Calm reflective

Calm reflective is another break up song, but compared to 'The two of us' is much more upbeat and aggressive in nature.

It follows the aftermath of the story set in 'The two of us' but is from the female point of view of the lady in question who, in times of calm reflection, realises she's better off out of the relationship.

In remembering that these songs were first written in the 1990s when misogyny was more widespread and less acknowledged, it addresses how the lady overcomes this and the role she is expected to play by her partner.

At first, she blames herself as the pain of the break up aches and bites all day and night. She feels her best days are slipping away. At these times she's scared of being alone and dreams of being in love again.

The more she dreams of this the more she realises there are better days to come, and she starts to feel good about being on her own again, until she is ready to meet someone new. She finds herself again.

The glare of apathy from her friends only serves to strengthen her resolve. She can't believe they expect her to crumble without her partner. Like the words "we're sorry for your loss" at a funeral, she finds their words empty and soul-less. She realises she is her own person and is not defined by the expectations of others.

She confronts her partner. Tells him how it is. "You fool. Words can be cruel. You care no more for me it's all about you."

It is he that crumbles. He finally tells her she's right under the weight of his sorrow. "He said he knew that it was true," and in his own calm reflective hours he thinks of her.

The last line of the song "And in these dark and desperate hours I think of you" is a nod to the song's original title "Dark and desperate hours," after the man in the relationship realises how he treated her and never expected her to move on to better things.

In redefining the song from its original version, calm reflective tries to recognise the struggles women have against overly dominant men in their relationships, and the expectations they have of the female role as wives, mothers and sex objects, rather than appreciate them for who they are and want to be.