Fairweather Friend (lyrics & your thoughts)

[lavender skies]

Maybe I'm completely making this up but I thought it was a letter that she found from Uma Thurman, who Stephan used to date. And they were talking about getting married blah blah blah but Stephen never wanted that for them.

[sarab]

for some reason it never clicked with me that she had read a letter to someone else.  I had always thought it was a letter to her (like a breakup letter) until at the Buffalo show she said "never read letters that aren't intended for you."  I don't remember her ever saying that before in any live performance I had heard.  I connect with the song on a different level now because I too once read a letter that wasn't intended for me and found out my boyfriend at the time was cheating (he went to a different high school so it was very easy for him). 

I should go back and listen to the first version again.  I'm guessing this is one of the songs that KT tunstal said was too dark!

Why hasn't that one occurred to be before? (but I think that that song was somewhat related to lavender or something)

I think that the candidness of the lyrics here, the rawness of it, is something I never expected. But the best thing about the premier, I must say, is how V threw the words - with power and force. Maybe, there was even a tinge of anger... Or bitterness. Or maybe it's just powerful, not the sweet approach in Rabbits.

it's funny you mention the power and force and the tinge of anger or bitterness because at the last show I went to there was subtle bitterness and kind of.. smirk/smugness when she sang "your age is showing and you gotta work harder for it." i wish I could get the video up for everyone to see but Im not sure you can tell in the video.

I'm not sure what the gossip is around the letter, just what's come from her mouth.  My musing is that it might be a younger woman who was writing to him talking about marriage -- and maybe he indulged this other woman and they were dating while he was still with Vanessa.  I liken it to my own experience which was I found out my then boyfriend indulged this girl who he said wouldn't leave him alone.  so he planned on "dating" her for a week or so then he planned to break up with her (all this while still being with me). 

[Manny]

You can heard her saying very clearly and with so much emotion the line " got you rmessage glad you are doing well. "  I have noticed it in almost every performance of the song.

[beautydivine]

Isn't it possible that FF may not even be based on a relationship of hers? Who knows, she could be writing about a specific experience of some young woman that she imagined. I try to avoid thinking this is about Stephan now, because once it's playing out loud on shuffle, I immediately think "the stephan song".  So now, it's just about some chick who found a letter that her lover wrote on a full-moon Sunday, to some other girl with his spellcasting plans for a life. Heheh. 

[SunflowerLeah]

It's such a lovely song. I wasn't too into it at first, but I've really started to like it a lot more than I did before! I always find myself humming the beat of the song, it's rather catchy.

I have a question, what does "Fairweather Friend" mean?

[beautydivine]

It's such a lovely song. I wasn't too into it at first, but I've really started to like it a lot more than I did before! I always find myself humming the beat of the song, it's rather catchy.

I have a question, what does "Fairweather Friend" mean?

I totally understand your initial attitude towards it. If you watch the vid of the premiere of the song, you might fall in love with that version instead The ROTR version is still beautiful, but seems more toned down, even a little less passionate than the previous draft.

From what I pick up whenever I hear the term, "Fairweather Friend" refers to a companion (friend or relationship partner) that sticks with you through circumstances that are good and benefit him/her, but drops you like a ball once trouble stirs. I'd say this one of the worst types of friends, merely because he/she is not a friend (by definition) ! Hope that clarifies  

[[sobriquet]]

for some reason it never clicked with me that she had read a letter to someone else.  I had always thought it was a letter to her (like a breakup letter) until at the Buffalo show she said "never read letters that aren't intended for you."  I don't remember her ever saying that before in any live performance I had heard.  I connect with the song on a different level now because I too once read a letter that wasn't intended for me and found out my boyfriend at the time was cheating (he went to a different high school so it was very easy for him). 

I should go back and listen to the first version again.  I'm guessing this is one of the songs that KT tunstal said was too dark!

Why hasn't that one occurred to be before? (but I think that that song was somewhat related to lavender or something)

I think that the candidness of the lyrics here, the rawness of it, is something I never expected. But the best thing about the premier, I must say, is how V threw the words - with power and force. Maybe, there was even a tinge of anger... Or bitterness. Or maybe it's just powerful, not the sweet approach in Rabbits.

it's funny you mention the power and force and the tinge of anger or bitterness because at the last show I went to there was subtle bitterness and kind of.. smirk/smugness when she sang "your age is showing and you gotta work harder for it." i wish I could get the video up for everyone to see but Im not sure you can tell in the video.

I'm not sure what the gossip is around the letter, just what's come from her mouth.  My musing is that it might be a younger woman who was writing to him talking about marriage -- and maybe he indulged this other woman and they were dating while he was still with Vanessa.  I liken it to my own experience which was I found out my then boyfriend indulged this girl who he said wouldn't leave him alone.  so he planned on "dating" her for a week or so then he planned to break up with her (all this while still being with me). 

I'd like to see that one.

And about the gossip, well, there wasn't much about it aside from the lyrics in the first verse before:

Found your letter on a full moon Sunday night
On your knees on ink, you offered a ring, a real life
Pour the vodka, and it dulls sharp knives
Beautiful poetry, but the letter isn't for me

And of course, the second verse, which said it all...

It's always easier with freshman
I'm just as clever, it's not technically cheating

If I didn't really mean it..

It must had been so hard writing candid words like these...

You can heard her saying very clearly and with so much emotion the line "got you rmessage glad you are doing well. "  I have noticed it in almost every performance of the song.

...And yet, it's equally hard to write this line too.

I wonder what's in her mind every time she sings it. But I'm happy somehow that she changed the lyrics. I mean, it must be a sign of moving on.

[SunflowerLeah]

It's such a lovely song. I wasn't too into it at first, but I've really started to like it a lot more than I did before! I always find myself humming the beat of the song, it's rather catchy.

I have a question, what does "Fairweather Friend" mean?

I totally understand your initial attitude towards it. If you watch the vid of the premiere of the song, you might fall in love with that version instead The ROTR version is still beautiful, but seems more toned down, even a little less passionate than the previous draft.

From what I pick up whenever I hear the term, "Fairweather Friend" refers to a companion (friend or relationship partner) that sticks with you through circumstances that are good and benefit him/her, but drops you like a ball once trouble stirs. I'd say this one of the worst types of friends, merely because he/she is not a friend (by definition) ! Hope that clarifies  

I'll have to watch that video, thank you!

And thank you for the information. I was not sure what the word meant, but the way you described it, it makes a lot of sense now.