Many of us have suffered because of the weight of failing relationships with people we hold in high dear. It is really difficult to accept letting go of a broken relationship, even though sometimes, that's what is best for us and the other party. We try our best to prevent it from falling apart, giving it our all and hoping we succeed in the end. Midwest Indigo is a song which was written with the same intentions in mind.
Bandmates, Tyler and Josh, released Midwest Indigo along with other tracks of the Clancy album on the 24th of May 2024. When asked about the meaning of the song, Tyler said that the song is related to their hometown, Ohio. That could mean that both Tyler and Josh have an estranged relationship with where they grew up. This makes more sense when you look at the title of the song because Ohio is located in the midwest.
Though this song may sound very upbeat and catchy, it carries a lot of heavy emotions with it.
We can see this expressed in the singer's (Tyler) repetition of his unending desire to reconnect with this person who he has a broken relationship with. As he says:
Reaching out on my way home.
You can be so cold,
I'll try again.
You make me sad and second-guess myself,
You can be so cold,
Midwest Indigo.
This other party is described as being cold and continually turns down the singer's attempts to mend their broken relationship. The setting of the music video is a froken lake that's cold and deserted, signifying the cold reception of the other person, where the bandmates are performing without any audience. The only audience that shows up later are two people-- a man and a woman.
This other party remains cold towards Tyler and even becomes hostile by shouting his replies to Tyler's questions, as we see in:
What's your ETA?
Two minutes!!
and
Did you pull up yet?
Not yet!!
The singer stubbornly refuses back down with his efforts and decides to continue trying even though his friend remains cold towards him. He decides to remain patient, faithfully reaching out to his friend in the hope that he would be successful. As he says in:
And I want love,
And sunny days.
I'm a bit too old to run away.
You make me sad and second-guess myself.
You can be so cold...
This song is very relatable for me as is the same with any other person that resonates with it. It lives rent-free in my mind and what I really love about it, is its meaning and how the verses are well-arranged, the significance of repetition in showing his heavy heart.
I hope you enjoyed this song as much as I did. :-)
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Disclaimer: This interpretation of the song is solely based on my opinions. Tyler only made a connection to his hometown. I am not in any way claiming that this is its true meaning or intended purpose. You are very much welcome to share your own interpretation and how this music speaks to you.
Clancy Album cover gotten from Reddit