MATT TARKA
Q: Your “Beginnings” song touches on themes of transformation and resurrection. What inspired you to write on this subject? I was thinking about that quote which is attributed to
F. Scott Fitzgerald and closely associated with his book The Great Gatsby – “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the Fall.”
Q: The imagery used in your lyrics, the “rustic leaves” and the “depleting oxygen,” is very vivid. How do you approach writing these visual and symbolic elements?
I think with that line in the second half of the first verse, I was reflecting on what happens in the natural world when we approach Fall. I live in Pennsylvania, and our Fall typically lastsfrom early October through November. We experience a brilliant array of colors throughoutthe Susquehanna Valley, Pocono and Allegheny Mountains. On the flip side, biologically, the writing’s on the wall. Enjoy the beauty in front of you, because sadly, looks do fade. Once those colors take on their rustic browns and make their descension, what you hope remains is love, whether that is people in your circle and/or your environment. Now you also have methinking about the lyrics to Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees” and how “gravity always wins.” (laughs)
Q: Leigh Oaks also seems to represent a character undergoing personal transformation. Was Leigh’s journey something that you personally experienced, or is it more of an exploration of universal feelings?
Leigh is trying to make the most of his current situation, I suppose. Some things are out of his grasp, and that’s okay. Answers will reveal themselves with an open mind and positive outlook on life. With new clarity, he also seems to understand how to improve his life and affect positive changes around the people close to him.
Q: Marie Meadows also seems to yearn for a fresh start. How important is it to you to have that double perspective in the song, to show both sides of wanting rebirth?
It made sense to have Marie and Leigh in the same sphere, and speaking their own kind of rhythmic language. I took a cue from The Human League song “Don’t You Want Me.” Every relationship has two sides to a coin and having both characters on equal footing gives “Beginnings” some extra movement. I believe there will be lots of sacrifices and tough decisions for Marie and Leigh to reach “The Great Somehow” together.
Q: The “wind” in the song seems to symbolize something unbridled and uncontrollable. How does that idea of chasing the wind relate to the theme of a new beginning?
I have a different perspective here on the “wind.” In this song, it’s less of a deterrent and more about containing what’s trying to hold back each of the characters from being their best selves. Marie and Leigh are going to power through no matter what obstacles lie ahead!
Q: You refer to a “cold and blustery night,” which sets the mood of the song. How do you choose the time of day or weather in your lyrics to set the mood of a work?
Hmmm. I don’t actively choose any of them. They sort of jockey for position in my notebook. But I do make note of what might have been happening when and that informs my writing process.
Q: The song ends with a promise to “replay our beginning.” Why in the world would you want to return to the start of something, even after it has changed?
Perhaps all the other beginnings may have felt like false starts to Leigh and Marie? They’ll arrive, one way or another.
Q: Do you ever find yourself dwelling on the cyclical nature of life when writing music?
I think that feeling is inescapable. We’re all here for an uncertain amount of time, and I’m doing my best to keep my number high.
Q: Your lyrics seem to suggest that change is a process, not an event. Would you say that this song is about loving the journey and not just the destination?
Love the journey. Do your best. It might sound corny, but the only thing that is constant is change. For a long time, I had trouble embracing and coping with certain elements of change in my life, which really affected my relationships with people. I’m lucky to be on the other side of those challenges.
Q: The line “tomorrow, we’ll replay our beginning” is optimistic. Do you think optimism is needed to make new beginnings possible?
It is optimistic! (Laughs) Absolutely! To my knowledge, understanding change has never been defined as A+B=C. You must learn in yourown way to accept ambiguity. As for “Beginnings,” I think I was probably reflecting on nights winding down with my wife. You know, being excited to tune in to one of our favorite shows(say Midsommer Murders), then minutes later, fall asleep and miss out on key plot points. Too often with a young child, we are “replaying our beginning” of each episode!
Q: Are there particular personal experiences or moments of change that influenced the composition of “Beginnings”?
Oh, for sure! The desire to switch careers. Another is how to grapple with social media and its elongated spectrum of toxicity. I’ve gotten much better at shutting that world down when necessary. A ‘get in and get out’ approach. Figuring out my purpose for being online, putting myself on a timer and log off.
Q: There’s just so much emphasis on nature in the lyrics—trees, leaves, shooting stars. Why is nature so central to this song for you?
One of the original lines in the second verse of “Beginnings” was “my skeleton’s been holding on / to familiar places, some bygone.” I thinkLeigh and Marie are simply looking for minimal noise or chaos, event if it’s only a few hours.
Q: Do you think that, as in the song, we need other people to help us find new beginnings, or can we find it all on our own?
We need other people! What kind of fun would there be if we were all given the answer key to everything? That would be a lonely existence.
Q: In what ways do you think the idea of a “new beginning” shifts as we get older?
It depends on your station in life. I’m at a point where it’s less about me, and more about how I can improve my family’s quality of life and be more available. At the same time, I want to show my son how you can pursue your creative work, even while being a crusty, older parent.
Q: As you’re writing, do you ever find yourself thinking that these ideas of rebirth and transformation keep surfacing, or was this song the exception?
“Beginnings” was an exception to most songs on my records.
Q: What do you want listeners to take away from “Beginnings”?
It’s never too late to believe you can start something new. Find constructive ways to drown out those negative voices in your life. Surround yourself with people who lift you up. And lift them up as well.
Q: Do you think your approach to writing about hope and transformation has evolved over time, or remained consistent?
Pretty consistent, I think. Though I’m much more optimistic these days despite world events.
Q: What do you want listeners to feel when they hear “Beginnings”?
Do you want them to feel hopeful, reflective, or otherwise? Both! Why not be hopeful and reflective? That’s a great spot to land and imagine that directly strengthens emotional intelligence. Whatever the song means to the listener is the most important thing at the end of the day.
Q: Finally, after “Beginnings” has come out, would you say that your own process of transformation or rebirth has been influenced by working on the song?
What a great and timely question. I’m exploring graduate programs right now. I’d say that counts for a transformation!
