Song of the Day: The Euphoria of the World Coming to an End
There’s something hauntingly optimistic about Euphoria’s suicide letter to the world. It must be the line “I’m off to start again with a world that is my friend.” I suppose it is fitting that the last song on this band’s only album would be about saying goodbye.
The 1969 song cycle A Gift from Euphoria more than lives up to its name. It is an absolutely fascinating album and it deserves to be listened to and embraced in its entirety. From psychedelia to country rock to bluegrass to a few (slightly over the top) orchestral arrangements, A Gift from Euphoria, leaves no stone unturned. It is a masterpiece of its era and it wears quite well today.
Like so many gifts, Euphoria’s offering was basically ignored upon its release (“world, you’ve let me down again”). They were of their time, but so far ahead of it. No wonder the melancholy of being unappreciated aches through this album’s grooves. In a parallel world, they were on the top of the charts. It’s heartbreaking to think that in their own self-sabotaging self-prophecy, the only way they thought they would get there would be via suicide. After all, 1969 offered many ways to make that cosmic leap – LSD comes to mind. When they sang, “world, I hope we meet again someday” I doubt they were thinking about scraps of critical acclaim scattered across the internet. But, for now, that’ll just have to do.
In case that’s making a razor blade and a bottle full of sleeping pills look good, cleanse your head here ….
lonesomebeehive 