Typically when one hears the phrase rose-colored glasses, there’s a negative connotation attached. When you or someone else is told they live life while wearing those lenses, it’s somewhat insulting because the implication is that the person at hand is naïve or a little too innocent. But thankfully, we have groups like The Collection that redirect the social understanding of this phrase to its actual definition; to wear rose-colored glasses means to have an optimistic perspective of the event(s) at hand. The Collection’s “Rose Colored Glasses” is about choosing to celebrate the end of a relationship for what it was instead of mourning for what it could have been.
"Rose Colored Glasses" is an Indie-Pop track dedicated to remembering all the positive emotions a relationship brought us despite its ending. The song opens with a beautiful group harmonization before lead singer David Wimbish delivers the first verse. Within this verse, listeners are given a brief glimpse into the romantic relationship at hand and a reflection post break-up. Instead of bitterness pursuing, the relationship has “been a path to a bigger heart”. As this verse prepares for the chorus, the instrumentals are gradually built up alongside it. When the chorus finally comes, it sparks a sense of overwhelming joy. The lyrics in the chorus I particularly love is: “I know I could pick it all a part / And I’m sure that you could, too / So give me those rose-colored glasses / When I look back at me and you”. It’s easy to remember and hyper-focus on negative feelings and events in a relationship, especially at its end. But in doing so, we forget to reflect on how this relationship made us feel wonderful during its course and made us a better person after the fact. The second verse then falls back into the mellow melody of the first verse that hooked listeners to begin with. While short, it’s very direct – even though the end of this relationship isn’t what was envisioned for the future, the end has been viewed as a “good” thing and there’s a choice to continue to view it as such. And finally, the third verse acknowledges how easy it is to fall into the trap of post break-up bitterness. It’s something we have all been guilty of at one point or another. But perhaps wearing a pair of rose-colored glasses could help fend off that animosity and allow us to appreciate the relationship as a moment of personal growth.
The Collection is an Indie-Alt Pop group from Saxapahaw, North Carolina. The group’s musical inclinations foster interpersonal communication and relationships while providing unique folk melodies. They’ve encountered multiple successes before signing their first record deal with the Nettwerk Music Group in 2022: ranging from features on NPR’s Tiny Desk Judges’ Picks to acclaim from noteworthy magazines such as Parade. If you’ve enjoyed The Collection as much as I have, there’s multiple opportunities to see them perform live in March! Venues and tickets can be found on the group’s website. Until then, show The Collection some virtual love in the form of streams, likes, and follows.
Written by Giavanna Gradaille
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