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#the greatest interpretation

caralara · 1 year

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The Greatest - a close reading & interpretation

This is my very personal interpretation of The Greatest, content warning: break ups, babybgate. Overview to all close readings here. Let's dive right in!

Close reading of the lyrics:

Tell you I’m on my way, nothing could make me late

he is coming to them, and his determination (this time) is real - emphasis on “this is my priority #1” - it seems he was away, because he has to come to them, he had to find his way back to them

Said I had a plan for us

he had a plan - (master) plan is a keyword in this album: here he switches to the past, so this is something that happened before he went to the away he is coming back from now. He had a plan for the two of them: what do you need a plan for that involves the two of them against - what? The world? The music industry?

time it came and changed it all

he is staying in the past, he is recounting how this plan unfolded, and that it didn’t go according to plan - it was all changed. Possible reading being, when it came to execute the plan, it changed their reality, made a shift happen that will never be able to be undone, or that with time the plan was changed from the original one - or maybe both?

We had to disappear

he is still recounting from the past: when this plan turned out to happen differently than they anticipated, they had to disappear - from what? Louis didn’t actually disappear, but maybe he means they as a unit had to disappear from view - because they are disappearing together, so they are still a unit that disappeared from - the world? The public eye? From the others?

cos nothing gets through here, through that circle round my heart, where the best of me should start

Now he is giving a reason for why they had to disappear, or maybe why the plan changed: he says that nothing gets through the circle around his heart, and note how he is back to the present: this is still an issue today. Has he built up such strong walls around his heart that even the person he sings through couldn’t get through anymore? Yet he says he knows that’s where he feels like he is the best version of himself: if he opens his heart, takes down the wall, let’s people into this circle, they see his true self. But he says “should” so maybe he doesn’t really know anymore himself - has the circle gotten so strong that he has trouble himself accessing that best of himself?

I said you know me

he slips back into the past: it’s something he’s said back then. Is it a plea? You know me, don’t be fooled by the circle (wall) around my heart? You know me, I just want the best for you and us? No one else knows me like you do? Don’t forget who I really am, because you know me?

alone we’re only, just as good as the rest

now he states a universal truth to him, he is in the present tense and he is speaking from experience: when they’re separated they are just as average as the rest of the world, but he words it wonderfully: he says the rest is good. But them separated they are just as good as the rest, which implies when they are together they are not average: they are extraordinary, or …

Together we’re the greatest

… in his words: the greatest. When he’s with them, he feels like on top of the world, when they’re together he feels like they can do anything, be legendary, move mountains, be The Greatest in all aspects.

we’ll never be that cold again, no falling all to pieces

for the first and only time, he goes into a future tense, and it implies a conviction: I am not doing this again, ever, I am not being separated from you ever again, we will forever have warmth, comfort, and safety between us, they will never ever again break down because they are not together, because he won’t allow for it to happen again. This will happen, he’s not merely planning on it.

We’re the greatest, it’s you and me until the end, life for us is never over

he repeats that they are extraordinary and the very best thing in the world when they’re together, and now he is vowing that until the end (of his life), they will stay together. Then he goes on and says life is never over for them, which could be read as when they’re together, he feels alive, and when they are not he feels dead inside, and it could also be read as in them being together is so legendary, the lore of it will never be forgotten. Lovely also how he includes “the end” in this - they will go through The End together, because after the end, life still isn’t over for them.

The way you know something

He is not only talking about the fact they know something, but about the way they know something. He is in awe of how they know something - maybe it is their intuition? He said that they know him, and now he’s saying it’s the way they know this. Is it that he recognises how natural it comes to them what they know?

Your face reminded me, of a love you cannot hide

now he is back in the past: their face reminded him. It could stop right there, just looking at their face, it reminded him - of what? of what is in the circle around his heart? What he needs to remember, what he’s doing this, the plan, for? Then he tacks on, that what it reminded him of is that they cannot hide their love (for him). Why would he need to be reminded of it? It is important to distinguish here, that the reminder was in the past, but the fact they cannot hide their life is a fact across times, it is always the case. Why did he forget and had to be reminded of the love on their face? Were their relationship in a bad place, were they not saying out loud how they really felt about Louis, meaning loving him, therefore outwardly making it seem they didn’t?

but don’t need to tell me why

here he is saying that they never have to justify themself to him - it is in present tense and universally valid. Is it because he knows now, and because he was reminded of it, that their love for him never fades, so he doesn’t worry that they didn’t show it - so his devotion is unconditional.

