Song of the Week

I wanted to write about this song because “The Distance” insinuates a deeper meaning of desperation and refusing to accept one’s reality in a subtle delicate way that leaves audiences intrigued. The lyrics deliver the significant narrative but the instruments are where we get most of the emotion. The grumbling guitar battles against the sharp synth for the spotlight.

The first 10 seconds of the verse are stripped, sizzling in anticipation for the drums to come in. The first verse creates the perfect cinematic setting that brings the listener onto the racetrack. You can almost imagine the announcer saying, start your engines! McCrea sings, “The green light flashes, the flags go up / Churning and burning, they yearn for the cup.” You can absolutely tell the exact moment our main character, the driver, slams on the gas pedal.

A striking guitar riff drives the chorus along with John McCrea’s monotone yet impressionable vocals. We have painted this picture of a determined man hell-bent on winning this race if it’s the last thing he does. “Fuel burning fast on an empty tank,” could be said about a race or fighting for any non-specific cause. A man fighting for a woman he refuses to accept he can’t have fits the bill. The songwriters did a good job of burying this analogy into something so easily digested. I mean that’s what music is about; translating complex feelings into something we are all able to relate to and experience together.

Cognitive dissonance is what we call it when you learn something that contradicts beliefs you have always accepted as the truth. The hardship of dealing with those conflicting ideas appears to be what our driver is experiencing. Why else would he be, “Still driving and striving as fast as he can,” even though, “The sun has gone down and the moon has come up / And long ago somebody left with the cup”?

The second time he mentions this cup we realize it has to symbolize something, most likely a woman in his life. The driving most likely represents his day job that turns into a night job because he’s overworked. He’s doing all this to build a life with her but still “She’s all alone … in her time of need.” The lyrics are all in the present tense which tells me this is a situation that is still in progress. On the other hand, It’s only, “In his mind he’s still driving” and “She’s hoping in time that her memories will fade,” which heavily implies an ending.

A key thing to look at also is the repetition of lyrics that prove our drivers tunnel vision thinking. We’ve all been there. When you have been working so hard for so long and you just have to hold on a little longer. You keep thinking to yourself over and over the same phrases cause it’s all your brain can manage.

In the end, you either put it to rest or keep going through the pain. This is clearly a man that’s hurting, “He’s haunted by something he cannot define / Bowel-shaking earthquakes of doubt and remorse / Assail him, impale him with monster-truck force.” At the end of the music video, the main character is pictured swimming out into the ocean. This tells me he is willing to swim oceans for this even if it’s killing him.

This is also a man who brought a horse to a car race implying he never stood a chance of winning from the beginning, yet it was still a fight worth pushing for. Overall, I think the song speaks on the difficulties of having a full time corporate job and maintaining a healthy relationship with your spouse. If you want a life so bad that it doesn’t feel real that it’s not yours, it can be impossible to accept when the race is over.