Berlin

"Berlin" by RY X is a profoundly intimate and melancholic exploration of loneliness, longing, and the painful dissonance between love and location. The song captures a moment of intense emotional isolation, where the external environment of a cold, snowy Berlin becomes a metaphor for the singer's internal state. He is physically present in the city but emotionally and spiritually distant, yearning for a partner who is not there. The lyrics convey a feeling of being lost and adrift, grappling with the fallout from a past conflict ("All that fighting, all that snow").

The song delves into the paradox of wanting connection while simultaneously pushing it away. The line, "Tell me I'm not going home / And I'll stop waiting by the phone," speaks to the torment of uncertainty. The singer desires a definitive statement, even a negative one, to end the painful state of waiting. Ultimately, the song is about self-realization and the innate need to return to one's true nature. The declaration, "I'm a child of sun and the stars I love," is a powerful assertion of identity. It signifies that the cold, isolating environment of Berlin—and perhaps the relationship associated with it—is incompatible with his essential being. The decision to run home is not just a physical retreat but a spiritual necessity, a choice to return to a place of warmth, familiarity, and self-acceptance.

A person finds themselves in Berlin, enveloped by the cold and snow. This external chill mirrors a sense of internal isolation and emotional turmoil. They are grappling with the aftermath of a conflict, a fight that has left a lingering silence. The days are sober and the nights are spent alone, with thoughts of a distant lover and the words of poets like Byron filling their mind. There is a deep sense of loneliness and a yearning for connection, highlighted by the act of waiting by a phone that doesn't ring. The hope is that their loved one will tell them not to come home, which would paradoxically end the painful anticipation and provide a certainty, albeit a heartbreaking one.

The physical space—a stark bedroom floor—becomes a landscape for this emotional state. A profound silence seems to have seeped into their very being, a quietness in their blood. This internal stillness prompts a sudden, decisive shift. They apologize to their distant love, declaring an urgent need to return home. This isn't just a physical journey back, but a return to their true self. They identify as a "child of sun and the stars I love," a stark contrast to the cold, grey reality of their Berlin winter. It's an acknowledgment that they belong to a world of warmth, light, and nature, and this realization is a powerful pull, a final answer to the emotional limbo they've been enduring. The journey home is a reclamation of self, an escape from the coldness of a place and a relationship that has left them feeling lost and alone.

"Berlin" was written by Australian artist Ry Cuming, known as RY X, and released in 2013 as the title track of his debut EP. The song was born from a deeply personal and difficult experience. In an interview, Ry Cuming revealed that the song was inspired by a "sad and quite destructive" relationship he was in with a woman living in Berlin. His first visit to the city was during a harsh winter, and the cold, introverted atmosphere of the city mirrored the emotional turmoil he was experiencing.

He began writing the song during a snowstorm in Berlin, having just left the summer of his native Australia to follow a potential love. This stark contrast between warmth and cold, home and a foreign place, became a central theme. The recording itself was a single, live take with just vocals and guitar, captured on tape to preserve its raw and honest emotion. Ry Cuming has stated that he didn't initially intend to share the song widely, considering it a personal expression, a "cry of the heart". Despite its intimate origins, the song's accidental success, initially released on the Swedish label Dumont Dumont before being picked up by Infectious Music UK, marked a significant turning point in his career.

"Berlin" employs a simple, unforced structure that prioritizes emotional expression over strict formal constraints. The song is best described as being in free verse, lacking a consistent, traditional rhyme scheme like AABB or ABAB. Instead, it uses occasional slant rhymes and assonance to create a sense of cohesion without feeling overly structured. For example, the pairing of "snow" and "home" or "phone" provides a subtle sonic link.

The rhythm of the song is slow and contemplative, with a gentle, finger-picked guitar pattern providing the primary rhythmic pulse. The tempo is unhurried, allowing space for the lyrics and vocal melodies to unfold naturally. The lyrical phrasing is fluid and follows the cadence of speech, enhancing the song's intimate, confessional tone. There is a delicate interplay between the steady, almost hypnotic rhythm of the guitar and the more expressive, emotionally charged rhythm of the vocal lines. This combination contributes significantly to the song's hypnotic and melancholic atmosphere, pulling the listener into the singer's introspective state.

