While glancing over a kiteboarding video the other day, all of a sudden magic struck. The 
video used a soundtrack that was so captivating that I had to go on the hunt. Why had I never heard this cool song before? Who was the band and where were they from? What was this song all about?
We all know the feeling of hearing something so fresh and novel, that, ironically, its virtue comes from the fact that it was only done once. Perhaps many an artist or scholar in confessional would admit they were blessed to derive one original idea, and were equally blessed to build a career on its variation. Remember the joke about the Renaissance “pop star” Vivaldi? “He wrote one piece a thousand times.”
To bring something important into the world – and not personally capitalize from it – seems foolish in light of our fetish for hyper vanity . Indeed, the profiteers of our age will give no consideration to those who cannot envision a successful second act. The ritualistic sand mandala has no place in a world driven to milk success for as long as we can.
On my hunt for the mystery band, the clues became equally captivating. While the song is sung in English, the group is from Italy. While the song captures the best sound of the 1980’s, it was written in 2009. Perhaps most endearing is that the original EP was free to all, and just needed the group’s permission for commercial use.
It is by luck that I found the title of the song captured in the refrain. The song is “Let Me Go,” by Lorelayne, and I found it on YouTube only because a devotee made a music video (worthy of its own commentary). What happened to Lorelayne? On Myspace they claim they are “available for bookings and universal love.” On Facebook, I had the honor of posting the one hundredth like. Buried under the weight of pop divas who get hundreds of millions of hits on Youtube, Lorelayne gets slightly over 4000.
Of course, there is always the possibility that I am delusional about the quality of the song, but I will stand by my claim that “Let Me Go” is a one-hit wonder. It captures the essence of 1980’s pop very well, and the lyrics are compelling enough. Yet, beyond the music is the unique feature of one-hit wonders: We are drawn into an enigma as to why artists instantaneous brilliance could not translate into a long career of success.
To hear “Let Me Go” by Lorelayne
Gnostic Green 