1. Lost Love

2. -The theme of lost love takes many forms:
-love isn’t lost, only interrupted for a time.
-giving up on the idea of recapturing love.
-how much the old love changed the person.
-Whatever the theme, songs about lost love can move listeners to tears or melancholy memories.

3. Tragic Love in Opera and Musical Theater
-The three thematic states of love – lost, sought, or found – can be readily seen in classical music.
-As in popular music, expressions of lost love outnumber songs celebrating the joys of love.
-The tragedy of lost love is conveyed in the opera Madama Butterfly (1904) by Giacomo Puccini
-has become popular because of the realistic action with credible human characters
Giacomo Puccini

4. Madama Butterfly
-Madama Butterfly recounts the tragic relationship between a young Japanese woman and an American naval officer.
-At the age of 15, Butterfly marries the visiting lieutenant, who promptly abandons her.
-Despite Butterfly’s responsibility as a single parent for raising their son, she remains hopeful about their marriage.
-In the famous aria “Un bel di” (“One fine day”), she fantasizes about her husbands return and their ensuing happiness.
-Unfortunately, when he does arrive, 3 years later, he is accompanied by his new wife from the United States.
-Realizing that her love has been an illusion, Madame Butterfly blindfolds her son and then stabs herself to death.
Un bel di – Madame Butterfly

5. -The musical debuted in London, England.
Miss Saigon
-In 1989, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alan Boublil created a modern remake of the Madama Butterfly story.
-The musical debuted in London, England.
-The plot is set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War.
-Stationed in Saigon, an American Marine named Chris falls in love with and marries Kim, a young Vietnamese woman.
-As the war escalates, the city of Saigon falls. In the frantic confusion, the lovers are separated, and Kim is left behind at the gates of the American Embassy.
-She watches in sorrow as her husband is forced to leave, not knowing she is pregnant.
-Kim holds out hope for Chris’s return, and in the song, “I Still Believe,” she expresses her longing for the comfort they found in each others arms.
-Her dream shatters when Chris returns to Southeast Asia with Ellen, his new American wife.
-Kim takes her own life to ensure the future of her son in America.
I Still Believe – Miss Saigon

6. Lost Love in the Blues
-For blues artists, lost love provides ample material for “singing the blues”.
-A great majority of recorded blues songs address problems in relationships.
-Muddy Waters - sings about the “sad, sad day when my baby she went away”.
-B. B. King – In “The Thrill is Gone” laments in the first chorus that his woman “done me wrong”.
Sad Sad Day – Muddy Waters Muddy Waters B.B. King
The Thrill is Gone – B.B. King

7. -Usually songs of this type can be sad and mournful.
-Unrequited love – love that is not returned – represents another area of commentary on relationships we find in the blues.
-Usually songs of this type can be sad and mournful.
-However, blues musician Bonnie Raitt tackles this subject in a refreshingly upbeat manner in “I Can’t Help You Now”.
I Can’t Help You Now – Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Raitt

8. -These styles were popular in Mexico in the 19th century.
Mexican Love Songs
-Love songs in Mexico have a romantic flavor reminiscent of European styles of singing – especially those of Italian opera.
-This influence came when the Mexican people were exposed to European opera in the 1800’s.
-These styles were popular in Mexico in the 19th century.
-Today the love song thrives in the canción ranchera (kahn-see-ohn rahn-cheh-rah), or “country song” often played by mariachi.
-Like love songs of other cultures, the canción ranchera speaks of love lost, sought, or found.
-In “Se me olvido otra vez” (“I forgot once again”), a lonely woman repeatedly visits the place where she fell in love. Sadly, the familiar surroundings make her forget that her love was not returned.
Se me olvido otra vez (with English translation)

9. -Most canción rancheras have a simple A A B structure.
-Following an instrumental introduction, the vocalist sings an additional section (B) that has a different character.
-Then, the singer sings an additional section (B) that has a different character.
-Next comes a short instrumental interlude.
-Finally the song repeats the A stanzas and the B section before coming to an end.
-The instrumental introduction and interlude are usually derived from the vocal melody, often the B section.
-Canciónes rancheras have been recorded by a wide variety of solo artists and groups throughout the Americas.
-Individuals often perform them at celebrations and at karaoke settings.

10. Accepting the Loss of Love
-When with someone special, people tend to believe that everything will be permanent. However, this may fade.
-A couple may find that they really are not suited for a long-term relationship.
-The first classic example of this is the duet “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton.
-Was covered by Whitney Houston for the movie The Bodyguard.
-A more modern version about this same topic is “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye.
I Will Always Love You – Dolly Parton and Vince Gill
I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
Somebody That I Used to Know – Gotye