Day 4: Cecily Smith (Bonus Track) - Will Connolly
Listen Here
How she stuck out her hand and said "My name is Cecily Smith and I hope you like music 'Cause I've got two tickets for La Traviata" That's when I said, "I hate opera"
Song Fact Book
Track from the 2015 musical 'Fly By Night'
References the 1853 venetian opera, 'La Traviata' , throughout the course of the song which had been a favorite of the main character's father
La Traviata is a tragedy as most operas are, and follows a young courtesan, Violetta, and her lover Alfredo. Violetta has often been sick so she lives fast and loudly. Her whirlwind romance with Alfredo comes to a swift end when she is spoken to by his father and told to break off the relationship so his sister's engagement is no longer threatened by Violetta's reputation. The opera ultimately ends in Violetta's passing from tuberculosis. It is based on Alexandré Dumas' play, La Dame aux camélias (1852)
The opera referenced ties in with themes of messy relationships, affairs, and attachments out of obligation rather than genuine love or passion of the musical.
The song though is very different thematically than most of the rest of the musical as it shows a romanticised memory of the late Cecily Smith, and a sweet, simple romance.
My Thoughts
Honestly, on the first listen I was struck by the instrumentation of the song before I even properly listened to the lyrics. It's just that soft kind of simplicity that lends to the charm of the song that feels like a walk around the block at sunset.
Honestly worth listening to on repeat for about an hour to catch everything that's going on in the song
I haven't listened to many of the other songs from the rest of the musical this comes from because none of them hit quite the same way as this one.
