“Happy Days are Here Again” – Silver

It’s this a cute, happy little tune? I believe it is even in a major key. Well, we can’t let that stand. Let’s see if we can make it a little more sinister.

A reoccurring theme on Silver is this girl who has and controls it all. The boy is at her mercy and tags along, waiting for those moments when she will give him whatever it is that he lacks. The title of the song implies that the happy days are gone when she is gone. Therefore, she controls his happiness and he submits to this domination.

There is a danger to placing your joy and your peace in another person. It may work out for awhile if you happen to pick someone who has good intentions, but it will eventually fall apart because relationships cannot be balanced with this dynamic. Really, making another person responsible for your happiness is too much to ask of anyone. It has its roots in the person’s depravity, not in their love.

The lyrics hint at this. Even though the happy days have returned with the girl, the boy is not happy because “cause when she smiles it shakes my sickest phase.” He knows something is sick here and he knows that sickness begins with him.