This year, Virginia Tech is fortunate enough to have a brilliant young artist performing for our Homecoming concert this Thursday, September 22nd 2016. For those of you who have never heard Hunter Hayes sing, I encourage you to listen to his second album, “Storyline” from start to finish. The lyrics are not only incredibly moving, but the album itself is arranged in an order that tells its listeners a story and teaches some valuable life lessons along the way.
Track One: Wild Card “I didn’t see it coming. The kiss was so unpredictable, and maybe it’s the mystery in you that I’m addicted to.”
Like a flash of lightening; That’s how unexpected it is when you meet your first love. They come out of nowhere and turn your whole world upside down. Everything about this person takes you completely by surprise. The first kiss is that kind of kiss that makes you shut the front door behind them and sink to your knees, praying you can live in that moment forever.
Track Two: Storyline “Running like crazy, kissing in public. Who cares what the world thinks? Girl, they don’t know nothing about us.”
You’re starting to meet their friends, and if you’re really lucky he’ll already be talking to his family about you. In those instants, your friends are going to warn you and tell you to guard your heart and take it slow. Of course we never listen to them though, do we? But isn’t that the beauty of falling in love?
Track Three: Still Fallin’ “Still falling, still chasing, still nervous, still reeling, dreaming about this.”
My favorite feeling in the world is the butterflies. You know, when a guy just looks at you and gets that full-size smile for no reason at all? Suddenly, getting ready goes from taking an hour, to taking two because you spend the first hour trying to figure out what to wear. “What dress will he think I look the most beautiful in?!” You’re spending more and more time together, all the while falling harder and harder with each passing day. It doesn’t seem like you’re ever going to stop.
Track Four: Tattoo “Your name, your name, sounds so good next to mine”
What better way to describe your first love, than a tattoo? You’re absolutely captivated by him. You can’t stop thinking and talking about him. You start to love his flaws, taste in music, you start watching sports that he likes, and you want to learn about all of the things that make up the man before you. Thinking about the future doesn’t seem so scary anymore as long as you have him. Whether it lasts forever, a few years, or a few months, your first love will always hold a special place in your heart… and that is something beautiful.
Track Five: Invisible “There’s so much more of this life than what you’re feeling now and someday you’ll look back on all these days and all this pain is gonna be invisible.”
This song is so important. “Invisible” expresses all of the emotions that come along with feeling like an “outcast” or feeling like you aren’t good enough. No matter what life throws your way, you’re going to get through it. Hunter Hayes’ teaches us a valuable life lesson to always be yourself and keep pushing forward. This song is thrown in right before the musical interlude in the middle of the album and is a perfect transition into the next song, which changes the mood completely.
~Interlude~
Track Seven: You Think You Know Somebody “Yeah it could’ve been a long long talk to fix this, the seas were getting rough but I thought we were worth it.” … “Tell me where did you go when the lights came up. I don’t even know you anymore.”
Hunter Hayes has mentioned that this is one of the most intense songs he has ever written and I couldn’t agree more. Depending on the situation, break ups can be an extremely hard thing to go through. Unfortunately, sometimes people are unpredictable and they can change in an instant. When a person just changes like that, it’s hard to let go. Suddenly, the person you thought you knew better than anyone, isn’t that person anymore and it feels like your whole world is tumbling down right before your eyes. As intense as this may sound, it’s almost like when a loved one passes away…You have the memories of the relationship, but the person in those memories is no longer here anymore. Just like that, you become strangers.
Tracks Nine and Ten: When Did You Stop Loving Me? “Is this really how you want it to end? With a lie of love, and the loss of a friend? Now I’m scared of loving anybody else again. Is this how you want it to end?”
This is my favorite song on the entire album. When did you stop loving me? What a raw question, it doesn’t get any more honest and straightforward than that. We find ourselves over analyzing and questioning every aspect of the relationship. “Why doesn’t he talk to me anymore?” “Why doesn’t he want to be with me anymore?” “Could I have done something to change his mind?” “Is there someone else?” “Does he still think about me?” “When did everything change?” “Did he ever really love me like he said he did?” We all want some kind of closure after a break up, but the truth is, there is no such thing as full closure. Love is love and when it’s no longer there anymore it can be a tough pill to swallow, but we have to push through it.
