Interesting to find this site, so late!
Was searching for interpretations of this song because Jennifer Warnes' version showed up on my CD rotation and found this site. Will look at the site more, it looks interesting. Enjoyed the various interpretations of FBR, but I have my own.
I feel close to this song, because 30+ years ago, my wife left our relationship for my best friend. Also, I too checked out Scientology (went away with similar feelings, too), though it was a couple of years later. No doubt about that "going Clear" interpretation though.
I think Leonard was trying to describe many-layered feelings. I know at the time, I felt like I was losing two very dear attachments and felt a two deep voids. And I knew that I'd been a party to it, that my wife & I were too young, and becoming somewhat less at ease or attracted to each other - something was missing, the magic was evaporating. I encouraged her to be friends with my friend (she'd expressed that she didn't like him) and I'd tried to get them to be friendly (not sexually - it just went there before too long).
So, what are you left with? Feelings of hopelessness, feelings of having brought it on oneself, perhaps feelings of wanting to salvage something? They lived together a few years and split up. My friend & I re-established our friendship, though we now live far from each other. Curiously, at my male friend's wedding 20 years ago to someone else, my ex-wife and I talked briefly. We both had other love interests too by then. She took me aside, apparently, for some kind of apology for the craziness of years before, and said that "I was right about it all" (not sure what exactly). Looking back, - we were young - those were hard lessons of the heart. Much of the FBR lyrics though, evoke the feelings I had when I was trying to be calm, to salvage something (pride?, sanity?, friendships? intimacy? a lesson to move forward with?). I'm glad I chose to try to understand and forgive them - they didn't choose to fall for each other. They both wish they'd been kinder, and told me so years later. That's all I wanted. And this song helps with the wrapping, by the words and somber haunting mood of the music.
Interesting to find this site, so late!
Was searching for interpretations of this song because Jennifer Warnes' version showed up on my CD rotation and found this site. Will look at the site more, it looks interesting. Enjoyed the various interpretations of FBR, but I have my own. I feel close to this song, because 30+ years ago, my wife left our relationship for my best friend. Also, I too checked out Scientology (went away with similar feelings, too), though it was a couple of years later. No doubt about that "going Clear" interpretation though.
I think Leonard was trying to describe many-layered feelings. I know at the time, I felt like I was losing two very dear attachments and felt a two deep voids. And I knew that I'd been a party to it, that my wife & I were too young, and becoming somewhat less at ease or attracted to each other - something was missing, the magic was evaporating. I encouraged her to be friends with my friend (she'd expressed that she didn't like him) and I'd tried to get them to be friendly (not sexually - it just went there before too long).
So, what are you left with? Feelings of hopelessness, feelings of having brought it on oneself, perhaps feelings of wanting to salvage something? They lived together a few years and split up. My friend & I re-established our friendship, though we now live far from each other. Curiously, at my male friend's wedding 20 years ago to someone else, my ex-wife and I talked briefly. We both had other love interests too by then. She took me aside, apparently, for some kind of apology for the craziness of years before, and said that "I was right about it all" (not sure what exactly). Looking back, - we were young - those were hard lessons of the heart. Much of the FBR lyrics though, evoke the feelings I had when I was trying to be calm, to salvage something (pride?, sanity?, friendships? intimacy? a lesson to move forward with?). I'm glad I chose to try to understand and forgive them - they didn't choose to fall for each other. They both wish they'd been kinder, and told me so years later. That's all I wanted. And this song helps with the wrapping, by the words and somber haunting mood of the music.