Post by Admin on Jan 6, 2021 4:56:18 GMT
“Exile,” a duet with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver that appears on “folklore,” perfectly encapsulates the power of this approach. Both artists utterly live their roles, and thus perfectly communicate the emotional fallout (and anguish) of a failed relationship.
The story begins with Vernon and Swift, playing the roles of exes, seeing each other out. Upon witnessing Swift’s character showing blind, carefree support for her new lover, Vernon feels betrayed. How could she move on so quickly? Swift’s character, on the other hand, sees the scornful, possessive eyes of her ex and wonders where this sense of fight was during their relationship. Despite being literally exiled from each other’s realms, neither can escape the pain.
Ironically, the second half of the song reveals that they were in even deeper exile during their relationship. As they reflect on their split, they reveal that they were never on the same page — and clearly unwilling to rectify the situation through communication. They may have been literally together, but they felt entirely alone.
Powerful in concept, “exile” is even more hauntingly beautiful in execution. Vernon and Swift deliver stunning performances, offering vocals that are contrasting on the surface yet united by heartbreak and defeat. The stellar vocal production elevates their work to the next level, with the late-song vocal trade-offs creating palpable tension and emotional realism. As Vernon alleges that Swift “never gave a warning sign” and she retorts that she “gave so many signs,” listeners are not simply treated to an iconic duet moment. They are given a front-row seat to the kind of communication downfall that plagued their relationship. They are able to see the painfully relatable reality of this tale.
Buoyed by gorgeous melodies and precise instrumentation, “exile” proves faithful to its principal artists’ visions yet functional as a timeless ballad. It is the kind of magnetic duet that makes everyone tune out the world and fixate entirely on what the musicians have to say.
It is also the kind of magnetic duet that would prove commercially successful: the enduring resonance of A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera’s modern standard “Say Something” is a fair benchmark.
Despite its immense quality and obvious viability, “exile” never received a meaningful chance to click with pop radio listeners. The duet was only formally promoted as a Triple A single, with the unsolicited hot adult contemporary and pop airplay proving rather nominal (radio is not off the hook, however, as it should not have needed a “push” to play this masterpiece).