back song review: Last Dance
october 1, 2024
Last Dance is the 11th and final track on Rock and Roll Part Three, the debut album of Ozma. it's a song that I overlooked for a long time after my first listen. I thought it was missing something that the other songs had, that it was the weakest track on the album. (nowadays that honor belongs to... iunno, probably Rocks.) but once I came around on it, I was really able to recognize what makes it such a great song. first and foremost, the transition from In Search of 1988 is really nice. I once heard 1988 and Last Dance described as the "encore" of the album after Battlescars as an explosive finale, but I don't really see it. Battlescars is a great song and could definitely close some other album, but Last Dance has a charm to it that's more unique than ending with a big grandiose climax. another unique aspect of Last Dance is that it's the only song on the album that revolves around a riff, rather than a chord progression or an instrumental refrain. this would be explored a lot more on the second (and best) Ozma album, The Doubble Donkey Disc, but this song was the first, and I love that about it. one of Ozma's greatest strengths has always been experimentation, and this is no exception. one last thing before I get to the lyrics: I like the little synth thing in the quiet part near the end. deedoodadeet. doodeedadoot.
now, the lyrics and overall feeling of Last Dance are something that you can't really find elsewhere in Ozma's catalogue. I thought it was kind of a limp closer on my first listen because it sounds defeated, but now I realize that it's great because it sounds defeated. Last Dance is about accepting that it's over. there are so many songs out there about not wanting it to be over, or knowing it's over before it actually ends, or hoping that it lasts forever and will never be over, so Last Dance stands out by being the future tense of all of these concepts. "after the last dance, you lost your last chance." Last Dance is about events that happened a long time ago, and now that all the emotions have been poured out, it's just memories. maybe not fond memories, but it's been far too long to still be upset over it. maybe I'm biased to see it this way, though, considering the fact that listening to this album for the first time is the reason I am still best friends with my ex. that's a story for another time, though.
line: a kinder reminder from oooooooooooooooozma