Clark Gable

Rediscovering a standout song

Without a doubt, my greatest regret remains to be thoughtlessly sleeping through a pre-sale for The Postal Service’s final show in Chicago. To my credit, the venue site was somewhat unclear about the exact time. Regardless, perhaps this helps explain how closely tied to the band I am, that one of its songs continues to drift into my mind without warning, and often replays for days on end. This song is of course, Clark Gable.

The onset of the song is the result of passing thoughts while waiting for a train, of which the narrator responds to almost instantly, putting into motion an almost addicting cycle of love.

I was waiting for a cross-town train in the London underground when it struck me
That I’ve been waiting since birth to find a love that would look and sound like a movie
So I changed my plans I rented a camera and a van and then I called you
“I need you to pretend that we are in love again” and you agreed to

The duration of the song is filled by the narrator setting up shots to create a film about love, rather than create love itself. This “love” is manufactured by pulling from a collection of pre-existing ideas of love and relationshps, cutting and editing out what goes on beneath that layer. He only intends to pretend, and creating an effect is more important than the authenticity of it:

The script it called for rain but it was clear that day so we faked it

It matters not that this representation of love is far from accurate, he enjoys this and treats it as a creative project. Though inspired, it is not in itself original. For instance, he mimics Clark Gable in a romantic gesture. Besides setting into motion the film about love, the narrator’s only original contribution is his cynical refrain and the song’s concluding line:

I want so badly to believe that “there is truth, that love is real”
And I want life in every word to the extent that it’s absurd

I know you’re wise beyond your years, but do you ever get the fear
That your perfect verse is just a lie you tell yourself to help you get by?

The narrator is well aware that, although he enjoys this process, it is ultimately a passing vapor. His expectations of a relationship truly are film-esque, with each word filled with meaning, and each moment picturesque and far from mundane. Thus, like a film, it is destined to be played over again, serving only as a reminder of desire rather than truth.

Aside from the grim realization the song presents, it is truly a hidden gem among The Postal Service’s first and last LP.

-M