A Lesson in Romantics 

By: Emily Eade

Need an album to make you feel all the feelings of heartbreak, sorrow, and the wanting of love? Mayday Parade’s album A Lesson in Romantics is what you are looking for. The album hits all the major points of love, heartbreak, wanting, sorrow, and overall hurting. A Lesson in Romantics is an album that can cause anyone and everyone to have a beautiful and emotional experience. The album consists of slow, beautiful, and melodic punk emotion through music. As stated by the band, “The album is about being in a relationship while you’re on the road, and the different hardships that come with that.” 

The members of the band start the album off with the first hit song, “Jamie All Over” which gives a fast upbeat punk sound. The song has a feel-like-a-dream emotion throughout. This is involving the chorus lyrics “Hey, please don't tell me that I'm dreaming. When all I ever wanted was to. Dream of another sunset with you. If I roll over when it's over, I’ll take this Cali sunrise with me and wake up with the fondest memories.” In these lyrics, it shows that in this dreaming state everything between the singer and his partner is perfect, but he doesn’t want to lose it all when he wakes up. 

Another hit off the album is “Jersey”. This song is about an ex-girlfriend. He wants her to realize her mistakes or feel his pain during the chorus of the song. The lyrics, “Let's write a song that we can sing to and you can lead the choir and put the hook where it hurts most,” shows exactly how he feels. 

“Miserable at Best”, is a very emotional ballad about still loving someone while knowing they are falling in love with someone else at that very moment. The lyrics, “That I can live without you, but without you, I’ll be miserable at best,” shows the feeling that the singer has towards the person he’s singing about. He’s explaining that he can survive without her, but in his happiest moments, he will still be miserable. This gives listeners a moment to understand what exactly is going on in the singer's head and how he’s feeling. 

The last hit on the album is also the last song of the album “You Be The Anchor That Keeps My Feet On The Ground, I’ll Be The Wings That Keep Your Heart In The Clouds”. The song is yet another slow ballad about being depressed about the girl that he loved leaving him. The lyrics, “Tell me once again that you'll love me to the death. And should I die, you swear that you will come for me as I fade away, you reach out your hand,” give the listeners a feeling of hope that when he dies, the loved one will be the first person he sees. He hopes that she will take his hand and guide him to heaven.

A Lesson In Romantics gives an overall story of the male's perspective of how he loved someone who lost love for him. Using the beat, instruments, and lyrics created a connection to the overall feeling of pain and grief stages of a person who is in love and lost that love.