Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Fitzsimon and Brogan have, like wine, only grown to be better and finer with the passage of time. Upon the disbandment of Pretty Blue Gun in the 90s, the London-based pop duo started working together and have over the course of their fruitful partnership released wonderful music that has earned them a loyal following among Pop and Rock fans.
Their 2020 LP This Wicked Pantomime was their fifth full-length project as a duo. A comprehensive and cohesive body of work in which Fitzsimon’s stellar song-writing and Brogan’s powerful vocal abilities shines through, the LP had several standout songs, one of which was Persuasion.
The song Persuasion is a gleeful pop song peppered with rock influences in which Brogan in her honeyed, mellow voice sings about the tension and frustration that arises when there is communication breakdown between two people in an amorous relationship and in which consensus is never realized. There is a palpable exasperation in Brogan’s voice as she laments just how difficult it is for her to get through to her partner and get them to see things from her point of view.
The sequence in the lyrics of the song is amazing as the ideas flow seamlessly making the song sound like a chronological story being told. The lively instrumental is vibrant but sounds disgruntled and plaintive which gives FaB a perfect foundation upon which to lay the song. The lyrics “I’ve tried persuasion, it’s all that’s left in me” is an expression of the emotional fatigue due to the breakdown in communication.
Some of the lyrics such as “And now I believe the truth I was told, that all that glitters won’t turn into gold” express regret over the union while words such as “I know one day I’m gonna find something that will change your mind” express the hope of future rapprochement and harmony.
Persuasion is a great song to listen to when feeling introspective and withdrawn especially concerning matters of love. The song finds FaB at the peak of their musical creativity and will surely have lasting power in the playlists of FaB fans.
–Kenneth Dwyer
