One of the universal truths of being human is the fact that we can only truly know our own experience. An implication of that is that we only really know ourselves from the inside — we can hazard a guess at how others see us, but never fully know. I sometimes find myself trapped in that thought, and as a result pondering how odd it is that I can know another person better than anyone, and yet I still can’t know them the way they know themselves. The fact that we can’t see us through the eyes of others, even those that love us, is one of the magical tragedies of our existence.
Sophie Blair’s new single, entitled Are You Thinking About Me??, buzzes with the nervous urgency that comes from becoming so fixated on someone that they take on an otherworldly quality in your mind. It is the experience of asking, “How can this other person who has left an indelible mark on me possibly feel anything close to that about me?”
When you are madly hooked on someone, the very knowledge that they could be thinking about you is thrilling, and it is that sensation that fuels this song. Blair successfully leans into that feeling with a breathless vocal set against a pulse-quickening backing track that channels Carly Rae-esque pop hooks combined with classical flourishes.
The classical components in Are You Thinking are subtle, but reflect Sophie Blair’s upbringing and introduction to music. Blair grew up as a Mormon in Provo, Utah, a small town with an unusually vibrant music scene. As a violist, she attended a Mormon university planning to major in classical music. Whilst, in time, she left her college and her faith behind, music continued to be a major passion for her.
Experimenting with a loop pedal and her viola, Blair began making pop music, soon getting the opportunity to collaborate with established local musicians before playing festivals and touring, performing with The Killers and Bruce Springsteen among others.
Are You Thinking is the lead single from Sophie Blair’s sophomore EP, Flatline. Describing the song, she says:
“Are You Thinking About Me?? was the culmination of my obsession with pop music after years of classical-music training. I realized how similar the symphonies I'd played were to the top 40 radio hits I was spinning. In both, there was an intricacy that fascinated me. With this song specifically, I was imagining my typical, compulsive, head-over-heels dive into relationship after relationship with a new backdrop -- a beach, champagne, and roses instead of porches, PBRs, and house parties. Articulating that idea: the psychotic, unending rush of a new romantic chase against the soundscape of the articulate hooks I was so in love with felt thrilling.”
Check out Are You Thinking About Me?? Below: