The meaning of Such Great Heights by The Postal Service

The song 'Such Great Heights' by 'The Postal Service' stands as a memorable emblem of 2000s indie music. While on the surface it appears to be an upbeat electro indie-pop concoction that's easy on the ears, the true beauty lies within its lyrics that encompass universal themes of love, distance, and the joys of finding the extraordinary within the ordinary.

'Such Great Heights' is a beautiful love ballad at its core. The narrator addresses his beloved, painting a picture of mutual affection and shared experiences. The use of the phrase 'I am thinking it's a sign, that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images and when we kiss they're perfectly aligned', underscores this. The song is not just about the grandiose moments of love, but also about adoring the minute and seemingly insignificant details about one's partner. While the majority of mainstream love songs focus on heated passions and all-encompassing declarations, The Postal Service takes a different, fresh route by zeroing in on the smaller, yet equally significant moments that accumulate to define a romantic relationship.

The theme of distance is subtly woven into the fabric of the lyrics with lines like 'I watch my window, the glass is extra thin'. It gives a sense that despite the physical separation, the shared connection remains strong and tangible. Relatable to anyone who has ever been in a long-distance relationship, the song encapsulates the bittersweet feeling of being far from someone you deeply care about yet, knowing that the bond remains unaffected.

The final theme is the joy one experiences by seeing the extraordinary within the mundane, a sentiment encapsulated in the lyrics 'they will see us waving from such great heights'. The use of the word 'waving' creates a picture of the song's protagonists looking down from an elevated place at the ordinary world below, finding beauty in the mundanity of everyday life. This viewpoint turns 'Such Great Heights' into a mindfulness chant about appreciating the present moment.

Another brilliance of the song is its ability to pull listeners in with its melody. Coupled with the slyly intricate lyrics, it makes for a full-bodied immersive experience. Hearers are invited into the innermost depths of a romantic relationship marked by remarkable intimacy.

It's no coincidence that 'Such Great Heights' remains a beloved anthem for romantics everywhere. The song offers a perspective that doesn't just dwell on sweeping letters of love, but on the tiny, everyday details that make love real, lasting, and infinitely beautiful. Echoing the sentiment of this lyric - 'everything looks perfect from far away', the song encapsulates the innate human longing for connection, the beauty found in detailing, and the exquisite pain of distance, all while remaining grounded in the inherently human experience of loving another.

'The Postal Service's' ‘Such Great Heights’ is, indeed, a hidden gem that withstands the test of time with its eloquent articulation of the complexities of love, being a reminder that in the pedestrian lies the profound.