Well, it's not directly relevant to the post that started this discussion but It is relevant to its subject.
My question is simple: "Is 'Going Home' a happy song?"
I'm a Big fan of Knopfler's work. I first heard DS music at 12yo, and Wild Theme and Going Home has been my very favorite songs from the start.
Knowing It is from a movie named "Local Hero" that tells the story of an American oil company in intent to purchase a small town in Scotland I automatically assumed "Wild Theme" is about the difficulties and well, bad news, and "Going home" must have been the happy ending where they manage in resisting the purchase etc.
A few month ago I watched the movie for the first time (loved it, obviously), at first I was very much surprised cause it wasn't really as I imagined it would be. Later I was very confused, because to me Going Home was always a happy and energetic song but the the ending of the film doesn't align with it.
I think I found my own answer, or maybe two different answers to this question, but I'd like to hear what other fans think and feel about it. Did your journey with these two songs resemble mine?
Great post. I think we are going to dig too deep into it of course, as any music analysis should be, because I don't think Mark ever thought about this during the making of the soundtrack. But it's safe to say that all of Mark's music is happy, and "Going Home" is a happy song. Because Mark is an optimist, and because whatever he's doing he can't possibly escape it. Every Mark's creation ends up with this, sometimes bittersweet and melancholic, but happy feel. I'm not sure he's capable of producing an "unhappy" song at all.
To me, Going Home celebrates this bittersweetness: it's happy and major, uptempo and live, and yet melancholic and sad at the same time. A perfect tune to end a movie, a concert or what have you. Go home, enjoy some tea, listen to some music, read a book and relax, do whatever you need to do. Or, on a more spiritual level, go to your real home, do what you really need to do, and follow your dreams, follow your heart. You can write a whole book about it. Or a musical...
And don't forget, to quote somebody, that Going Home sounds like a 1000-year-old tune, which it does. And this old music, all these traditional ballads and folk songs, often evoke the same kind of emotion. And Mark channelled this through his work somehow, which is pretty remarkable. And I can tell you, only a happy song can survive 1000 years! Even if it has dark lyrics or a sad melody, it must be happy to survive.