"Berlin" is defined by its minimalist and emotionally raw approach, both musically and lyrically.

• Vocal Delivery: RY X's signature falsetto is the central focus of the track. Its delicate, breathy quality conveys a profound sense of vulnerability and fragility, drawing comparisons to artists like Bon Iver and Jeff Buckley. The vocals are layered with harmonies that add texture and an ethereal, haunting dimension.
• Instrumentation: The arrangement is sparse, featuring a simple, reverberating acoustic guitar riff that repeats throughout the song. This minimalism places the emotional weight squarely on the vocals and lyrics, preventing any distraction from the raw sentiment being expressed. The use of reverb on both the guitar and vocals creates a spacious, atmospheric quality, enveloping the listener in the song's melancholic mood.
• Lyrical Style: The lyrics are poetic and evocative, using stark imagery rather than explicit narrative. Phrases like "Berlin in the cold" and "silence in my blood" create a strong sensory experience. The songwriting is direct and confessional, feeling like a personal, intimate glimpse into a moment of crisis.
• Recording Technique: The song was recorded live to tape, which captures the immediacy and imperfection of the performance. The subtle hiss and warmth of the tape add to the track's organic and honest feel, making it sound less like a polished studio product and more like a captured moment of pure expression.

Despite being what RY X calls an "anti-single" due to its minimalist structure and lack of a traditional chorus, "Berlin" achieved significant cultural penetration and critical acclaim. The song gained widespread attention after being featured in a prominent 2013 commercial for the Sony BRAVIA 4K television, which exposed it to a massive audience in the UK, France, and Germany. This placement was pivotal in its success.

The track charted in several countries, including reaching number 15 in France and number 38 in the UK. Its emotional depth also led to its inclusion in several television shows, such as Normal People, Shameless, and Parenthood, further cementing its status as a go-to song for poignant moments. Several artists have also covered the song, most notably Sam Smith, which introduced it to a different subset of listeners. For RY X, "Berlin" was a breakout success that defined his sound and brought his intimate, raw songwriting to a global audience, paving the way for his subsequent albums and sold-out tours.

The song is rich with symbolism, primarily using the city of Berlin itself as a central metaphor.

• Berlin in the Cold: The city is depicted as cold and covered in snow, which symbolizes emotional isolation, loneliness, and the bleakness of the singer's internal state. The winter weather is not just a setting but a direct reflection of the emotional distance and conflict within the relationship.
• Sun and Stars: In contrast to the cold, the singer identifies himself as a "child of sun and the stars I love." This imagery represents his true nature, a longing for warmth, light, connection, and perhaps his home in Australia. It's a metaphor for a state of being that is natural and life-affirming, which he feels disconnected from in Berlin.
• Silence in my Blood: This powerful metaphor suggests a deep, internalized sense of emptiness and quiet despair. It's a silence that is not just external but has become part of his very being, indicating a profound level of emotional numbness or resignation before his decision to leave.
• Waiting by the Phone: This is a classic symbol of longing and hope mixed with the pain of uncertainty. It represents a state of emotional paralysis, where his actions are dictated by the hope of communication from a distant lover.

The song's structure is built around a few key recurring elements that anchor its emotional narrative.

• Lyrical Repetition: The phrase "Come down, love" acts as a gentle, pleading opening, setting a tone of intimacy and longing. The core of the song's two main sections revolves around the contrast between being in "Berlin in the cold" and the final decision to be "runnin' home." This repetition emphasizes the central conflict of the song: the painful present versus the necessary return to self.
• Musical Motif: The most prominent musical motif is the simple, repeating acoustic guitar riff. This hypnotic, circular pattern runs through the entire song, creating a sense of being caught in a loop of thought and emotion. It provides a constant, meditative backdrop for the evolving vocal melody and lyrical story. Its consistency mirrors the persistent feeling of loneliness and contemplation described in the lyrics.
• Vocal Motif: The ethereal, wordless "oohs" that appear in the background serve as a haunting melodic motif. They add to the atmospheric and sorrowful texture of the song, acting almost like a sigh or a lament that words cannot fully express. This vocalise enhances the feeling of vast, empty space and introspection.