Music Review: Nelly Furtado "All Good Things (Come To An End)"

Nelly Furtado

All Good Things (Come To An End)

Album: Loose

Year: 2006

          Nelly Furtado is having a hard time coping after an unexpected breakup in the weary ballad   “All Good Things (Come To An End)”

                     An introspective guitar starts the single, setting a funeral tone.  She’s lost without her boyfriend. They had a strong friendship for years before they begin dating. When she graduated high school, he was in the stands, cheering her on as she walked to get to her diploma. She would turn to him when she needed someone to talk to about what was bothering her. He’s been a part of every important moment of her life. She will have important moments in the future and it’s impossible to her to believe he won’t be there. She can’t wrap her mind around it. She tries to convince herself that her life is good. However, she realizes the relationship was one-sided. It was only she was thinking about marriage and their life together. (“Honestly what will become of me/Don't like reality/It's way too clear to me/But really life is dandy/We are what we don't see/Missed everything daydreaming.”)

                     In the chorus, their relationship burned for awhile but is now is a remnant of the past. They are now friends again. However, it’s not the same friendship they had before. It’s over and she knows she will never have that closeness she had with him. (“Flames to dust/Lovers to friends/Why do all good things come to an end/Flames to dust/Lovers to friends/Why do all good things come to an end/Come to an end come to an/Why do all good things come to end?/Come to an end come to an/Why do all good things come to an end?”)

           She’s taking a road trip to clear her head. Every time she thinks she has found a place she may want see, she heads back on the expressway. She’s afraid and anxious, worried  she may always be this way now.  She doesn’t want get attached to anything anymore. It’s easier for her not to get hurt when it doesn’t work out. She’s numb and wants to escape the devastation.  (“Traveling I only stop at exits/Wondering if I'll stay/Young and restless/Living this way I stress less/I want to pull away when the dream dies/The pain sets in and I don't cry/I only feel gravity and I wonder why.”)

           The chorus is sung again.

        In the bridge, mortality crosses her mind. She relates to the stray dogs she sees in the city. Some used to have homes but are now alone. They have no one and bawl every night, waiting for their misery to be over. (“Well the dogs were whistling a new tune/Barking at the new moon/Hoping it would come soon so that they could/Dogs were whistling a new tune/Barking at the new moon/Hoping it would come soon so that they could/Die die die die die.”) 

                 The chorus is sung again.

             As the bridge closes the single, she adds that her world is cruel and downcast. She can only see the clouds gathering around the sun, waiting for the cue for a downpour. As she watches the rain from the porch, her t-shirt sticks to her body and there are goosebumps on her bare arms yet it doesn’t affect her. (“Well the dogs were barking at a new moon/Whistling a new tune/Hoping it would come soon/And the sun was wondering if it should stay away for a day 'til the feeling went away/And the sky was falling on the clouds were dropping and/The rain forgot how to bring salvation/The dogs were barking at the new moon/Whistling a new tune/Hoping it would come soon so that they could die.”)

          Furtado’s hurting, aching vocals grieve for a future she will never have. It has disappeared quickly without warning. Her ex-boyfriend was the love of her life and he’s gone. She will won’t ever see him again. She has no one and feels dead inside. He life has no meaning or purpose to it.

       The loneliness and melancholy she’s feeling are described in excellent metaphors throughout  (courtesy of Furtado, Timbaland, Chris Martin and Nate Hills.) The stray dog comparison in the bridge is the most gut-wrenching.  Driving in the second verse is the most poetic. It takes an emotional meaning of driving away from herself and from moving on.

          The hearbreaking “All Good Things” is a tough listen, requiring lots of tissues.

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