Influenced by "the raw energy of Pixies, Nirvana and 16 Horsepower, the poetry of Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Bob Dylan, and the angst of Depeche Mode and Skip James" Andi has over the last years created his own musical voice. In the past he has been the singer for a number of punk and rock bands, and in 2005 he released his first solo album; "Can't Stop Laughing". While his debut album was very raw and down to the core; vocals, guitars and drums recorded in three days of studio time, his second album "Red Room Stories" (2007) is more cinematic and haunting, a bigger and heavier sound with Sara Jefta on violins and guest musicians from “Moonbabies” and “Sobsister”.
Listen to Andi Almqvist's music on www.andialmqvist.com.
Midnight
Andi Almqvist Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A trinket made of tin
A faded photograph inside a splintery frame
She left a scented note
An acid anecdote
A tale of woe, she wrote her love for me had died
Midnight, there is only midnight
There will be no morning light
Our immortality
Was a fatality
A dusty library where all the books had burned
She spoke of foreign lands
The trembling of her hands
Revealed a longing for the things I could not give
Midnight, there is only midnight
There will be no morning light
Isabella is gone
Midnight, the clock has stopped at midnight
There will be no morning light
Isabella is gone
I dine alone tonight
By dancing candlelight
I set the table with a single cover
A cup of emptiness
A plate of bitterness
And it must all be chewed between the teeth of time
Midnight, there is only midnight
There will be no morning light
Isabella is gone
Midnight, the clock has stopped at midnight
There will be no morning light
Isabella is gone
Isabella is gone
The lyrics to Andi Almqvist's song Midnight paint a poignant picture of a painful loss. The first verse sets the scene with imagery of a broken violin, a trinket made of tin, and a faded photograph inside a splintery frame. These objects symbolize remnants of a relationship – a broken instrument that can no longer create music, a cheap trinket that holds little value, and a photograph that has lost its luster. The second half of the verse introduces a scented note and an acid anecdote – a letter from the departed lover that contains a tale of woe and a declaration that their love has died.
Moving into the chorus, Almqvist repeats the line "Midnight, there is only midnight" to convey a sense of finality and loneliness. The absence of morning light implies that there is no hope for reconciliation or a new beginning. The second verse describes another relic of the relationship – a dusty library where all the books have burned. The destruction of the books mirrors the destruction of the love between the two people. The subject of the verse, Isabella, speaks of foreign lands and shows physical signs of longing, but the singer is unable to fulfill her desires. The third and final verse depicts the singer dining alone by candlelight, setting the table for a meal with a single cover. The cup of emptiness and plate of bitterness represent the feelings of loss and regret that are left behind after Isabella's departure. The final repetition of "Isabella is gone" echoes the finality of the relationship's end.
Overall, the lyrics to Midnight are a beautifully melancholic portrayal of heartbreak and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
A broken violin
The broken violin symbolizes the dissonance and brokenness of the relationship between the singer and Isabella
A trinket made of tin
The trinket symbolizes the cheapness and superficiality of the relationship
A faded photograph inside a splintery frame
The faded photograph in a splintery frame represents the memory of a past love that is slowly deteriorating
She left a scented note
The scented note represents the emotional residue of the relationship that lingers even after its end
An acid anecdote
The acid anecdote is a bitter, hurtful memory of the past relationship
A tale of woe, she wrote her love for me had died
The tale of woe represents the pain and heartbreak of the singer as Isabella tells him that her love for him has died
Midnight, there is only midnight
At midnight, there is a sense of finality and emptiness as the night will not give way to the morning
There will be no morning light
The absence of morning light represents the end of hope and new beginnings
Isabella is gone
Isabella has left the artist, which has led to a great sense of loss
Our immortality, Was a fatality
The idea of immortality in love has led to their downfall and heartbreak
A dusty library where all the books had burned
The dusty library with burned books represents the lost knowledge and memories of their relationship
She spoke of foreign lands
Isabella had dreams and desires that couldn't be fulfilled by the artist, which led to the relationship's end
The trembling of her hands
The trembling hands represent Isabella's vulnerability and fear in expressing her true desires
Revealed a longing for the things I could not give
Isabella wanted things that the singer was unable to provide, which led to the end of the relationship
I dine alone tonight
The singer is alone and lonely after the end of the relationship
By dancing candlelight
The dancing candlelight represents the fleeting nature of love and the impermanence of life's pleasures
A cup of emptiness
The cup of emptiness symbolizes the emptiness and longing the artist feels after Isabella's departure
A plate of bitterness
The plate of bitterness represents the bitterness and hurt that remains from the failed relationship
And it must all be chewed between the teeth of time
The singer must endure and process the pain of the failed relationship over time
Midnight, the clock has stopped at midnight
The clock stopping at midnight represents the finality and closure of the relationship's end
Isabella is gone
Isabella's departure still weighs heavily on the artist, even at the end of the song
Contributed by Ryan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@FinduzV
Just heard this guy at swedish radio, had to check him up. he did a song together with a dutch girl can`t remember the name but in was soo good, I must hear it again :)
@hallaballooba
Wonderfull! :-)
@cornelisrocks
great video and music. definite 5 stars mc ged
@alekzanders8562
genius idea for video! great song
@Swedishnerd
Andi, your headless dancing skills are amazing :-)
@cemalson
Onekligen Nick Cave-vibbar
@Fimbulfisk
Så sjukt bra! Hela iden med videon är helt underbar. Och angående hans röst så gör den sig bäst precis såhär. Vet inte hur du menar med att utmana sin röst mer..? Skulle han ta i mer eller försöka sjunga mörkare så skulle det kännas fel.. Då är plötsligt prestationen viktigare än känslan och då försvinner hela grejen med hans låtar. Det är helt perfekt som det är nu tycker jag :)
@cemalson
Nick Cave möter Mark Lanegan