(click above to hear song)
I like this song because I feel like it’s an appropriate soundtrack to my doctor and hospital visits. It evokes this mechanical robotic vibe and it feels very institutional. Yet, her singing is melodic over it all which is sort of how I try to approach days like today. There is a lot of harsh reality surrounding me, and I may get upset, but my positive thoughts and strong hope are the equivalent to her soothing tone of voice over the oppressive clanking and hammering.
I read somewhere that Charlotte Gainsbourg came up with the song when she suffered a head trauma and had to go for MRI’s frequently over the course of 6 months. It was the loud clanking sounds that inspire the rhythm to the song.
Anyone who’s been inside one of those scary MRI machines knows about those sounds. They add to the already uncomfortable experience of being tied down and slid into a tunnel. The whole experience is unnerving. Luckily I am not allowed in those machines anymore because of my pacemaker/ defibrillator (no magnets please!).
By the time you’re reading this I will be in my appointment. Here’s to good news.
