Anna
Anna is an indie twee pop song by Hello Saferide. It was composed by Annika Norlin and first released as a single on 2008-03-22, then released as track 8 on the album More Modern Short Stories From Hello Saferide on 2008-09-27. A remix of the song was released on the B-side of the X Telling Me About the Loss of Something Dear, At Age 16 single on 2008-12-10.
I listened to this song shortly after learning about Hello Saferide and found it to be one of my favorites. In the video, Annika overwhelms an early boyfriend with a scrapbook she's made of the two of them with their future daughter causing the boyfriend to bolt. However, the lyrics don't demand a pushy girlfriend so much as a women whose future dreams have been crushed because of a breakup. Whether it's related to her dreams of her future daughter are not explicit in the lyrics, and this may just be a different narrative presented by the video's writer. In general, I think it's quite common for people who want children to consider what their future kids will be like when they're in a happy relationship.
The lyrics, Annika's vocals, and the music are all pretty simple, but that doesn't hurt the song at all. It's still a nice bittersweet song. The single cover, a bird returning to an egg in its nest, nicely symbolizes the song.
Lyrics
You know, we could have had a daughter. And we could have named her "Anna." And she would have been a sweetheart, But with punk rock manners. Could have supported us when we retire, bought us a cottage near the countryside. You could have taught her to play hockey. I could have taught her the guitar. Her granddad could have shown her the way to the bar. Could have supported us when we retire, bought us a cottage near the countryside. We would have made the neighbors jealous. We could have barbecues at nights. With our collected brain resources, she would have an IQ of one hundred and fifty five. Could have supported us when we retire, bought us a cottage near the countryside. She would have won the Nobel Prize. And thanked her mama for all the good advice. And we could have gone swimming near that cottage by the lake. And she'd never have to know what it's like when your heart breaks. When your heart breaks... When your heart breaks... When your heart breaks... When your heart breaks... Could have supported us when we retire, bought us a cottage near the countryside. Could have supported us when we retire, bought us a cottage near the countryside. She would've married a Kennedy! She would have found the cure for HIV! Well, I'm real sorry Anna--you never got to be. Cause your daddy moved on and left me. Could have supported us when we retire, bought us a cottage near the countryside.
Videos
- youtube.com/watch?v=ojE7J6O1D6A - Official video.
- youtube.com/watch?v=wTtuYjjhyRc - Live at Storsjöyran in Östersund, 2009-08-01.
- youtube.com/watch?v=4z2aUtyj-RM - Acoustic version.
Links
- songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858737244 - Song Meanings.
