Linda Tourje – “Whatever Happened To Forever” Feat. Meelie Brooks

Linda Tourje – “Whatever Happened To Forever” Feat. Meelie Brooks – Single Review

Interesting tune to listen to & review.  There’s no doubt that Meelie can sing and the piano is beautiful…it’s got a lot going for it despite the fact that the biggest compliment I can pay this song is also going to be precisely what stacks the odds slightly against this tune as well.  When it comes right down to it, “Whatever Happened To Forever” is a seriously focused theme at work and boldly defined sound.

So hear me out…cause this is how I hear it – and I’ll start by saying that writing-wise, melody-wise, musicianship-wise and vocally as well – there’s no massive concerns of any kind…the quality is there.  Is it going to win the award for most sunshine and rainbows found within a single song?  No, definitely not.  And that gets to the broken-heart of the matter, which is that “Whatever Happened To Forever” has a mood, lyrics, and a vibe that’ll either speak to you directly when you need it most, or potentially have a harder time being heard by someone that isn’t in a similarly dark place or struggling emotionally.  Don’t get me wrong – I’d be the last person to advocate for every song needing to be a happy song, and generally-speaking, it’s the melancholy side of music that’s much more appealing to me overall; but that being said…there isn’t a single break in the clouds hanging over Linda’s head on “Whatever Happened To Forever.”  I’m not going to say that the song is miserable…but it’s definitely without much joy on hand…and given the themes of love & loss that are presented through the lyrics, it’s understandable that it’s not going to come out sweet & sunny…I get that.  My simple argument is that melancholy is a very difficult thing to sell and a very difficult thing to get the people out there excited about, no matter how good it is.  It becomes about timing & placement and finding the right space for a song like this to exist…like I said earlier – for some, a song like this would become an emotional lifeline; sometimes just hearing that someone out there has had a similar experience can count for so much in the healing process.  Music has a way of being there for people that no one can really replicate…and the advice, insight, experiences, etc. that we hear in the songs we listen to can so often be necessary to guide us all along, whether we even realize it or not.  Sometimes you’re halfway into a song like “Whatever Happened To Forever” and you’ll hear a powerful line that resonates in your soul in a way that you can sincerely relate to…and all of a sudden where there was dark once before, now there’s a bit of light.  That’s the power of music…and certainly, what Linda’s done here on this single in that sense is bound to reach a lot of people when they need a song like this and many repeated spins when they need it most.

Music is infamously written for cathartic purposes all the time…and I’d suspect, chances are, much if not all of “Whatever Happened To Forever” is based on real feelings, real experiences and real tough situations that have her using this medium as a vehicle to get it out into the open and deal with it head-on.  It certainly bring the gravity of reality right through your speakers with the notion that not everything always works out how we might hope or think it will when it comes to life & love.  Linda seems to be drawing from a deep well of pain that’s at the very least extremely close to her if not based on her own story from a third-person perspective…bottom line is, the experience of listening to the pensive movements, thought-provoking lyricism and melancholy melody in the vocals of “Whatever Happened To Forever” definitely feels real in this collaborative effort.  Maybe all-too-real for some.  I mean…ultimately, I’d suppose my biggest wish for you all out there would be that “Whatever Happened To Forever” isn’t a question you’ll ever have to ask in your own lifetimes…but again, reality & experience tell me that Linda & Meelie are far from alone when it comes to the thoughts, feelings, & powerful emotions expressed on this tune.

I’d have no problem reaching for this when I was in a thoughtful or melancholy mood of my own.  I think Linda’s got the uphill battle here of this being a tough tune to absorb otherwise…if you were to have this song pop on in the middle of a random playlist, there’s little to no doubt that it’s gonna take down the vibe in the atmosphere surrounding you a couple notches from no matter where it’s at already.  That being said…it’s often the writing of songs like these that allow pretty much everything else in the future for an artist to even be possible…sometimes it’s getting out such a tough set of emotions that allows the others inside a person to breathe again.  Always tough to get the full picture on an artist from the snapshot that a single song will provide you with – right now all I want to do is give Linda a hug and say everything’s gonna be alright, you know?  It’s beautifully sad, well sung & passionately played…and if you’re in the mood for that kind of energy or you need it, “Whatever Happened To Forever” will help you weather your own storm by providing an umbrella of experience & insight to shield you with boldly honest emotions, isolated sound, and a fragile tale of love that speaks right to the core of your soul.

Find out more about Linda Tourje at her official page at Facebook here:  https://www.facebook.com/Linda-Tourje-Music-513584419069762

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