But, I have to say, after reading “Far Away” by Nickelback, there is no question in my mind that it is Brucas's love song, well at least one of them, or “the” one out of the options. I personally feel it’s the only song with an appropriate message behind it. The other choices “Boston” by Augustana, “For Blue Skies” by Strays Don’t Sleep, and “Stop & Stare” by One Republic are all wonderful “Brucas Songs” but they don’t in my opinion express the emotions of entering into an everlasting union of love.
In a OTH wedding, as music has always contributed to the essence of the series, I would expect there to be the perfect song playing, portraying all facets of Brucas’s amazing journey, as they share their first dance as man and wife. To be completely honest, I was impressed at how well Nickelback’s “Far Away” actually captures my version of the hypothetical “end-game love story” of Brucas. That made me realize that there was more to these “Brucas Songs”…stories behind them, waiting to be told. So here are two of those stories…
“Boston” is a beautiful and timeless Brucas Song…perfect for its original purpose (Post-fight dance at Naley’s wedding). It’s a bittersweet love story, of Brooke’s silent struggle and message to Lucas, one explaining her coming to terms with the beginning of the end, the end of her depending on him, and their current relationship.
One significant verse begins, “Essential yet appealed, carry all your thoughts across an open field…When flowers gaze at you, they're not the only ones who cry when they see you…You said.”
The impression I got from the first line was that, to Brooke, Lucas was necessary; that her love for him had inadvertently made her vulnerable and weak when he wasn’t around. However, Lucas claimed that Brooke “had been trying to find ways to push him away,” which I see in the second line, because while Lucas desperately wanted to prove his love for Brooke, her insecurities, as I feel are represented by the “flowers” overpowered the situation. Unfortunately, at that time, Brooke felt that Lucas was the one not “letting her all the way in,” but in reality its Brooke who neglects to share her burden of Peyton’s confession, the unspoken catalyst to this breakdown.
The chorus follows with “You don't know me, you don't even care…She said…You don't know me, and you don't wear my chains.”
This is indicative of Brooke’s belief that he didn’t know her, or the burdens (chains) she faced (wore). IMO Brooke felt that his persistence in his friendship with Peyton, while knowing their history and the circumstances following the school shooting events, suggested that he didn’t even care, or rather that his actions did not speak to his caring.
Therefore “Boston” signified to me the start of Brooke’s internal conflict; her mind telling her she’d be better off if she move on and let Lucas go…to Peyton…but her heart telling her that she’d never loved anyone like she did Lucas, and if she let him go she may never love like that again.
A part of the Bridge is, “I think I'll go to Boston, I think that I'm just tired…I think I need a new town, to leave this all behind...I think I need a sunrise, I'm tired of the sunset.”
This is telling of how she viewed her current relationships and life. Brooke was tired of feeling like Peyton came first to Lucas, that no matter how hard or how much she loved him, or he loved her, it never seemed to be enough… the sun always set on their love, and the ramification’s of Peyton loving Lucas was about as inevitable as nightfall.
The song takes a convincing tone towards the end as, “I hear it's nice in the Summer, some snow would be nice,” seems to persuade a broken Brooke to give in, say good bye to her and Lucas, and hope for the possibility of someone or something new and different (snow) coming along, and replacing him in her heart.
She desired a fresh start, “where no one knows my name,” or in other words, where no one knows or questions her reasons for letting Lucas go. She expresses the need she felt to escape her broken heart, and the painful reminders of loving Lucas. She later confessed to Lucas (5.05) that she did this by consuming herself in her work, her dream, her fashion line. Pouring herself into her work gave her a new city, fame and fortune…but it was never the sunrise, or happy ending, she had hoped for.
While “Boston” gives a very clear rendition of Brucas’s bitter end, particularly from Brooke’s POV, I don’t think it completely paints the full story. Brooke and Lucas part ways as lovers after “Boston”, they live separate lives for years, painful histories aside, both content dating others, and yet they still were not truly happy. Eventually, Brooke returns to Tree Hill to “start a family,” which she confides only to Lucas…coincidentally Lucas had expressed the same desire for “a family of his own” to Haley…
If OTH were to have Brooke and Lucas together in the end, “Far Away” would illustrate their journey back to one another quiet well.
“Far Away” is the story of an all encompassing love...one that transcends boundaries and time...
The first verse is, “This time, This place…Misused, Mistakes…Too long, Too late…Who was I to make you wait…Just one chance...Just one breath…Just in case there's just one left.”
It cries of a love that's no stranger to great sacrifice or mistakes...one with odds stacked against it...a love that gives and forgives...one that shares dreams and long awaited promises...
The Chorus, “Cause you know, you know, you know…That I love you...I have loved you all along…And I miss you...Been far away for far too long…I keep dreaming you'll be with me, and you'll never go…Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore.”
It reminds us of a love that’s deserved true happiness all along…one that will give up everything...but won't ever give up...a love that will fight for ANOTHER CHANCE, to risk letting it all the way back in, despite however long they may have been gone or apart…one that will hold on for ONE MORE BREATH, just in case there's just ONE left...
The second verse, “On my knees, I'll ask...Last chance for one last dance…'Cause with you, I'd withstand, all of hell to hold your hand…I'd give it all...I'd give for us...Give anything but I won't give up.”
It speaks of a love on the brink of ONE LAST CHANCE...one that needs just ONE LAST DANCE…to show non-believers what they’ve known all along, “that people who are meant to be always find their way back in the end.”
The bridge, “I wanted...I wanted you to stay…Cause I needed, I need to hear you say…That I love you, I have loved you all along…And I forgive you for being away for far too long…So keep breathing, 'cause I'm not leaving you anymore…Believe it…Hold on to me and, never let me go.”
It is reminiscent of a long lost love, one that even years separation could not suffocate… a love that will prove that Brooke & Lucas are FOREVER, because in the end, “love is the key,” and “nothing else will matter…as long as THEY are together!”
