2018 Patriots Have Found a Way

You know things have been going well the last 18 years when many fans are restless and worried about a season where the Patriots are 10-5 with yet another division title already wrapped up. With one game left, the Patriots are almost guaranteed a bye in the first round of the playoffs, barring what would be a disastrous home loss to the lowly Jets.

It’s been quite a run, with the Patriots winning the AFC East 16 of 18 times since 2001 and hoisting the Lombardi Trophy 5 times in 8 trips to the Super Bowl. In a year where critics say Brady has looked old and is all washed up, New England has found its way into the number 2 seed in the AFC, still having faint hopes at stealing the number 1 seed.

They haven’t been dominant this year. At times, they have been flat-out bad. Yet, here they are, right in the mix for another trip to the Super Bowl in a wide open AFC. Sure, the Chiefs or Chargers will likely get the number 1 seed, but neither looks to be miles ahead of the field. The Patriots even beat the Chiefs in a shootout at Gillette in October. The season hasn’t been pretty, but they have found a way.

Looking back, it is amazing how many times people thought the run which has lasted 18 years so far was over. How many times “experts” proclaimed Brady and his team’s success to be finished. Time and time again, they have proved everyone wrong.

Brady posted an Instagram photo before the Bills game that said “New England vs. everybody” and “Still Here.” He’s not blind to the critics; it seems they motivate him more than anything. Many had counted them out after losing two straight to the Dolphins and Steelers. Instead of folding against the Bills yesterday, they figured out how to beat the number 1 passing defense in the NFL: run, run, and run some more.

They even got help from an unlikely source yesterday, when Nick Foles led the Eagles to a victory over the Texans. That gave the Patriots the number 2 seed over the Texans by virtue of a win over them in the first week of the season. In that game, a close one decided by one touchdown, it may not have been pretty, but they found a way.

The Pats may not be quite at the level of some other championship teams we’ve seen in the past. They may not have explosive wide receivers like Randy Moss. Brady hasn’t necessarily been launching bombs for touchdowns this year. However, they are the only undefeated team at home this year and will host at least 1 playoff game, giving them a good shot to at least go to the AFC Championship game.

So, for Patriots fans, it’s almost time to sit back, relax, and get ready to enjoy the playoff run, no matter how short or long it is. Who knows how many more years there will be with Brady and Belichick leading the team. It’s hard to truly appreciate something when you are in the middle of it, but some day, years later, the fans will look back at these years as the glory days of the franchise.

With 5 Super Bowl titles already accumulated, anything else is just gravy. Well, maybe not. It is New England, after all.

Speak to Me- Amy Lee Song Analysis

When I was in school, I always enjoyed analyzing poems and songs to find the deeper meaning of the lyrics. It interests me how writers choose different words to convey meaning, why they say one thing rather than another or leave words out. I did it before in this blog with “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman and wanted to do it again here with a song by Amy Lee called “Speak to Me.”

Amy Lee, who became famous as the lead singer of Evanescence when she was around 21 in 2003 with the hit “Bring me to Life” grew up, as people do, and became a mother a few years ago. She wrote this particular song for a movie but also drew inspiration from her personal experiences as a new mom.

I knew some of the Evanescence songs growing up, but lately I have really grown to appreciate just how good Amy Lee is as a vocalist. Her voice is rich and has a classical/operatic sound to it. Many have called it “haunting” and I feel it is in a very beautiful way. I always feel soothed when listening to her.

I think it’s a great thing when artists evolve and change their styles based on what is going on in their lives. There is a stark contrast between “Bring me to Life” from 2003 and “Speak to Me” from 14 years later in 2017. In “Bring me to Life”, the tone is very dark and gloomy, with the music video matching it. “Speak to Me” has a lighter and soothing feel, with the music video being very beautiful to match. Personally, I like both songs, but I’d have to pick the song with more depth and say I like Amy Lee’s sound better in “Speak to Me.”

“Speak to Me” is, from my interpretation, basically about a mom talking to her child and letting him know (the music video shows a boy) he is always loved. Obviously, this made me think of my mom and the love she showed me, so I sprinkled in a bit of my thoughts about that too.

This song almost feels like a lullaby to me. It opens with the soft and calming words of “Be still my love.” I feel this sets the tone and conveys the loving and warm feel she is going for throughout.

The words “speak to me” are repeated several times throughout the song. Usually, when an artist does this, it is intentional and for effect. In this instance, I think Lee is trying to get the message across that a mother simply wants to feel the same love from her child that she gives to them. She wants to hear the child’s voice, to have it interact with her.

I really liked the lyric “The space between is just a dream.” I think this is getting at the fact that no matter how far you may be in distance with your mom, no matter what kind of emotional fights or barriers may come in between, it is never enough to break the love a mother has. I feel this is true with me and my mom, as even when I was in college and somewhat far away, I felt her love. Whether it was on the phone or through Skype calls, she always got her love through and it seems to me that Amy Lee is saying mothers will always find a way to let their child or children know they are loved.

The same sentiment is echoed when she says, “We are one breath apart, my love.” Again, Lee is driving the message home that a child and its mother are forever connected. They are always going to be linked together even when miles away.

Another of my favorite lyrics is “Nothing in this world can hold me back from breaking through to you.” Here, we see that the mother will stop at nothing to get to her child, show him love and affection. The “motherly love” can give strength that is hard to fathom at times and only a mother truly knows. The amount of strength my mother showed even when she was sick is something amazing. I will never quite know how she did it.

At one point, Lee talks about holding her breath in until her and the child are together. This captures the motherly sacrifices perfectly. She is saying here how she will do anything for her child, even go through pain by holding her breath. Though I have obviously never been a mom, I have seen the truth in this exemplified by my mom and other moms over the years.

I think Amy’s voice here is incredible. Her emotion and personal understanding of the lyrics is evident when she sings. The listener can truly feel what she is trying to convey and know it is genuine. Even when she does go high, it still has that soothing quality in my mind.

This song can apply to any type of love, really, even though it was specifically written by a mother to her child. It seems to have the ability to appeal to a wide audience, as seen by the 9 million views on YouTube. Moms especially will resonate with this song, but any music lover can appreciate the beauty of her voice and its overall arrangement. I’d certainly suggest giving it a listen. I don’t think you would regret it.