Have you ever experienced a song that moves the very core of your being not only with its lyrics but with the feel of the music? That can resonate with your own personal experience, mirroring your unspoken emotions and desires?
Patrick Watson’s melancholic song ‘Je te laisserai des mots’ possesses this ability in a hauntingly beautiful way. Even as a piano solo, the music stirs the soul.
Written in the key of B minor, the right hand expresses the melodic vocal line, often in syncopated rhythm. The left hand carries a mellow 3/4 waltz tempo in simple broken chord form.
The verse is followed by an instrumental repeated section, in which the right hand plays oscillating eighth notes, while the bass line moves down in whole steps before stepping back up again for the repeat. The chord progression is enriched with beautiful added instrumentation and strings.
The A-B-A-B structure and repetitive quality are gentle and lulling, creating a sense of calm and closeness. Although vulnerability is conveyed, there is also a feeling of nurturing connectedness and comfort.
In his song, Watson tenderly emotes love and longing above the waltz-like piano accompaniment. He has the gift of creating cinematic soundscapes that intimately draw you in.
The title ‘Je te laisserai des mots’ translates to “I’ll leave you some words.” It’s as if the lyrics are discreet little love notes meant to be discovered, a declaration of love without knowing if it will even be noticed or reciprocated.
The lyrics also suggest that love exists for a person even when they are not physically present, or when circumstances change with time. That love can animate the environment around us and still enrich our lives even if it is only a memory.
A similar theme could be that we might have experiences or interactions for only a brief while, but that we can still find great joy and value in those fleeting moments.
When I hear a song that moves me, I just have to play to play it. As a musician, it’s how I express myself. If the same is true for you, here are two things that can assist you in your own musical expression of this song.
Sheet Music
For those who sight read, I’ve created a piano arrangement for you over at https://www.mymusicsheet.com/marisasmusicstudio/252874.
On-Demand Lesson
If you could use some help learning this song, I’ve created a one hour, on-demand piano lesson for ‘Je te laisserai des mots’ that covers notation, note values, counting, and fingering. You’ll not only learn to play this song with proficiency, but through the course of the lesson you will gain deeper appreciation and insight into what makes this song so special.
