Royals

It seems this is my month to discover amazing new female vocalists -- and this one's not just new to me -- she was new on the scene this summer when she released this hit. I liked this song the first time I heard it and have been hearing it for a while now, but I've only just learned who sings it:

I've never seen a diamond in the flesh
I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies
And I'm not proud of my address,
In a torn-up town, no post code envy

But every song's like gold teeth, grey goose, trippin' in the bathroom
Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room,
We don't care, we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams.
But everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your time piece.
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash.
We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair.

I went up north this weekend with a friend to her family's cabin. It's a cozy one-room with a loft kind of cabin, with no running water and an outhouse. I decided to leave my phone at home and use it as an opportunity to unplug, which felt really strange, especially for the first few hours. It also means I didn't have a camera, and I wish I had: I wanted to capture the beauty of the apple trees set against the autumnal color on their property.

My friend's family doesn't have a lot of money, but they are extremely resourceful. Her brother and her Dad built the cabin, and her Dad has added features over the years: a loft, a foyer, a solar panel to provide electricity. So it seemed fitting that this song came on as we were preparing dinner:

And we'll never be royals (royals).
It don't run in our blood,
That kind of luxe just ain't for us.
We crave a different kind of buzz.
Let me be your ruler (ruler),
You can call me queen Bee
And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule.
Let me live that fantasy.

This is one of the things I learned in my last relationship: that feeling like royalty has nothing to do with money and everything to do with love.

Now that my own crown has fallen -- our love didn't turn out to be the dynasty I'd hoped it would be -- I'm left feeling pretty disillusioned. But even so, this knowledge gives me hope for humanity...