Master of Becoming the Other!
Becoming the other is a true form of transformation. Not only is Suzanne Vega’s ‘Small Blue Thing’ one of my favorite songs, it is the master class for songwriters who want to write from the perspective of someone – or something – else. I first heard it in 1985 playing through the mid-quality speakers of a boom box in a small record store. It was on her debut album.
I stayed until the last song. Then, I bought the cassette tape and didn’t remove it from my car stereo for at least 6 months.
While the entire album should be something studied for its exceptional use of metaphor, imagery, and poetics, ‘Small Blue Thing’ is one of the greatest examples of how to eloquently “become the other.”
What Is “Becoming The Other”?
In short, it’s seeing something from a perspective other than yourself – so completely – you gain a perspective and insight you likely wouldn’t have gained without the transformation. While a poem has open lineage to reach this goal, a four-minute song is a monumental challenge.
It all has to start with a great beginning.
Suzanne Vega “Small Blue Thing”
Let’s take a look at the lyric and see how the song starts. More importantly, we’ll see if the simile breaks down during the song.
“Today I am a small blue thing, like a marble or an eye.“
The imagery of a “small blue thing” being “like” something else indicates the use of a simile. Using the simile gives us a sense of how the speaker feels about themself . . . small, lost, or maybe unsure, as indicated by using the “or” when creating the simile.
“With my knees against my mouth I am perfectly round, I am watching you.” Still ties to the simile originally described. And sounds like it is a small child seated on the floor with their knees pulled to their chin. The imagery is helping set the scene.
The chorus is key because she maintains the imagery created with the simile. This is extremely difficult to do. She does it by tying a real character (girl/speaker) to an inanimate object (marble). She increases the risk the listener will bail each time the simile is stretched beyond reality.
Suzanne Vega however, never allows this sort of “Really?” moment to happen. She keeps the listener in despite the oddity of the imagery. This makes her one of the greatest songwriters on the planet (Janet).
How She Does It
CHORUS
[1] I am cold against your skin. You are perfectly reflected.
[2] I am lost inside your pocket. I am lost against your fingers.
[3] I am falling down the stairs. I am skipping on the sidewalk
[4] I am thrown against the sky – I am raining down in pieces
[5] I am scattering like light, scattering like light, scattering like light
In Summary
Suzanne Vega’s ‘Small Blue Thing’ is a masterful use of language and imagery. Specifically, similes are the key to creating a believable song. Why are great similes so hard? Because if a listener doesn’t believe the comparison being made (“like a marble or an eye”) they’re out. However, when another simile shows up in line 5 (“scattering like light”), the imagery rings true. Because earlier lines were plausible, the listener goes with it.
One other device used in the song goes almost unnoticed – the timeframe. The song takes place in a specific time (“Today”) and scene. The speaker is caught in a single snapshot moment of the day.
Amazingly, it never strays from those constraints – equally amazing – it never has to.
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Estimated reading time: 4 minutes