An emotionally stirring song from his Way to Normal record, Ben Folds captures realization of an apparently married (or at least unavailable) woman who may be experiencing a recurrence of feelings for a forbidden love, a man who left a message with her via "his assistant".
It starts as a perfect spark: "just a thought" How true is it that a spark is all it takes? A note from his assistant. Is the "man" Kylie's boss? Just a businessman who sent a letter via his assistant? But, whatever the case, the point is the message was vague enough, open-ended enough, and out-of-the-blue enough to spark "just a thought" in Kylie's mind.
Ben Folds basically reveals the ending within the hook, as Kylie calls from Connecticut, but as the song progresses, so does the realization of the listener that Kylie's situation, though you may empathize with, is unsympathetic.
We learn in the 2nd verse that Kylie is a married woman of "35 years" who had a one night stand "when the children was small". After the second hook, the music lingers and crescendoes, without words, as Kylie continues to dive into her long-lost fantasies. The last verse depicts Kylie fully indulging in every love letter, picture with the former lover, a sad and secret fantasy, and is now awaiting a reply from him.
"Now she closes her eyes." No more resisting, fake-believing that it is all wrong and should not happened. All that just added fuel to the temptation, which is now a fiery blaze in her mind.
For someone who treasures the commitment and sacred value of marriage, this is disturbing. Also, from someone who has experienced the pain and hurt from losing a loved one who gave into similar temptations, it particularly hits me at home.
However, it is reality. It is life. Nothing is perfect, and knowing that becomes a kind of unsettling catharsis. Ben Folds composes and performs it knowing that the thoughts are inherently wrong, but at the same time, inherently human. It is a lament for a natural flaw and a call for hope that we can be better than that.
Below Lyrics from http://www.thesuburbs.org.uk/lyrics/Kylie_from_Connecticut
Kylie from Connecticut
Original Artist: Ben Folds
It's just a thought
But where did it come from?
What does she do with it if it comes back?
A note from his assistant
There by the telephone
Wonders again as she turns out the light
Kylie
is calling from Connecticut
She says you've got the number
It said Kylie
is calling from Connecticut
It's still on her mind as she closes her eyes
She believes there are things you shouldn't know about
when you've been married for 35 years
and her heart belongs to a man that she hadn't seen
since a magical night when the children were small
But Kylie is calling from Connecticut
She says you've got the number
It said Kylie
is calling from Connecticut
It's on her mind as she closes her eyes
Kylie is calling from Connecticut
It's probably nothing, yeah, nothing at all
It said Kylie
is calling from Connecticut
It keeps coming back as she's reading old letters
that she left in the closet with the pictures she cherished
that she kept to herself for a good 30 years
Now she closes her eyes.
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