Bash Co., who is a teacher and songwriter, has been producing music as a solo artist since 1999. The song ‘Velvet’ was inspired by a six-day family visit to Prague, during which trips to various historical sites and places featured in an INXS video gave a set of chords a theme; romance, separation and the city’s political history all found their way into the same song. That’s an quite ambitious souvenir to take back.
The word velvet refers to clothing, to physical intimacy, and also to the Velvet Revolution, in that way a private meeting can take on a public significance. The line “It’s you in velvet, Revolution in my heart” combines all these meanings in a skilful and concise manner. The appeal is at once obvious; the setting gives it real consequences. By mentioning the Iron Curtain the song places its affection under strain, while Prague offers specific streets and memories around which the story can unfold. My interpretation is that the song’s central idea is this: when the circumstances threaten to separate people, falling in love becomes an act of commitment.
Love, Revolution, Separation
-PurpleMistress
There’s also a worthwhile aspect of songwriting concerning the arrangement. “Velvet” starts off with just the voice and guitar, then moves on to fuller guitars and a more complex production, and in the second part the percussion is used to imply the presence of marching troops. Because of this change, the repeated lyrics take on a new meaning. Lines talking about warmth and attachment are now contrasted with a rhythmic indication of approaching danger. For me, this choice is the most impressive element of the way the song is put together. It is the music that carries the story forward.
This method also gives the song’s softness a reason. By beginning on an intimate note it shows what the characters hold valuable, and as the structure develops it shows what might happen to that value. Bash Co. leaves open the possibility of several interpretations, such as a new attraction, already-existing love, or someone going back to a relationship through their memories of the city. These possibilities are appropriate for a lyric which relies on double meanings.
The idea behind ‘Velvet’ is clear and the most convincing aspects of the film keep coming back to it. It is about a person and a certain type of fabric, a city with a specific history, and a love song in which the second part puts the first one under pressure. It is this last point that gives the romance something to grasp onto.
