In Violet Delancey's new song "Eurydice," the Americana singer channels Greek mythology to deliver a compelling tale of heartbreak. Driven by a classic train beat, a little chicken pickin' and Delancey's frail but fervent vocal, "Eurydice" contrast's the story of the nymph with the reality of earthly heartbreak.
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In Greek mythology, Eurydice was a daughter of Apollo, the god of music (among many things). She married Orpheus, a musician whose melodies were so beautiful he could make anybody weep.
But one day, while running from Aristaeus, Eurydice stepped on a viper. The snake bit her, and she instantly died. Orpheus was so distraught he played a song so sad it drove all the gods to tears. They urged him to go to the Underworld and retrieve her from Hades.
He gladly did so, playing a song that made Hades so sad he allowed Eurydice to return to the world of the living. But he had a condition: Orpheus must leave with Eurydice in tow and could not turn around to look at her before they left the Underworld. Just as Orpheus was about to cross the threshold, he grew suspicious that Hades played a trick on him. So he turned around, only to gaze into Eurydice's face for just a moment, realizing she really was behind him — until she vanished and returned to the Underworld.
Much like most Greeky mythology, it's a pretty brutal story. And also great inspiration for a song, as Violet Delancey proves. Listen to her tune inspired by the story below.
Violet Delancey looks to classic characters from literature for inspiration in many songs on her upcoming album Columbia Road. In addition to Eurydice, she drew inspiration from characters like Snow White, Cinderella and Wendy from Peter Pan.
Delancey says she feels this upcoming album most represents her creative voice. "With Columbia Road, I'm more at the helm creatively," Delancey says. "On the first album, I just didn't really feel sure of myself yet. I trusted the people I was working with. Luckily, they were great. But there wasn't really room for experimentation because I hadn't found myself as a writer."
Sophomore album Columbia Road comes out May 25.
