Stark White
by @ndavies
Liner Notes
I was wondering what to write one more song about, as I drove to a mixing session with my band, and then it hit me. This is a song about the dramatic increase in headlight brightness (happening here in the US).
For a long time I thought I was just not handling cars' headlights at night as well as I used to, because I was driving less, and then drove less because of that, but no. Headlight brightness has objectively doubled over the past decade.
Manufacturers have been engineering their headlights to be more glaring while still passing the specific conditions of the regulatory test. And hood heights have been getting higher. https://www.theringer.com/2024/12/03/tech/headlight-brightness-cars-accidents This reminds me of the "loudness wars" that have been afflicting recorded music over the years
Lyrics
I'm being followed close I see him in every mirror glaring his displeasure everywhere I turn I am an obstacle to his ever forward motion almost below his notice as he looks down his nose
It's stark white a shadow play against a sheet my silhouette against the trees a chalk outline like I'm deceased already It's dark night the only shapes I can make out are the shadows cast in doubt in textureless monochrome
Give me coiled filament it's comforting and candlelit takes me on a nostalgia trip of classic cars and carefree kids To you it must be bas relief but I see the polarized extremes and selfish individuality
It's stark white a pantomime upon a screen an ambulance upon the scene of plausible deniability It's dark night the radius of your radiance is all that keeps at bay the retroreflective eyes of the void
The spotlight freezes me to the spot an understudy unprepared a prison yard escapee a buck that struts into the lane I stare into the eclipse I see lens flares and dog tails impossible colored stars an afterimage superimposed
It's stark white a shadow play against a sheet a deathly pale upon the street a chalk outline like I'm deceased already It's dark night the only shapes I can make out are the shadows cast in doubt in textureless monochrome
Comments
![[avatar]](https://fawm-avatars.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/fawm2023/1283.png){kind=avatar}
This is the song I didn't know I needed. As I age my night vision is getting worse (although still decent) and I wonder how much of it are these stark white blinding lights. I like the chorus a lot and how it changes the second time through. Your lyric is crafted elegantly as well. Little phrases that are very good, (for instance, textureless monochrome, shadows cast in doubt, etc.,)
![[avatar]](https://fawm-avatars.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/fawm2025/27c0503f-b525-4baf-93d5-410067385816.png){kind=avatar}
Thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster!!! Someone is brave enough to talk about it. I hate these eye murdering headlights. But because of them…I got to hear this lovely tune so maybe they have served a purpose in my life. Very cool song and a great performance. I love it.
![[FAWM]](/static/img/slothcore.svg)
Something of a Mt Eerie feel about this, which is partly due to your lovely voice, and partly your skilfully verbose way with a lyric. It flows out like a stream of consciousness but doesn’t feel self indulgent at all.