The Knife "Heartbeats"

There are many different versions of The Knife's "Heartbeats." There's the original version from Deep Cuts, there's the remix by Rex the Dog (among others), the live version, or covers by Jose Gonzalez or the Scala Choir. With every version of the song - the essence of the track remains the same: desire, nostalgia, the rush of a fleeting romance is captured so beautifully and truthfully.

Of all the versions, I still believe that "Heartbeats" is best heard through Karin Dreijer Andersson voice. Fraught with tension, lust, practically trembling with vulnerability, Andersson's voice evokes nights of intense romance and passion: one night to push and scream / and then relief. Unlike the somber tones of Jose Gonzalez's version, Andersson articulates just as much pain with the pleasure adding rich dimension to the song. With the chorus, there is a sense of loss, of regret: To call for hands of above to lean on / wouldn't be good enough for me. It suggests a sense of mourning for a temporary romance that had all the love and truth of a longer one. Yet at the same time, perhaps aided by the neon-hued synths, there is something life affirming about "Heartbeats," as if it was simply enough to feel something so deeply that the eventual heartache was worth a moment of pleasure and love.

It is in this life affirming aspect of the Deep Cuts version that keeps it so close to my heart. I've had my fair share of fleeting romances, destined to last just a few moments and while the ache was real, it is always enough to have felt, to have experienced something so deeply and truly. Andersson's performance manages to capture the sort of temporary blindness of lust and love - the optimism of it, the carnal emotions of it, and even a suspension of belief and practicality. But then again, when has love ever been practical? In this sense, maybe "Heartbeats" is one of those songs that captures not only the highs of love but the messy lows as well. As Andersson said so eloquently: we had a promise made / we were in love.

Heartbeats - The Knife