Video Analysis: Olly Murs ~ Dear Darlin'

The single choices so far from Olly Murs ace (of base) third album, Right Time Right Place, have been a creative and marketing triumph. Troublemaker was a deliciously upbeat & catchy pop song (that was surely one of the best songs of 2012) & Army of Two was just the type of anthemic call to arms the world needed to blow off those wintry blues (& indeed sounded like some forgotten offspring of the equally epic Sowing The Seeds of Love by Tears For Fears). With single number three, Olly has plumped for Dear Darlin' - co-written (no less) with the always amazing Ed Drewett & Jim Eliot, both of whom took on producing duties also. It's a huge ballad, performed with gravitas by Olly as he pours his heart into delivering those introspective & brutally honest lyrics. There's also a lovely melody flowing throughout the song. And while it is certainly Olly's voice that gives the song it's devastating heart and soul, it's amply aided by the exquisitely put together instrumentals. These create as much atmosphere & emotion as Olly does himself. It starts with a doleful piano, aurally recreating the tender sadness & uncertainty that accompanies the start of any letter of this ilk. This is followed by a pulsing beat that acts as the quickening heartbeat Olly has due to the nerves of putting his most intimate thoughts onto paper. These aren't just instruments accompanying the song - they make it a living, breathing work of art and the listener is all the more rewarded for it. The chorus sees a sumptuous layering of percussion, piano, chimes and sound effects to represent the increasing confidence, belief and passion behind the lyrics, mirroring the creative flow of when you really become immersed in the writing process. (Note - the instruments give the track a real live organic feel that flows beautifully. The addition of strings in the second chorus create both an elegant and elegiac effect that is hard to resist)... One of the most intricate parts of the song comes after Olly delivers one of the most gut wrenching middle 8s I have heard in a long time. He sings "these arms are yours to hold" with such grace and wistful pathos that it's genuinely breathtaking. The instrumental that comes straight after is so brilliantly soaring that it tempers the sadness with an optimism & hope that cannot be contained by your speakers/headphones. Absolutely not only Olly's finest single to date (in a long run of fine singles) but a brilliant example of pop song construction that intricately involves the listener in the lyrical relationship. Stunning. And here's what's occuring in the video...

• Olly is alone in his apartment. He is naturally a bit sad having buggered up his relationship. On the plus side, his hair looks stunning and he has arms to die for...
• He crumples up his first attempt at a letter. I'm impressed that he is not reaching out via email. As old people all over the world will tell you, there is something so much more personal about putting pen to paper. They will then offer you a butterscotch and ask if you've met a nice girl yet. Sheesh! PS my OCD is not impressed that Olly has just chucked said crumpled up letter on the floor. I am fighting an urge to go round and tidy up...
• In the background, ghosts of memories fade in and out. Olly and his Lady moving in, Olly and his Lady having a cheeky but quite tender looking smooch. Lovely touch. It's a bit like Annie in Being Human...
• Olly turns to his guitar for inspiration but has no luck. He looks very despondent the poor fella (pause at 37s) and might be getting a headache...
• "And if my words break through the wall and meet you at your door, All I can say is 'Girl, I mean them all'" HEARTBREAKING...
• Chorus alert! Lady has got the letter. She looks a bit hesitant about reading it. If this was a US teen drama season finale, she'd read it and they'd both run through the streets to each other. In the rain. However, the look on her face and Olly pacing around the apartment is a much subtler way of conveying the emotions...
• 1m13s - Olly pops on a pair of very expensive looking headphones (which reminds me, should I upgrade my in-ear buds for some on ear eleganza?!) He is probably listening to Hold On by Wilson Phillips. That is my go to song (way before Bridesmaids because I am old) whenever I feel gloomy or depressed...
• The Memory Ghosts of Relationship Past are now re-enacting the arguments and Lady leaving. I'm not sure how you could leave Olly when he is wearing those quite snug jeans and adorable cap, but then a lot of people are far less shallow than I am :)
• Olly pops on a denim jacket (denim is SO in right now. B*witched and Shakin' Stevens must be thrilled) and goes for a little lollygag around the city. Meanwhile in a denim shirt and a hat that Debbie Gibson wore through most of the 80s, Lady peruses a menu and while she really wants a great honking burger with all the trimmings, with her figure she probably orders a nice salad. Which is the difference between her and me - and why she has a stunning figure & I am morphing into an Anne Widdicombe lookalikey...
• Atop a very high building, Olly is in a brown grandad shirt and braces. If you pause at exactly 2m3s he looks like he is going to say quite a rude word. I can confirm that the video and lyrical content is perfectly suitable for work and is just one of those freeze frame coincidences. Phew, eh, Mary Whitehouse?!
• Reminders of the letter exist all around Lady - a visual manifestation of what's playing on her mind. Again, done in a lovely way - words in a coffee cup foam, writing on the board of a busker. When drenched in emotion, the mind manifests what you want to see everywhere...
• BEST BIT OF VIDEO/SONG ALERT: As stated in the description before the bullet points, the middle 8 is one of the most heartwrenching things you will hear - and see - all year. Olly sings "I can't cope/these arms are yours to hold" as the music crescendos behind him. As it reaches it's pinnacle, the look of internal pain on Olly's face is matched only by the shattering realisation of what's been lost etched into his girl's face (pause at 2m49s). It. Is. Beautiful. I actually did get a bit tearful watching it - I'm often glib in these video write ups, but this is the most affecting few seconds that spell out a thousand words and more. Bravo to all involved...
• (There is hope at the end as the story is reversed and Olly awaits to become the recipient of the letter that his girl is now trying to write. Symmetry)