| "Upside Down" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Larry Sandman ft Marko Saaresto | |
| from the album More than Free | |
| Released | June 21, 2022 |
Upside Down is the fifth track on Larry Sandman's debut album More than Free, released on 21st June 2022. However a non-single music video for the track had already been released on 3rd June to promote the album, directed by Miika Hakala. The song features vocals from Marko Saaresto, who also features prominently in the music video.
Lyrics
Upside Down, it's a way of life
If you don't know, you've got to try
Remember the day, when you broke the news
Lights went out, we were born to lose
I ain't saying I'm sorry
I ain't saying I care
I ain't saying you did wrong
The only words that I can bear
They're Upside Down
Blue sky turned to grey
Down
You made me this way
Upside Down
I'm dying to awake
Down
Like my heart on a blade
All alone
Looking for a friend
Same old bars
Same old sins
And so many days, all fused into one
You disappeared, I fell down
The road to nowhere can't be long
The doctor says I'm Upside Down
I'm never where I'm supposed to be
And all the things that I can see
They're Upside Down
Blue sky turned to grey
Down
You made me this way
Upside Down
I'm dying to awake
Down
Like my heart on a blade
Interviews
I’ve often asked for Marko Saaresto’s help on how to actually get going as a solo artist and he has been pushing me forward quite a lot. I believe he was the first person to actually believe this would be possible. He’s the sort of positive spirit everyone needs. Not to mention he’s an extraordinary artist as well.
Let’s not forget we just went through a pandemic and everyone knows what happened to bands/artists and clubs/concerts. So it was far from easy to get going but Marko’s advice was priceless.
...
Separation. It can be loss, divorce, distance, sudden death … whatever applies to you.
And time. Time is all relative but often makes a difference.
It’s hard to turn the page when your world looks Upside Down and nothing makes sense right? If you had a magical wand to play with time, would you use it?
...
The video has several stories running at the same time but not necessarily in order. The story has to do with time, or you could say “the sands of time” since there’s an hourglass at play and one of the characters is called “Sandman”. But this world is Upside Down, so we can only understand parts of the story and have to imagine the rest to try to understand how everything threads together…[1]
MV Plot (as described by Larry)
The Meeting
Sandman is on his way. He’s hitch hiking. He ends up stealing a car to get to an important meeting with The Poet, who’s already on his way, walking on some back roads to get to the meeting point. What happens during that meeting? What were they trying to do? Have they stolen something important? Or did they recover something that belongs to them? Are they protecting something? We’ll never know …
Reunited Through Hell, Separated By Time
Both characters are finally together, reunited … Though they look like they’ve gone through hell and back. They are battered and bruised. They sure had to fight for something. They sing in the getaway car after their “job is done”, by a clearing near a lake. Sandman writes some magical words on a piece of paper to try and help the situation they’re in … What in the world happen during that “meeting” ?!
Eventually, they have to go their separate ways and Sandman hands over a bag to the Poet (containing the Hourglass) before they split up.
The Hunt Goes On
After they’ve gone, a boy discovers the abandoned stolen car and a bounty hunter appears, revealing that he is after Sandman and the Poet. He wants to know if the boy has seen them. He wants the Hourglass.
The Everlast
Sandman had the hourglass with him all along in his guitar case. Both characters were supposed to meet so that the Poet could take away the Hourglass and keep it safe.
Sandman would like to break the endless cycle of time, but he can’t. How ironic for the man they call Sandman? Whenever he tries to use the Hourglass, he ends up right back where he started, walking on that road … Trying to get away and protect the very thing that makes the struggle eternal.
The story never ends, it is an everlasting, perpetual struggle. Isn’t everyday Life just like that?[2]
Trivia
- Larry's favourite poem is The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, a fun triple-coincidence alongside Once Upon a Playground Rainy and Twilight Cinema.[3]