JUKEBOX: "Riptide" by Vance Joy

James Keogh (pseudonym: Vance Joy)

Hello! Lia here with a song from up-and-comer musician.

I just heard "Riptide" on the radio today so I did a little digging on who sings this song and found out it was an Australian who goes by the name Vance Joy (real name: James Keogh). His first EP, God Loves You When You're Dancing, dropped last year featuring this song. I also learned he was a football (or soccer) player in the Coburg Football Club in Australia back in 2008 and 2009. In an interview by The Telegraph, Joy mentioned that he was influenced by music from the '70s and wrote songs to procrastinate from getting his law degree. He is actually a year away from finishing school, but he took the year off to write music. I would say that was a very good decision.

"Riptide" is a refreshing take on that folk-y sound everyone seems to love. The melody is easy to listen to and reminds me of relaxing days on the beach. Now, if you've read my past reviews, you might figure out that I am a lyrics geek. I love finding meaning in what a songwriter/musician is trying to say and then comparing it to its melody. With this song, the meaning isn't so covert. He strings together metaphors about a girl that he's devoted to. Joy sings that this girl looks like "Michelle Pfeiffer" and that he wants to be her "left-hand man," signifying he wants to be with her forever and to marry her. But it seems she's "running down to the riptide" and "taken away to the dark side," meaning she is acting out in a dangerous way or not acting/feeling the way he predicted. There's something in the way that he plays a bright ukulele instead of a darker, deeper guitar to accompany these lyrics. To me, it's a comment on human behavior, how we sometimes act in a different way than we feel because of how we want to be perceived. I tend to enjoy happy things that have a bit of sadness to it, like eating a salted sweet caramel. Maybe Vance Joy is trying to do the same with this song. Also, his voice reminds me of Jeff Buckley and "Riptide" made me think of Peter Bjorn and John's (P B & J!) work.

If you haven't heard this song, listen and watch the music video. It has some insight into the meaning of the song as well.