From the opening chords, “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star wrenches your heart. The soulful, sad lyrics about unrequited love underscore the tear-jerking nature of the song. The song is so effective that it’s been featured in more than 30 television programs and movies. It has appeared in both its original form and as a succession of covers by artists like Kelly Clarkson and Ben Harper. Some of the programs and movies include “The Vampire Diaries,” “The Crown,” and “Justice League.” The song’s undeniable power and relatable content for all age groups contribute to its great flexibility in soundtracks of all kinds.

A Classical Connection

In 1774, 18-year-old Mozart composed the bassoon concerto, K.191, in a single day for a patron of his named Thaddäus Freiherr von Dürnitz. It became the most important piece in the professional bassoonist’s repertoire. Mazzy Star also completed “Fade Into You” in a single day, and it’s likely that the song will occupy the same place in the lovelorn person’s repertoire as Mozart’s charming concerto does for the bassoonist. The song has also been described as having fallen “out of the ether” in the same manner as an apple fell to the ground next to Isaac Newton, inspiring his working out of the law of gravity. The irony is that the band didn’t even try to write a hit song; the members just wanted to write a song. It was only afterwards that it spoke so powerfully to people of all ages who had experienced heartache in relationships.

The Harshness of Truth

The underlying theme of the song is the juxtaposition of two kinds of truth. The first is the truth of the singer’s feelings toward the person of her affection. She yearns. She desires. She pines for this person, voice heavy with ill-tasting syrup and melancholy. Her feelings are true and not just fly-by-night. The problem is that the unforgiving reality of the situation is that her “person” just doesn’t have the same feelings back. That truth is what shatters her reverie of love and creates the sadness in her soul. You can almost hear the unsaid, “But … but …,” underlying every word in the song. The ultimate tragedy is that the singer doesn’t value her identity as herself anymore. In her mind, she only has worth by “fading into” her love interest and just becoming part of that person.

Lyrics

I want to hold the hand inside you
I want to take the breath that’s true
I look to you, and I see nothing
I look to you to see the truth

You live your life, you go in shadows
You’ll come apart, and you’ll go black
Some kind of night into your darkness
Colors your eyes with what’s not there

Fade into you
Strange you never knew
Fade into you
I think it’s strange you never knew

A stranger’s light comes on slowly
A stranger’s heart without a home
You put your hands into your head
And then smiles cover your heart

Fade into you
Strange you never knew
Fade into you
I think it’s strange you never knew

Fade into you
Strange you never knew
Fade into you
I think it’s strange you never knew

I think it’s strange you never knew

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Hope Sandoval / David Roback

Fade Into You lyrics © Salley Gardens Publishing, Sand Devil Music

Listeners of music from the 1990’s, might also appreciate the song Nothing Else Matters by Metallica.