After the first few times I listened to Switchfoot’s 2019 album Native Tongue, there was one song that I just couldn’t get out of my head – Oxygen. Oxygen is not the type of Switchfoot song that I typically find my self drawn to. I generally prefer their heavier, post-grunge rock inspired tunes. But the solemn, melancholy tone of the verses combined with the vividly illustrated, dreamlike chorus combine to make what I consider a masterpiece of a song.

Recently, I have been thinking of Oxygen as piece of abstract art. The subjects of the song, a couple and the relationship between them are largely abstracted away from the listener in the verses. The emotion of the piece, conveyed through the lyrical imagery and music and are packaged brilliantly in the chorus.

A Broken Relationship

As the listener, we are presented an extremely narrow vertical slice of a very difficult and possibly pivotal moment in a couple’s relationship. If a detailed timeline of the relationship were written out in a book, Oxygen lets us glimpse at less than a page. From the first verse, we simply know that one of the one of the individuals is revealing that he/she is contemplating ending the relationship and the other individual is caught completely off guard. The second verse, though still largely abstract, sheds a little more light on the nature of the issues in the relationship. The partner ending the relationship describes a seemingly insurmountable emotional distance that has come between them. But still it is clear, ending the relationship is not an easy decision from him/her.

As a curious listener, my natural inclination is to want to know more. How long have the couple been together? Were they married or dating? Is the emotional distance related to infidelity, addiction or just a matter of growing apart over time? What was the outcome? Were they able to work it out or did they end up parting ways? The beauty of Oxygen is – it doesn’t matter. The answer to those questions are a different story for a different song. Oxygen is about the emotion of the moment.

The Emotion of Oxygen

The chorus of Oxygen paints the emotion of the moment with vivid lyrical imagery that is delivered with dreamlike harmonies. Rather than telling the listener about the feelings that accompany heartbreak, the Foreman brothers tells us how the moment of heartbreak feels.

It feels like time has slowed down. It feels like you are disassociated from your physical self. It feels like you can’t catch your breath.

A medical professional could clinically classify these symptoms as a stress response. The physiological symptoms of a stress response can occur in many different circumstances – the sudden loss of a loved one, being faced with grave danger or witnessing a traumatic event. In Oxygen, the response results from suddenly finding out that someone that you love is no longer happy in the relationship. Switchfoot’s lyrics masterfully describe these physiological symptoms in the context of a crumbling romance.

Color and Light

In addition to telling us how heartbreak feels, the chorus of Oxygen also visually creates the color and light for the song. There are two very distinct pieces of imagery.

Fireworks imploding, bright light collapsing in on itself and slowly fading. This is symbolic of the collapse of a once bright and promising relationship as the light begins to fade. It is also a strong contrast to the common imagery of exploding fireworks which are often associated feelings that accompany a new romantic relationship.

Rocketship ascending, leaving earth’s atmosphere, dwarfed in an endless blue sky. There is so much going on here. The mental imagery of the rocketship climbing into space draws to mind the thoughts of distance, separation and isolation. While color is not explicitly described in the chorus, the common imagery associated with a rocket ascending is typically dominated by clear blue skies. When I think about the color palette of Oxygen it is primarily shades of blue, a color that is often associated with sadness and despair.

The Tragedy by Pablo Picasso. Like many artists, Picasso used color to evoke emotion. The Tragedy is from Picasso’s “blue period” when he was mourning the loss of a close friend.

The Music of Oxygen

Oxygen opens with a short, somber piano intro that establishes the mood for the song. The vocals in the verses are performed in a understated, melancholy tone as they build to the the chorus.

The lyrical sadness and heartbreak in the chorus of Oxygen is juxtaposed against mellow vocal harmonies. These harmonies evoke thoughts of the Beach Boys and summer love songs. This musical contrast adds yet another layer of depth to an already incredible piece of songwriting.

Finally, we get a soulful Drew Shirley guitar solo in the bridge which is the perfect emotional sendoff before the final chorus.

A Masterpiece of Emotion

While Oxygen may never be one of Switchfoot’s big hits, it has become my favorite songs on Native Tongue. On the surface, it is a basic song about love and loss, but dig deeper and you begin to see the complexity and depth that Jon and Tim Foreman crafted into Oxygen.

The strength of Oxygen is its laser-like focus on the emotion of the moment. There is no looking back and pointing fingers to what caused the rift in this relationship. There is no looking forward to what’s next for this couple. It’s a song about what a person feels at the moment of impact.

Since the release of Native Tongue, it is a song that had been on my mind almost daily. In my opinion, Oxygen is an artistic masterpiece of emotion in songwriting.

Please check out my full review of Native Tongue!