June 21, 2010

A letter to MLTR

Guys (I mean the members of MLTR), this is a letter to you. I don't think you'll come across it. But, to quote Harold Robbins, from Never Love A Stranger, "It is strange to write something you know may never be delivered but it is stranger still to imagine it will be."

I wonder if you remember. In Bangalore, in June 2010, you had a small performance-cum-fan interaction in a retail store before your concert that evening. I too got a chance to say something. Well, I became tongue-tied—as I was star struck and nervous—and fumbled and mumbled words that you couldn't understand. Whether you remember it or not is important, what is important is what I wanted to say. And here it is (I hope it reaches you):

I was 17 when I had first fallen in love. (Now I realise it was puppy love, but at that time I was madly in love.) She had big, beautiful eyes. All she needed to do was just look at me once with her those mesmerising, enchanting eyes, and I was in seventh heaven. And that was when I came across your Angel Eyes. She had angel eyes. Your song had the words for my unexpressed feelings: "Angel eyes, rays of hope that hypnotise... Lightning up my life"

I used to become euphoric when she used to "blind me with her light". Ah, your this song was the theme song of my teenage romance. At nights, I would lie on my bed, headphone on, listening to this song over and over, and I used to lose myself in her eyes. The beauty of your song complementing the beauty of her eyes. Ah... The theme song of my first love!

And when it was my last night in the township where I had lived for all the 17 years of my life, I remember listening to Blue Night while staring outside the window. I knew it was our last night there, was looking at the star-studded sky, the view obstructed by the huge tree outside my window. "When the blue night is over my face, under dark side of the world in space..." Was lost in my last blue night in my beloved place.

Well, three years after these things, I had actually fallen in love. True love. And when I was deeply, deeeeeply in love, she abandoned me all of a sudden. And then your Watch Your Back became the theme song of my heartbreak recovery. Yes, "The wolf inside her is never satisfied, she's like a spider and you could be the fly". Exactly, that's how I felt upon discovering the truth about her. Here I felt it, there you sang it!

Well, after she left me, I started my post-graduation and there seriously fell in love with a close friend. I could never tell her. And then More Than A Friend became the theme song of my longing. "Tell me you'll care for me now and forever, I'll give anything to hear you say, that I'm more than a friend." Ditto! Exactly what I used to feel (and still feel)!

I have always found empathy and sympathy in your songs. Could connect to them so easily. Guys, I love you. Thanks for churning out these beautiful songs. They are so close to me. Thanks for doing what you do. Thanks for continuing to do it for so long. Thanks for sticking together and thanks for coming to India. Wonderful performance at night! And I hadn't imagined that you guys speak so well, winning audience with your wit! Hope to see more of you wonderful people...

Love and gratitude
One of your biggest fans
Hemant