Sometimes, I sit down to write a blog post for this website and immediately regret my decision. Music is strange, and it has the ability to affect all of us in completely different ways and make us feel things that we can’t completely explain or understand. Some songs seem so perfectly put together that it seems pointless to even try and articulate why we hold them in such high regard, and instead just enjoy their existence. But, here we are, and the third single from the second album, Discovery, by French electronic duo Daft Punk felt like something special from the first listen.

The story at the start of this song is something that I think most people want to experience at some stage in their lives. We all want that moment where we feel as though all is right with the world, and this song opens with a our protagonist waking up from a dream where they have been dancing beside a romantic partner in what seems like a really blissful scene.

“Last night I had a dream about you,

In this dream, I’m dancing right beside you”

Daft Punk are rightly renowned for their meticulous nature of the soundscape that they create on all their songs, but Digital Love is one of those times when the storytelling is actually brought to the fore.

As the song continues, we get more of an insight into the dream that our protagonist had and the reasons why they are so desperate for it to become reality. We’ve all been there where we’ve been having a dream that we didn’t want to end, only for it to gradually become clear that it was only a dream. This sensation is perfectly portrayed in this song, from the moments of bliss and happiness to the that ultimate realisation that none of this is actually real. It’s a powerful and compelling image.

“The time is right to put my arms around you

You’re feeling right

You wrap your arms around too

But suddenly I feel the shining sun

Before I knew it, this dream was all gone”

As with all tracks by the French duo, the instrumentation and soundscape that is used to reinforce the lyrics is also excellent on Digital Love. And the moment that the squealing guitar hits during the eight eight near the end, no words…

The lyrics and instrumentation are excellently complimented by the music video for the song, as the almost anime-like graphics add to the idea of a dreamlike nirvana that the song is articulating.

MK