Regina Spektor - Fidelity Lyrics Meaning
Interpreting first the Song:
The song opens in a reflective tone expressing regret for never committing fully to love by keeping “one foot on the ground”, failing to jump in with both feet so to speak. But by “protecting my heart truly” she has ended up “breaks my heart” as her mind is assailed by voices, words, and music of memory. She tries to forget by “Supposing we never met” but this bring precisely to mind what she is trying to banish: falling in love, your soft sweet kisses, seeing you. Love songs are her solace to break her fall. Though her friend try to solace her with “tha of course it gonna get bet'er, bet'er..” it is her final “better, better, better” that overwhelm her with feelings that she sighs and slides back to the start “I never loved anybody fully...” This time the tone has become wistful and the cycle of regret starts again in a forlorn register. A simple song of grief over lost love beautifully rendered.
Now the Video:
The Video opens with her alone in a room where everything is black and white, this is symbolic of her lonely colorless world. As she sings “Suppose I never met you...” she goes through the memories and she manages to banish him but for his disembodied clothes. Then as she repeat the opening (I never loved nobody fully...) her voice is wistful and her hair is now disarrayed, symbolic of her struggle with the feelings. We see her stand before his still bodiless clothes which kneel as though proposing to her. She pulls the heart-pendant and after painful reflection let it fall and it breaks. On it's shattering intense colors are released into her black and white world of memories. Her willingness to break her heart-pendant indicate she can accept love, she now has lipstick indicating she is prepared to meet him, and he rises from his kneeling position. Still in her memory (the black and white room - Diwali is not usually celebrated indoors) but she seems to have accepted her loss as her voice mellows and we see them revel in one another with smiles. She is remembering the color and laughter love brought to her life. The feeling of being lost banished as they hold hands. The song has become one of recovery through memory.
On a final note :-)
Some lovely touches in this song: like the glottal stop (try saying: uh-oh) used in the repetition of “fall” and “heart”, (she quite likes the glottal stop making use of cockney “Bet'er”), also the pizzicato throughout.
