Bastille’s Pompeii has been a huge guilty pleasure
of mine as far as 2013 music is concerned; a time I never really cared about
the world but was optimistic enough to conquer it, being fresh out of college and
all that. Apologetically lured to the song’s catchy tune and upbeat vibe during
that time, its seemingly regular lyrics didn’t resonate with me or at least
touched my soul of any sort. Not until almost a decade later when the composer’s
very inspiration in creating such a track greeted me by the eye, giving me vivid
visuals and ample time to dig enough.
The song narrates the tragic events in the Roman City of Pompeii during the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79 CE, featuring an imaginary encounter between two corpses trapped during and after such an ancient catastrophic event occurred. Introspectively, the song really does speak a lot like most of us; being stuck in one or more ways, apathetically turning a blind eye on our own demons, unwillingly gushing for false optimism, or simply just bored to death and life for whatever circumstance we see ourselves trapped in, hopelessly caught in our own little worlds. A major difference however is, unlike them poor souls of the past, embracing the wrath of a disaster beyond their control, we are alive today and very much capable of making a good case for ourselves. Proudly looking back at my 2013 trapped self, I am glad I made some significant moves to escape my personal Pompeii. But there's a long way to go, nevertheless.
