In today’s entry I will be analysing and commenting on a favourite song of mine, ‘Two’ by Ryan Adams.
‘Two’ from what I gathered from the song is about the struggle that Ryan Adams has been through, an issue with drugs and/or addiction but is now in a place where he has beaten this addiction. From reading articles in regards to Ryan, I am gathering this was done with the help of at the time girlfriend Jessica. There are many reports that mention Jessica dated around the time Ryan released this track.
His drug addiction is displayed throughout the song, he quotes “It takes two when it used to take only one”, meaning it takes more of the drug to get the same high he originally got when he started hitting the drug but also displaying how his drug addiction is taking a hold of him and control of it is being lost.
The track also includes many points about love, “If you take me back, back to your place, I’ll try not to bother you. I promise” showing the regret he feels and how he wants to return to the earlier days in the relationship where he did not expect as much as he does now. This heartache is also evidence throughout the song when Ryan quotes “I’m fractured from the fall and I want to go home”, ‘Home’ meaning a time when things in his life were secure and unbroken like the relationships in his life and normality away from the influence of drugs. By also using the term ‘fall’, this could imply that Ryan is hurting from the collapse in the relationship during this time and wants to restore equilibrium in this, this could also be a metaphor because he has fallen from society and what we deem ‘right’ as he has strayed from the ‘straight and narrow’.
The song has many lyrics with dual meaning as the one above, “It takes two when it used to take only one” not only could this refer to the hit of drugs but also to the relationship with his girlfriend. His girlfriend became a part of his life and without her he is unable to win this battle on his own as he would have.
I have such a love for this song due to the honesty in the lyrics, some people find discussion of their addictions difficult to discuss but Ryan advises “My money’s no good, when I’m up to no good. No good ever comes from it, I promise”, as his money was being spent to fuel his addiction, nothing goods from spending you earnings on drugs, this is reinforced by using the word ‘honest’. As the end of the song is drawing nearer Ryan repeats the term “It takes two when it used to take only one” three times, the repetition makes me feel the regret he is feeling and he is going over and over this in his head and possibly showing regret for forcing his issues onto his girlfriend but wanting their relationship to a previous status.
In regards to the arrangement of the song, this starts with insight into the relationship and how the problems faced could be rectified whereas in the second half of the song focuses more on the addiction and how he wants to deter people from experiencing similar issues he has faced.
This song is a one of my favourites due to the amount of issues referred to and faced in such a small time: drug use, addiction, break down of relationships and social norms. These issues can relate to so many people and battles they have faced in their life and they could see this as a form of support as it is the story of someone who has identified their demons and is fighting against them.
Rating – 4.5 / 5 – I can’t give this a full score as I have some songs that have sentimental meaning to myself but this is definitely in my top 5!
Quote of the Song – “I’m fractured from the fall and I want to go home.”
– Enjoy –
Laura
All the song lyrics for the song and the track for you to listen to can be found below:
- https://genius.com/Ryan-adams-two-lyrics (Lyrics)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Q_9MDy-aw (Song)
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