Down Across The Sea

The Marias “Back to Me”

There’s a few lines scattered throughout “Back to Me” that nudge you towards interpreting the character in the song as delusional or stalker-ish in a lightly humorous way. I’ll be real with you – I think that’s just hedging, or a shake of salt and pepper to cut through the overwhelming sweetness of the music. They can dial back the earnestness a little bit, but it’s still an extremely earnest song about being jealous of your ex’s new partner and pleading with them to take you back. And crucially, it’s not about that in some dark or creepy way. It’s all genuinely achingly romantic, and there’s a touch of innocence to how María Zardoya sings it that I’d compare to how Susanna Hoffs sang The Bangles’ “Eternal Flame.” The lyrics don’t give you any reason to believe she’ll be successful in wooing them back, but there’s hope and real love in her heart.

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