There are ‘Tears In My Eyes’. At least that’s the title of the new laidback heartbreak single by John Van Wicklen. The elderly jazz artist writes that he has been writing music all his life.
‘Tears In My Eyes’ opens with a singular, weighted piano strike that hangs in the air. Then the creak gives way to a series of high, ethereal piano notes that are weightless and shimmering. After this cycle repeats, a low instrumental growl emerges from the bass strings. This deep resonance soon locks into a rhythmic pulse, punctuated by a cold, metallic clatter of percussion that cuts through the atmosphere at steady intervals.
A lone and lethargic vocal line emerges, the words stretching out with a sense of longing: ‘Saying goodbye is the hardest thing to do’. The voice fades into silence for a few moments before John Van Wicklen returns and sings: ‘Tears in my eyes over you’.
The vocals are clean and mostly clear. Following these lines, John Van Wicklen delivers the titular lyrics, though the texture changes as a female vocalist joins him to provide a harmonic backing.
While the mention of tears suggests melancholy, the narrative takes an unexpected turn. The lyrical persona directs the addressee to look out their window at a bright, sun-drenched day, juxtaposing the internal grief with the external world. This lead-up culminates in a poignant question: ‘Can you feel the joy in the same way?’
Moments after posing this question, the persona turns inward. The outward gaze toward the sunlit world is replaced by a moment of quiet introspection as they admit, ‘I don’t pretend to know everything’.
These reflections reveal that the addressee remains present, a silent witness to the persona’s questioning. As the introspection plays over the established sonic arrangement, symphonic flourishes drift in and out.
SCORE/Good: Despite its easy-listening, chilled aesthetic, the track anchors itself in a narrative of grief and departure. Yet, by weaving in threads of joy, it avoids descending into total melancholy, maintaining a delicate emotional equilibrium. There is also something deeply resonant about hearing the elderly John Van Wicklen; his lethargic delivery feels particularly poignant as it arrives in the waning days of this first month of the new year.
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