Picture this: you’re sitting in a dimly lit room, headphones on, as the opening notes of Radical Face’s “Always Gold” wash over you like a gentle wave. The fingerpicked acoustic guitar is soon joined by Ben Cooper’s voice, a fragile yet powerful instrument that seems to carry the weight of a thousand untold stories.
As the first verse unfolds, Cooper paints a vivid picture of two brothers, their lives intertwined like the roots of an ancient tree. “We were tight knit boys, brothers in more than name,” he sings, his voice quivering with emotion. “You would kill for me, and knew that I’d do the same.” The lyrics are a masterclass in storytelling, each line a brushstroke that adds depth and color to the canvas. You can almost see the house they grew up in, smell the smoke from the fire that “burned away” their childhood innocence.
But it’s the chorus that truly sets “Always Gold” apart. The melody ascends, Cooper’s voice soaring over a bed of strummed guitars and shimmering strings. “We were always gold,” he sings, stretching out the last word like a prayer. It’s a declaration of love, a promise that even when the world is crumbling around them, their bond will remain unbreakable.
The song’s arrangement is a testament to the power of simplicity. The time signature is a waltz-like 3/4, giving the song a gentle, swaying feel that perfectly complements the nostalgic tone of the lyrics. The chords are mostly simple triads, with the occasional minor chord thrown in to add a touch of melancholy. But every note feels intentional, every chord change a subtle shift in emotional texture.
As the song builds to its climax, Cooper’s voice becomes more urgent, more desperate. “I don’t care what you might think, we were always gold,” he sings, his voice cracking with emotion. The use of anaphora, repeating the phrase “we were always gold” at the beginning of each line, drives home the central metaphor of the song. Gold is a symbol of purity, of value, of something that endures. By comparing the brothers’ bond to gold, Cooper is saying that their love is unbreakable, untarnishable, eternal.
The song’s themes of love, loss, and the unbreakable bonds of family are universal, but they take on a deeper meaning when viewed through the lens of Cooper’s own life. “Always Gold” is from Radical Face’s album “The Family Tree: The Roots,” which tells the story of a fictional family over the course of a century. But the emotions behind the songs are drawn from Cooper’s own experiences growing up in a troubled family. In interviews, he’s spoken about how the album was a way for him to process his own trauma and find a way to move forward.
For me, “Always Gold” has been a constant companion through some of the darkest moments of my life. When my father passed away a few years ago, I found myself turning to this song again and again. The lyrics about watching a loved one fade away, about promising to hold onto their memory, hit me like a punch to the gut. But there was also something comforting in the song’s message of enduring love, of the bonds that can never be broken.
Listening to “Always Gold” now, years later, I’m struck by how much my relationship with the song has changed. The raw pain of those early days has faded, but the emotional power of the music remains. It’s a reminder that even in our darkest moments, there is always a glimmer of light, a thread of gold that connects us to the ones we love.
In a world that often feels fractured and uncertain, Radical Face’s music is a balm for the soul. “Always Gold” is a shining example of their craft – a song that speaks to the human condition with unflinching honesty and breathtaking beauty. It’s a reminder that art has the power to heal, to transform, to remind us of the ties that bind us together.
So close your eyes, press play, and let “Always Gold” wash over you. Let it break you open, let it fill you with its golden light. Because in the end, that’s what great art does – it changes us, it makes us feel alive, and it reminds us that we are all, in our own way, always gold.