The Raconteurs’ “Now That You’re Gone” encapsulates the end of a toxic relationship, but more from the co-dependent side. Relationships stick with you always, leaving a big impact that can leave wounds on your heart and brain that do not heal.
The song starts with an electric bass, the other instruments bending in with a rock and indie beat. The lyrics start off condescending, turning angry during the second verse, and the outro turning eerie before the song ends with a mainly electric guitar song, fading out with a piano note.
The lyric “And who’s gonna love you if it isn’t me?” in the second verse adds on to the vibes given in the first part, explaining how life-draining this relationship must have been, but also how unstable the singer’s character must be.
The ending is where things get dark, “What will they say now that you’re gone?” flips the lyric “what will I do, now that you’re gone?” suggesting something has happened to the character, which the music solidifies with the dramatic change in tone as the music fades before turning back up at the end of the last lyric.
I found this song from a fan-made animation of an indie series I have grown to love. The animation was dark, gruesome, but the art and song added this sense of storytelling that I and other fans loved, giving me another song to play on repeat while doing homework that I love because it’s weird and edgy.
This song was originally released as a single paired with their song “Sunday Driver” after a decade-long silence in 2018, before putting both songs on their 2019 album, “Help Us Stranger.”
“Now That You’re Gone” is picking up traction again as it is their second most popular song on Spotify right now. Their latest album “Live at Electric Lady” was filmed and recorded at Electric Lady Studios, being advertised as an EP and documentary but is an album on Spotify.
“Now That You’re Gone” and other songs by The Raconteurs can be found on all streaming platforms.