30 Day Song Challenge #27

Day 27: a song that breaks your heart.

Hanson — If Only

Last year, I saw Hanson in Paradiso. During “If Only” I nearly lost it completely. Ever since Hanson released it as a single in 2000, it had been one of my go-to songs when I, ever the hopeless romantic, was once again drowning in heartache, suffering through another terrible, all-consuming crush I’d never cop to. If only I had the guts to feel that way.

So many times I’d been waiting, wondering, hoping what would happen if only I’d finally work up the courage to not just sit there waiting, wondering, hoping, but y’know, get it right, actually do something with that feeling screaming in the back of my head. Speak up and lay my heart out on the line. But, of course, with so many boys being so damn close to prefect, so many boys so much funner than me, that never happened.

So, during this song, I’m tearing up like it’s nobody’s business, and The Missus looked at me and said she never knew I’d been so lonely. Now, that might have been stretching it a bit too far, but boy, the great American philosopher Jim Steinman was onto something when he said that “‘If only’ are the loneliest words you’ll ever know.”