This week, I’ve had Sara Bareilles’ “She Used to Be Mine” #OnRepeat. I’m not sure why it took me so long to come across this song, but either way, I can’t stop listening to it.
I’m pretty sure that I’ve written about Sara Bareilles before–she is an amazing singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist from Eureka, California, who gained attention with her hit single, “Love Song” in 2007. Her pop and blues-style of singing, mixed with her poignant story-like lyrics and self-accompaniment on piano make many compare her to Billy Joel and Regina Spektor. Some of her other well-known songs are “Gravity,” “King of Anything,” and “Bottle it Up.”
“She Used to Be Mine” was written and sung by Sara Bareilles for her 2015 album, What’s Inside: Songs from Waitress. It is written from the perspective of the main character in the musical, Waitress, a play about a young woman who is stuck in a dead-end job, in an abusive marriage with a baby on the way. Bareilles’ performance of the song perfectly conveys the realization of losing yourself in less-than-ideal circumstances and longing for change. Her approach to vocal dynamics and performance shows the smooth, subtle changes between intimate and delicate to powerful and desperate within a single phrase, bringing so much more depth to the lyrics and song itself.
Take a listen below:
What do you think? Are there any other singers or groups that you can’t stop listening to? Leave a comment below!