoughts of reaching out to each other. The visual ends with claymation version of Syd and Kehlani, who who are shown in a candy land. They talk to each other while experiencing adventures including flying on the top of a single engine plane. And then they both get burnt. The closing of the video has voices singing 'Happy birthday'. Then a heart shaped box with Syd and Kehlani's names, and a cake with Disclosure's faces appear on the screen.

Most of the world's population actually celebrates birthdays. And, I’m big on birthdays. Maybe not that mine anyway, because no one ever makes a fuss over it. But yeah, there's a certain magic in celebrating people on the day that they were born. Of course we have several holidays however, nothing comes close to the day that one was born in the fact that they celebrate the next milestone. You know that a lot can happen in year, so thank God for life...toast! 

Of late, I’ve been talking about muses and you know you come to a place of reflection. This song has me reflecting as it discusses lingering feelings and dealing with thoughts of a calling a former love interest on their birthday even though the relationship is over. The chorus says, "Would you prefer it if I'd go ghost?; And let you go your own way; Can I call you on your birthday?; Just to make sure that you're okay; Got the number to your old phone; But is it working?"

Have you ever tried to reach out to someone on their birthday? Somebody that you used to know, and maybe somewhat feel something for? Story time! There is one person who on their birthday I was contemplating to send a message. It's always a debate but I stand by birthdays so I say whatever. Fortunately I think you know when you're linked on social media you it’s easy to pluck up courage. Most of the time, we fear of what they would think. Whether they reciprocate or not, it’s up to them. I saw a notification on one of my social media platforms. I sent him a birthday message. To be honest, deep down, I had hoped for a, "Thank you", c'est tout! In the song, Kehlani sings, “I ain’t even callin’ for no reconciliation; I just want to tap in and see how you been; I’ve waited for an adequate amount of time; To give us both some space; I think it’s been good for us to stay up out of the way.” I’m admitting that I have his number. I don’t know if it’s still the same. It’s not about reconciliation. Remember, we had a situation... a situationship. My mentor has a different narrative about what type of ship that was but I don't want to make it more than what it was. 

I remember his birthday because he and I actually share the same birthday month. Actually we are exactly a week apart. "But to put the hurt to rest, put maturity to the test; So I'm callin' to say "Are you okay?" on your special day" As I said, I'm big on birthdays. There are people who sending a message could make a difference. The idea that someone is thinking of you and acknowledges that you are still alive and breathing. You have another time of grace to walk and perhaps fulfill your purpose. Not everybody has big social circles, so you just want to make them feel 'special' on their day.

Is it okay to reach out to somebody that you used to know, on their birthday? They don't need to be in your life. You aren't asking for long conversations or a second time around. And you are only human, there's a heart somewhere. "Emotion aside; Ah; Am I makin' your day?"


Reaching out can take us to that place of vulnerability. We are afraid of the perception of desperation, obsession and even humiliation. But what if, the person on the other hand took the reaching out with grace, and composure. They are civil in their reception of the two words, "Happy birthday". And if not received with a "thank you", their silence isn't necessarily a brush off. You don't need to overthink it. It is just silence, and perhaps, it still remains best to maintain space. But still...

"Can I call you on your birthday? Just to make sure that you're okay"

When art imitates life, some things are best said through a song...

Until the next song lyrics...

P.S.: Always write your own love story!

Ciao!

Lady E

Comments

Popular Posts

When The Door Shuts But There's No Closure

Let this be the last time that I am stupid in love! To quote Bob Marley, 'The biggest coward of a man, is to awaken the love of a woman without the intention of loving her.' No intentions are still intentions and usually cruel intentions. I'm a bitter woman. I'm mad as hell. How did I let that ugly mother****er make me look stupid? Little did I know that I was just setting myself up to feeling dumb and dumber. I'm a clown! So I took the step and reached out to him to get closure. I needed to gather my thoughts and emotions so that I could speak to him calmly. Parce que IRL, I'm on that Lemonade Beyoncé woman scorned level. The initial call that I made, he blew me off. So I took defeat. However, he called back an hour later and the conversation came. My biggest question was 'Why?'. Why pursue me when you already had someone else whom you wanted to give what I myself wanted. Marriage! What was your intention and outcome from all this? I reiterate that I...

Dirty Laundry Diaries: Last Friday Night...

Last Friday Night... After a long hiatus from this blog, I've decided to make my return but this time with a vengeance...lol! So as part of my comeback, my blog has changed slightly a bit, same girl but different ish! (The vocabulary has become very colorful!) So my weekend was too cold to freeze a.k.a chilled for my liking but I managed to get the amount of rest that my weary body deserved. So what happened last Friday night, other than playing the third wheel with my sister and her man? Nothing much! But in line with the title of today's blog, I'll share what happened the last Friday of the last. These days I have ditched friends and have gone all family and that is how I roll. So my best friend who happens to be my younger sister, went out for our Friday drinks at our favourite spot in town. (Totally love the ambiance and the deejays are quite cute-one being hotter than the other and they play an amazing set of deep house music). Before I go on, t...

Like A Love Song

The best ever written love song isn't perfect but it works! 'I,I love you like a love song baby,I,I love you like a love song,babe.....',young Selena Gomez singing,and vocalising what we would all take love as...a LOVE song. The love song. Women can only dream about being loved the way Gerald Levert put it,'made to love you', or have 'this love' a la Donell Jones. And I'm not talking about the exaggerated 'catching of grenades','crossing oceans',drinking of lovers' bath waters.But a love that leaves one gasping for air as they try to breathe in,a love that gives one warm fuzzy feelings inside.A love that also stands the test of time,and conquers all. But is the impression we are given by love songs similar to real relationships?Would a man not want to be 'mad' like Ne-yo, or beg you to 'stay' like Tyrese? Some may agree,whilst others would be at the other end of the pole. In the mean time men might find Beyonc...

It's Your Own Race, Stay In Your Lane

You might miss out on enjoying what's around you because you're rushing to the infinite finish line! I'm exhausted at this moment! Some days I kick myself for having missed opportunities due to pride or naïvety. At times I suffer from FOMO like the rest of our generation as I scroll down my Instagram timeline. I think my LinkedIn makes me feel worse, as I fall short on qualifications. But as I write this, I know that I'm not where I used to be. I worked damn hard - walking, getting sunburnt, looking disheveled, sleepless nights, and no social life. I'm nowhere near halfway to where I really want to be, but the pandemic has taught me to 'count it all joy.' So why do I continuously feel the pressure 'to be'? Tu ne comprends pas la question? It seems that everywhere I go, people are suffering from the “hustle culture” pandemic. By hustle culture, I mean the collective urge we currently seem to feel as a society to work harder, stronger, faster.(Then Daf...

The Red Season: Breadcrumbs of Love

No matter how broken you are, a meal of love is what you need. For the first time in a long time, I will admit on this platform, I will admit that I cried. I felt humiliated and hurt. Mariah Carey's "Cry" is playing in my head. I keep asking myself why am I this person? Why do I keep scraping for crumbs of love? Am I not enough? And following a recent disappointment, I reverted to a quote that I saw on a certain blog. "You could have the best intentions, you could have the most sincere feelings, and you could be a good woman and you still wouldn't be able to keep a man because the only way to keep a man is if that man wants to be kept by you,"  Sipho Mbhele. "You could have the best intentions, you could have the most sincere feelings, and you could be a good woman and you still wouldn't be able to keep a man because the only way to keep a man is if that man wants to be kept by you,"  Sipho Mbhele. Gosh, I'm tired of this circus. The fact...