The single “Walls” is one of Reuben’s most famous works. The song was in the top 10 of popular singles in Norway for a long time. It is considered a successful debut project, which allowed the performer to say goodbye to the regional level of fame and go beyond the borders of the country. The song was written in 2008. Thanks to the measured melody and heartfelt text, the composition fell in love with the audience and quickly gained popularity.
A little about the artist
Ruben is the stage name of Ruben Markussen, a Norwegian musician and songwriter. He was born in a small village in the north of the country, with only 300 inhabitants. Such remoteness from megacities and large cities did not prevent the performer from developing his talent and literally breaking into the national hit parades and becoming one of the most popular performers.
The first recognition came to Ruben in 2016. It was then that his songs began to appear in the public domain and became known within the country. Such activity was not in vain and became an excellent start for the development of musical abilities. In 2018, Markussen won the Norwegian P3 Gold in the Rookie category and received a scholarship. The achievements of the young musician did not end there. In the same year, Universal Music Group signed a contract with him and actively began to promote the musician’s work.
Since then, Ruben has had to live in two countries: Switzerland and Norway. In 2020, the performer worked on a joint project with Alan Walker. The result of this collaboration was the song Heading Home.
Melody Features
“Walls”, like all the artist’s work, is written in the pop genre. The song has a classic melody construction for this genre. The work has a clear structure and rhythmic division into a verse and chorus of the composition.
The composition begins with a soft, lyrical introduction, which allows the listener to tune in to the perception of the words of the song, imbued with its ideas and main message. At the beginning of the composition, the first thing that people pay attention to is the monotonous piano part. It stands out against the general background of the melody, accentuates with its periodicity. The periodic sounding of the same notes makes it possible to enhance the dramatic effect, to create a melancholic mood in the listener, to aim it at the philosophical content of the text. This component of the melody is preserved throughout the first part of the song.
Such a duration has a cumulative effect, allowing you to strengthen the emotional message created at the beginning of the work. The text of the song is interrupted by dynamic musical losses. Thus, it is possible to create positive dynamics, rid the song of gloom, and bring cheerful notes. Despite the slow, lyrical beginning, the song as a whole is very dynamic and rhythmic.
Lyrics Analysis
What is Ruben Marcussen’s song about? About the feelings and emotions of a person, to some extent about stereotypes, significant, kindred spirits that allow us to discover new facets of our personality and change for the better, and about life in general.
The song in its structure is similar to the confession of a lyrical hero, who, pronouncing his peculiarities of perceiving the world, tries to reflect the inner essence.
The text begins with the phrase: “I was part of a company of cool guys.” This allows the listener to predict the past of the lyrical hero of the song – a guy who was always in the company of “tough guys”. Such companies standardize their members – wanting to follow the set standards, people lose their individuality and specific features of their personality.
