“Ride”

I chose this song because the title simply just fits the being scene so well. As the opening track for Lana’s second album, Paradise, it sets the tone for the rest of the album, and overall, it happens to be one of her best works. The instrumental portion of the song is carried by violins, and songs almost angelic when paired with her voice. It’s somber, yet colorful in expression. I imagine it playing the following during Willy and Linda´s conversation in the first scene: “I hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast. I am alone in the night. Been tryin’ hard not to get into trouble, but I-I’ve got a war in my mind. So, I just ride. Just ride, I just ride, I just ride” It would play during the conversation as Linda takes off his shoes, his coat, etc.  It would be representative of Willy´s underlying desire: he wants to be free from his own life, but can´t decide on how exactly to do that, so, he drives for hours at a time to distract himself. The birds in the song would show how even when he is driving, he isn’t actually thinking about what he’s even doing. “I am alone in the night.” also represents the connection to his family; it’s strained. It also could foreshadow his eventual encounters with The Woman later in the play. He would be distracted from reality, and Linda would start talking to him, and he wouldn’t hear her as the song plays lightly in the background. WIlly is an idealist, and the song would perfectly convey his obsession with his need to leave, believing that it will fix him.