Back dancing in the dark, back to the very start

is this where he goes to when he needs to remember? Going back to the start, the beginning of their relationship, where they were dancing in the dark, meaning they were joyful together, in a space that was dark, which describes how they didn’t see their surroundings - where they were carefree, dancing together, not aware how their environment would impact their relationship?

Finding pieces that can fit, making up for what we missed

this is happening in the present: “finding,” “making” - this is where they are now. Making up for lost time when they weren’t together, or where they were in a bad place. They are making the best of being together, they are The Greatest now, because they are together, they are building their life around the obstacles, making it fit, and doing all the joyful things together as a couple they missed out on.

Personal interpretation

This is an incredibly epic opener to the album (sonically too), and it sets the tone: I was lost, but now I know where I am going, and what I am doing all this for. It very much aligns with what Louis has been saying, and how this album feels to him. It’s the soundtrack to the opening of an epos. It sounds big, grand, legendary. It’s a story of a battle, of going through hard times, for a once in a lifetime love, and coming out on top all the wiser and stronger together for it (can you tell I am a little in love with this song?).

To me, this is a very honest song, and to me, it definitely is about his love and relationship with Harry. How many times has it been said that this is the grandest love story of our time? And yes, it isn’t just a story for them, but they themselves like to romanticize their relationship - which is far from being a bad thing, because they are simultaneously being brutally honest with themselves and us through their music.

I interpret this as a recounting of what they went through to end up where they are now. The mentioning of a “plan gone wrong/changed” makes my ears peak up, because it aligns very much with how I see what happened with the whole babygate stunt, of which you can find an extensive post I’ve written here. Louis says he had a plan for them, both of them, to make their relationship and life better: I believe he did the babygate stunt in exchange for Harry’s bi* coming out (regardless of his real sexuality), and it screwed him and them over really badly. To me it reads that he put up walls around his heart in order to go through with it, in his mind it was for the greater good, a sacrifice he was happy to give in exchange for Harry’s happiness and an improvement of the tensions in their relationship for having to hide their relationship and stay in the closet to the public - but he didn’t realise he shut out Harry, too, in the process of putting up these walls and became someone he doesn’t really like, hiding his true, kind, vulnerable self away behind this circle. And because of that, they lost each other for a while - and Louis had to go and find himself again, find clarity on the direction he wants to go in and what he’s actually fighting for. And he found it, and now he’s more convicted than he ever was. He is also mentioning that the tough times they have to go through, aren’t over yet, and he promises they will stay together through The End as well, he won’t ever let himself get in between them ever again. He concludes that they are in a good place now, they are making up for lost time and finding compromises to make their lives fit together well. And he knows that this is his forever.

Conclusion

I adore this song, musically as well as lyrically: he is already proving he’s got an impressive way with words, and his storytelling is on point. 10/10. Can’t wait to hear this live and scream it back at him.

Overview to all close readings here.

#faith in the future intepretation #the greatest #faith in the future #the greatest interpretation #close reading #interpretation #close reading and interpretation #louis tomlinson #song analysis #so fucking in love with this song

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theygender · 2 years

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The more I learn about judaism the more I wonder where tf christianity got all its bad shit. Why is divorce a sin in christianity when judaism has recognized the right to divorce for nearly a millennia and has codified religious laws for it. Why does christianity consider sex to be dirty (to the point where puritans considered it a sin to enjoy having sex with your own spouse) when in judaism it's considered holy and it's a literal mitzvah to have sex with your spouse on the sabbath. Why does christianity consider it a sign that you're faithless if you question your religion when in judaism that's considered an essential part to developing your faith. I'm probably stating the obvious here but I still can't get over the fact that there's no historical basis to any of this shit before christianity started, it's like christians just said "hey guys what if we took the torah and built a new religion around it but this time it was actively hostile to human life"

#rambling #disclaimer this isnt about individual christians im speaking about the religious trauma i experienced in my own life etc etc #these are just a few examples that I've noticed but they're definitely something #the part about sex in particular shocked me bc sex is pretty much viewed as actively evil in a lot of christian denominations #like you should only do it to create children and if you take pleasure in it (even if its with your own spouse) youre a dirty sinner #there arent as many examples like this nowadays but if you read puritan laws about sex it's like #you're allowed to have sex with your wife basically 10 times a year but you have to be fully clothed with the lights off #and you cant have sex on a holiday or a sunday and you cant touch each other and you have to try as hard as possible to hate it #literally WHERE did that mindset come from?? like for real #in judaism having sex with your spouse is basically considered a celebration of everything holy #and if you have sex on the sabbath (the holiest day in the jewish calendar—above every holiday)#its considered TWICE as holy #make it make sense #this is one of the things people mean when they say that lumping judaism in with christianity as 'abrahamic' religions is meaningless #theyre literally nothing alike #the only similarity is the torah but thats only half of the christian bible and one third of the jewish one #AND christianity interprets most of it completely differently from how judaism does #im tired #greatest hits #hall of fame

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hamofjustice · 9 months

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nemona feels like an obscure blorbo instead of the main rival character from the latest pokemon game because to get to her really good content from people who really get it, you first have to wade through the ocean of yandere pervert obsessive stalker annoying punchable bimbo amazon goddess interpretations of...

... a neurodivergent and possibly disabled high schooler who's desperately trying to make any friends or get any support from her rich neglectful family - while everyone in her school is jealous of their own imagined version of a privileged asshole version of her they made up - who deeply and platonically loves and supports the one new kid who agreed to take the time to get to know and respect her and her special interest without having to hold back her true self

unlike her, it's not great!

kinda feels like she has the same problem in our world that she does in hers.

#(except much hornier)#i hate to say it but i think her skin color has something to do with it #nemona pokemon #nemona #pokemon sv #pokemon scarvio #pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon #nemonaposting #dog girl and goku memes are fine i guess #i legitimately cannot google her without a video of someone being cruel to her on purpose and making her visibly sad coming up #i don't think people like that really browse these tags but i hope they're not the reason she was not in the dlc footage at all #and thus may never get more screen time to actually be her best friend's 'rival for life' as promised before the 3 year cycle marches on #you know the dlc about nemona's best friend and 'greatest treasure' transferring to a school about the hardcore battles she's dying without #potentially abandoning her and sending her back to almost square one on having a reason to enjoy life #don't get me started yelling about that again #also i didn't mean platonically in a don't ship them kind of way you should absolutely do that if it lines up with your interpretations #i usually do in fact #just trying to emphasize the contrast between canon and fanart here #opinions of her already start off so low faith just because she's from the 10 fps pokemon game and i'll be real i wish she wasn't #i wish she and her friends were somewhere i could trust that they would be treated respectfully by their copyright holders

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lloydfrontera · 6 months

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a list of crimes bk moon has committed against me personally with the sequel in no particular order but you will Know which ones i feel more strongly about anyway:

javier smiling to himself and getting all nostalgic as he watches rakiel because he reminds him so very much of lloyd

like seriously this man cannot stop comparing the two of them and getting quietly happy because it brings back fond memories it is heartbreaking he literally has to remind himself to not get swept in sentimentality several times every time he talks with rakiel

and as if that wasn't enough damian and rakiel remind him so much of himself and lloyd that he ends up offering to help them without even thinking about it. like. he feels so identified with them, remembering how hard it had been for him and lloyd to go through that whole ordeal on their own that he just. tells them they have his support before he even realized what he's doing. he wasn't planning on doing that. good work on not getting sentimental babe.

when lloyd and javier are on a call planning how to defeat the demon king, despite the awful circumstances javier can't help but smile and then laugh at himself because no matter how terrible the situation is he still finds it enjoyable to prepare for something with lloyd like they used to do. "it was a feeling similar to a distant longing. or a joy that felt like going back to the past"

javier is pining so hard. like. it's insane.

AND HE JUST KEEPS SMILING SOFTLY WHENEVER HE GETS CONFIRMATION THAT LLOYD STILL HASN'T CHANGED HE'S STILL THE SAME PERSON JAVIER SPENT HIS LIFE WITH SOMEONE SEDATE ME

anyway

lloyd asking rakiel about javier. asking how he's doing. acting all nonchalant about it even kind of annoyed. and then once he's alone. sighing and then smiling faintly. "like the smile he used to smile at someone"

"'so you're doing well? i'm glad' a feeling that blooms for a moment. a memory that's suddenly missed."

i am. going to fucking explode.

and then. there's their actual face-to-face conversation. which. oh my god. i don't even know what to start with.

javier always saying "it's been a while lloyd-nim" no matter how long it has been since they last talked?? because any time at all is too long???

lloyd saying that if anyone hears him say that they'll think they're gyeonwoo and jiknyeo. y'know. the mythical forbidden lovers that live in different realms and can only meet when the stars align so to speak.

y'know. just casually comparing your protagonists to one of the most romantic and tragic couples in mythology. no biggie.

and again. javier smiling when he sees that lloyd is still just the way he was when they were together. hello. hi. can i help you.

lloyd knowing exactly how long it's been since they saw each other in person. down to the very day. "107 years, 7 months and 17 days".

