Kiss You Once More

Marcia Griffiths “Tell Me Now”

“Tell Me Now” has such a warm and laid back rocksteady feeling to it that it took me quite a while to notice that Marcia Griffiths is actually singing a sad song. This is basically a song about a woman who knows she’s in a relationship that’s about to end, and she’s just earnestly wanting to hold on just a bit longer. There’s no trace of anger in Griffiths’ voice, just a longing so genuine and pure that I’d always just interpreted lines like “I’d like to kiss you once more” as being about missing someone in the short term, not fearing that you’re about to lose them entirely. This is not to say that Griffiths’ performance is misleading. It’s rather nuanced, and gives us a moment in a breakup where at least one half of the couple feels a genuine affection for the other.

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