@RyanPatton94

6 years ago

Like most of Beach House's songs, the lyrics in Chariot are almost nonsensical. Almost. There is just enough sense in the lyrics for listeners to create tons of different interpretations, which seems to be Victoria's goal. After a few listens I began trying to interpret the song. The best meaning I could create was that the song is about a president. Critical of Donald Trump, maybe? Or it's about the presidency in general? Maybe it's about being an actor? Who knows. Then I saw someone suggest that Chariot is a surreal JFK biography. That struck me as incredibly sad. After viewing this video a few times that theory seemed confirmed and the song took on a new meaning. But then I watched the video again and had a different takeaway: much of the video seemed concerned with two women in JFK's life, Marilyn and Jackie. Again, the song evolved for me and took on a new meaning. Chariot isn't just a surreal eulogy for JFK. Rather, it's a surreal eulogy for the man as viewed through the eyes of Jackie. Jackie's sadness about her husband's death is more complex than the American public's. She had to deal with the horrifying death of her husband, but also the public's warped perception of him. The public came to view him as a martyr; as the best president ever and a good man struck down in his prime. Jackie was one of the few people close enough to JFK to see reality, however. He cheated, lied, and didn't always treat her right. She had to deal with his death, but also had to watch millions of people worship a man who mistreated her.

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