An intimate song of love and sacrifice, William Fitzsimmons’ “Dancing on the Sun” dwells in the visceral throes of connection – navigating the dichotomy of pain and pleasure that come with blind passion, and the heartache and grief lying in wait.
Stream: “Dancing on the Sun” – William Fitzsimmons
‘Dancing on the Sun’ is another piece to the Icarus puzzle, which the entire ‘Ready the Astronaut’ album is an attempt at understanding.
William Fitzsimmons says his new single is about crashing, but in a powerful way, it’s also about taking flight. An intimate song of love and sacrifice, “Ready the Astronaut” dwells in the visceral throes of connection – navigating the dichotomy of pain and pleasure that come with blind passion, and the heartache and grief lying in wait.
You caught me dancing on the sun
A million stars were in your eyes
And I fell for you so hard
Think I’ll love you ’til I die
And I could stare up at the moon
And beg the earth to bend her time
Just to live like we once were
When I thought your heart was mine
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the single and music video for “Dancing on the Sun,” the latest single off William Fitzsimmons’ forthcoming new album, Ready The Astronaut (out June 25, 2021 via Nettwerk Records). Following a slew of radiant and dynamic song released over the past nine months, “Dancing on the Sun” arrives as Ready the Astronaut‘s stirring seventh teaser track, and a heavy, moving expression of the heart.
Following 2018’s poignant and acclaimed LP Mission Bell – itself a record drowning in heartache and heartbreak – Ready the Astronaut comes into orbit as Fitzsimmons explores his past and his present, interpolating his lived experience through the lens of the Greek mythology of Icarus “to illustrate his willingness to accept his life’s highs and lows by paying tribute to the influence they have on the future” (per his label).
Can you please just come around
Is your heart still open
I don’t know where I went wrong
There were words unspoken
“Dancing on the Sun” is one such low, masked as a high. Expressive guitars glisten and glow Fitzsimmons sings, his voice so close to the mic that he comes to us like a smoldering whisper. Vivid lyrics of devotion and dedication capture the surrender in the artist’s heart as he recognizes a treacherous end in sight, trying as hard as he can to avoid the inevitable.
“Love is a force like no other. It leads us to acts of unfathomable sacrifice, and also to unspeakable harm,” Fitzsimmons muses poetically. “It can cause us to feel a joy that is not explainable with words; like dancing on the sun or walking upon water. But when we deny reality, when we forget that we are in danger of falling to the sea. ‘Dancing on the Sun’ is a morale about being caught up in passion, but forgetting that pain and pleasure are never too far from each other.”
Fitzsimmons’ bittersweet performance injects layers of palpable feeling into the world, evoking the raw pain of love:
Caught me dancing on the sun
God how much I miss your eyes
I thought you’d put me in the ground
And I’d lay right by your side
Can you please just come around
Is your heart still open
I don’t know where we went wrong
But the light could show it
When the sparrow broke the wall
Did you even notice
All the seedlings we have laid
Someone else will grow them
Diving deeper, Fitzsimmons tells Atwood Magazine about this song’s place on his forthcoming album, and how he views the poignant narration within the Icarus framework. “‘Dancing on the Sun’ is another piece to the Icarus puzzle, which the entire Ready the Astronaut album is an attempt at understanding. It’s a moment of thinking you’ve finally reached a point where you can rest and be home, only to find yourself crashing into the ocean below, defeated and alone once again. In its most simple form, it’s a lover’s plea for return, to be taken back and start over again. But having the silent awareness that it’s already too late. ‘All the seedlings that we laid, someone else will grow them.'”
Few depths feels deeper and darker than those of love, and in “Dancing on the Sun,” William Fitzsimmons feels he’s about to plummet. He hasn’t reached the drop, but it’s coming – and the pain of knowing has already started to drag him down. Love is like an anvil for the singer/songwriter as he submits himself to his own demise, accepting his fate and readying himself the best he can.
Yet somehow, Fitzsimmons’ take on turmoil isn’t turbulent at all; in fact, it’s quite tender and tranquilizing. “Dancing on the Sun” swells and soars full of the same liveliness that has already left the narrator’s eyes; the song dazzles, despite knowing the days of magic and bliss are long over. Such is the magic of William Fitzsimmons that he can weave a terrific framework, while evoking such terrifying emotions.
Stream “Dancing on the Sun” exclusively on Atwood Magazine. Ready the Astronaut takes off June 25, 2021 via Nettwerk Records.
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Stream: “Dancing on the Sun” – William Fitzsimmons
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