My example of the "romantic in action" is the song "Last Kiss" by Pearl Jam. Not only is it a great song but it is also an excellent example of what a romantic man would do after losing his romantic partner, write a song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_sEtNrYlC4
This link contains both the song (however in poor quality) and the lyrics. Right away in the song the idea of romance is constructed by the singer looking for his lover, even though he knows that she has died. It is further detailed by the lyric, "She's gone to heaven, so I've got to be good, So I can see my baby when I leave this world". This shows that not only is the singer still looking for his lover, but he also is still planning the rest of his life around finding her again, which is the polar opposite of the unromantic response which would be to forget and move onto another woman. Later in the song the singer says," I lost my love, my life-- that night". Again this is saying that he is so romantic that now that his partner is dead the rest of his life has also died with her. These are just the examples found in the actual words of the song but when actually listening to the song it sounds like one long plea for the singer to find his lost lover. This is accomplished by a combination of the singers tone and also by using minor cords which have been constructed to sound dark and gloomy. One last example from the lyrics to this song is,” We were out on a date in my daddy's car, we hadn't driven very far". This evokes the classic picture of small town America, two young kids foolishly in love on a date in their parents car, the definition of a romantic.
The message that this song sends out is what love should be. According to this love should be something that is so absolutely magical that it dominates you life. In this song the singer is completely lost, and has in fact given up on his life because this is what people want the idea of love to be. People want the idea of love to be something magical so that when they tell someone they love them it means something special.
Brilliant example of the romantic in action, the song truly does romanticize the idea of relationships. While romantic relationships will always be inherently more romanticized, the incorporation of the theme into songs has been a strong influence for the emotional response we get when encountering situations similar to the one described in "Last Kiss." Such recurring themes make lovers seem almost noble in the opinion of the audience. One could also infer that the use of themes such as love in songs can incite a larger audience to relate, thus increasing album sales.
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