Track Eleven: Secret Love “When you’re living a life that you gotta deny, when you feel how we feel, but you gotta keep lying, it’s only gonna mess you up inside.”
Depending on your situation, sometimes you’ll find yourself in that post-breakup secret relationship. The attraction is as intense as ever and there’s something so appealingly sexy that draws us into this “Secret Love” with an ex. Your friends think you’re crazy for still talking to him…how is it that someone can be so bad for us, but so good at the same time? It’s complicated and exciting being in a secret love.
Track Twelve: Nothing Like Starting Over “No harm done, no hard feelings, maybe some other time but gives me some peace of mind. If that was the end of the ride, I’m getting back in line.”
After the dust has settled, we’re faced with two options. You can go on hating this person for whatever reason, OR you can move on and stay cordial. That’s it. Always choose the second option. Looking back on my first love, I feel so thankful that he walked into my life. We shared some unforgettable memories and he taught me more about myself than I ever thought was humanly possible. We laughed together, cried together and because of him I met some pretty extraordinary people along the way. What an amazing experience I was fortunate enough to have. Thank you, Friend.
Track Thirteen: If It’s Just Me “If it’s just me, holding on to someone letting go, then I will let go of you.” … “Leave the best of me with you and you can leave me in your past No battle cry, no battle scars, we’re only down one broken heart.”
I have tried to stay true to the sequential order of the actual “Storyline” album, and this is what comes next. This song is similar to “When Did You Stop Loving Me” in the sense that you go through that post-breakup phase where all you want is closure. I call this my “crazy girl” song. Every girl goes through that one bad breakup at some point in their lives and we’re forced to just accept the way things are and get through it. Everything feels one-sided and you’re so hurt and confused you don’t know what to do with yourself. You feel alone in the breakup because you don’t know if the other person is hurting, or if they still have the same feelings that you do. You’re faced with the reality it’s time to pack up your feelings and move on. What is it exactly that keeps us holding on to someone letting go?
Track Fourteen: You Can’t Say You Love Too Much “You can’t say you love too much, you can’t say you care enough. There’s no such thing as reaching too far, we all got a heart.”
This is my other favorite song on the album. No matter what you’re going through it is so important to let the people around you know just how much you love, appreciate and care for them. There is absolutely no such thing as loving someone “too much”. As cliché as it is, you never know what could happen tomorrow so you should always love as much as you can today. Love until your heart feels like it’s going to explode right out of your chest. Hug your loved ones a little harder next time you see them. Be kind. Smile at a stranger as they walk by and ask them how their day is going. Make friends wherever you go. Most importantly, never be ashamed to tell someone how you feel about them, ever. The bravest people in the world are those who are not afraid to show how they truly feel. Let your guard down. Love.
Track Eight: Flashlight “I get lost sometimes, like everybody else, lose track of my lifelines, lose track of myself.” … “It’s a sunrise from a lonely night, like a smile in a stranger’s eyes. It’s the moments that save my life, nobody knows about like flashlights.”
Although this is the eighth song on the album, this is the last one Hunter wrote for “Storyline”. You know when you’re kind of in a funk and nothing seems to be working out? Listen to this song. It will save you, I promise. This is a reminder to stop and smell the roses. We have so many little things to be thankful for and most of the time we let these little moments pass us by. Next time you’re walking to class, look around you and recognize how lucky you are to call this beautiful university your home. It’s the little things like puppies in the library during final exams, free cookies being passed out on the drill field, the thrill of jumping to some Enter Sandman before kick-off; breathe it all in. Don’t take a single moment of this life you have been given for granted. After all, you only get one.
Thank you for writing romantic lyrics that make us all swoon, getting us through our first heartbreaks, and for recognizing that being different is actually pretty cool. See you on Thursday, Hunter Hayes.
xxx, Taylor Smith
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