javier getting really, really, really happy about it. about lloyd still being the same. and thinking that, maybe, lloyd feels the same way deep down.

lloyd being so very, very casual about saying "it's been a while so i'm glad to see you" very specifically calling back to the very thing javier says to him whenever they talk.

and then. and then javier. thinking as he sees lloyd leave. that it was really nice to meet him after so long. and that the sight of him leaving still felt the same as it did before. and wondering if those gyeonwoo and jiknyeo lloyd mentioned before felt like this too.

javier. comparing what he feels at seeing lloyd leave. to what the cowherd and the weaver girl felt at separating again.

bk moon i am crawling on your ceiling

anyway if this novel doesn't end with the barriers between hell and heaven falling apart so lloyd and javier can spend the rest of eternity together instead of helplessly pinning over the other and reminiscing over the lifetime they already spent together i will throw someone off a bridge <3

#i talk a lot <3 #tged #the greatest estate developer #tged spoilers #crown prince selling medicine #lloyd frontera #javier frontera #llojavi #this is. not even all of it. i skipped some of the smaller stuff but. god there's a lot of small stuff.#it's ridiculous #anyway i'm fine and normal and totally didn't get actual heart palpitations after binging all 80 chapters i hadn't read of the sequel #wasn't actually physically shaking as a i read all of this of course #bk moon pagame la terapia maldito #bad translation disclaimer maybe some day for some miracle we'll get an actual translation but for now bear with the choppy translation #and perhaps biased interpretation lol #crown prince sells medicine #cpsm

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yb-four · 10 months

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Something the de fandom seems to forget is the ol’ Doylist vs Watsonian distinction in media analysis. I see this particularly with the current discussion around Jean and Judit’s absences at key parts of the game.

A Doylist interpretation of an event examines its relationship to the media itself, keeping in mind the limitations of the media and the authors. It is analysis OUTSIDE of the universe.

Ex. “In Disco Elysium, we play as Harry Du Bois, who is an alcoholic. This is because it enables the game to talk about topics such as addiction and poverty.”

A Watsonian interpretation of an event takes it as a fact, and examines it in order to gain understanding about the characters and world without considering what purposes they serve in the media as a whole. It is analysis WITHIN the universe.

Ex. “Harry Du Bois is an alcoholic. This may be because of his struggles with poverty, due to the recession in Revachol and pressure on the job.”

These are two distinct ways of media analysis that CAN CO-EXIST. For example, Jean being unavailable can possibly be caused by “gameplay purposes/lack of resources on the devs’ part” (Doylist) AND “limited means of transportation at RCM/Jean does not care about Harry” (Watsonian), or what have you. This is why it is a cop-out to choose not to accept this event as a fact and come up with an explanation if one is doing an IN UNIVERSE analysis of Jean’s character, even if there may be a good OUT OF UNIVERSE reason.

#disco elysium #de #de meta #jean vicquemare #YB moment #there are probably academic terms instead of Doylist vs Watsonian but this is the way I understand it and I don’t have an English degree so.#for the record I am a jean liker but you can’t disagree with someone else’s Watsonian interpretation with a Doylist argument #it’s very frustrating #my greatest hits

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mayasaura · 8 months

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Piggybacking on my “John’s waiting to resurrect Kiriona after he resets everything again” ask from before: he knew he was lying when he said killing Alecto would make Kiriona his cavalier, but he justified it to himself because all Kiriona would do was wake her and then they could reset everything and Kiriona would be alive forever and never have to know he lied

(The ask from before for reference)

I'm kinda skeptical that he ever actually said he would make Kiriona his cavalier. That smells like an extrapolation Gideon would come to herself from a more vaguely worded promise, because she's never felt secure in her value to anyone except as a cavalier.

You're right, tho. If he did say that, he said it with zero intention of ever following through. John's never openly had a cavalier, that title was assigned to Alecto by third parties in retrospect. He's never participated that closely in the culture of the Houses, and I can't see him starting now. And from his perspective, what are a few lies in the endgame? It's not like she'll remember his promise long enough to expect him to follow through

#the locked tomb #nona the ninth #ntn spoilers #emperor john gaius #kiriona gaia #alecto speculation #op #the best explanation I ever saw of the whole 'he'll make me his cav' thing was in the kidfic 'And rising in the dead time of the night'#where John told Kiriona that killing Alecto would make him mortal but it was okay #because he'd have his daughter—the greatest cavalier in the nine houses—to protect him #and Kiriona interpreted this as saying she would be his new cavalier #which is a legitimate takeaway given her cultural background #but not really what John said

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