Music Review: Sarah McLachlan "Building A Mystery"

Sarah McLachlan

Building A Mystery

Album: Surfacing

Year: 1997

            Sarah McLachlan’s boyfriend is figuring out his identity in the  imaginative  “Building A Mystery”

            A wondestruck guitar opens the single, setting a  questioning tone.   She hears him get out of their bed. He gives her a kiss on the forehead and says he has to attend to some things. She looks at the clock. It’s a little after midnight. She asked him about it one time. He said the night made it easier for him to think. He can see people for what they are. He has a specific wardrobe. From the closet, he chooses a hoodie with “Unity” on it and striped boardshorts. He has his notebook and a rosary in his hands. He has been an atheist since he was a teenager. However, he has a fascination with God. In his frontyard, a statue of Mary sits on the grass. His home has several pictures of Jesus up in the halls. He has a curiousity that cannot be quenched. He wants to really know the people he meets.

             She does get concerned about his health. During the winter, he insists on putting his tattered sandals on and trudges through the snow. She tells him he’ll get sick. He says it reminds him to feel. Despite his broodiness, he’s genial and has a great sense of humor. However, his darkness is there, lingering in the background. (“You come out in night/That's when the energy comes/And the dark side's light/And the vampires roam/Struts your rasta wear/And your suicide poem/And a cross from a faith/That died before Jesus came/You're building a mystery/You live in a church/Where you sleep with voodoo dolls/And you won't give up the search/For the ghosts in the halls/Wear sandals in snow and/A smile that won't wash away/Can you look at the window/Without your shadow getting in the way.”)

          In the pre-chorus, he has a natural charisma that draws her towards him. He’s incredibly tender, brushing her hair around her neck when they cuddle. He pays attention to each detail of his personality, watching for nuances he could either exploit or tone down.  (“You're so beautiful/With an edge and a charm/You're so careful/When I'm in your arms.")

              In the chorus, he wants to know who he is. She can’t figure him out. (“Cause you're working/Building a mystery/Holding on, holding it in/Oh yeah, you're working/Building a mystery/And choosing so carefully.”)

            A shrill shout of “No! No!” wakes her up. He has nightmares of dystopias and a damned future he believes that will come to fruition. She caresses him, telling him it’s ok. His lips quiver and his eyes water. He pounds his arms on the bed, telling her to shut up. She has no idea what’s she’s talking about. He gives her a curved smile, closed and tight. It was a quiet day, otherwise. (“You woke up screaming aloud/A prayer from your secret God/To feed off our fears/And hold back your tears/Oh you give us a tantrum/And a know-it-all grin/Just when we need one/When the evening's thin.”)

         In the second pre-chorus, she admits he has emotional problems. He has a martyr complex. It does get exhausting at times but she has no intention of leaving. (“Oh you're so beautiful/A beautiful fucked up man/You're setting up your/Razor wire shrine.”)

               The chorus is sung three times to end the single.

              McLachlan’s starry vocals are fully aware of his faults. It’s why she loves him. He has an intensity that both surprises and scares her. To her, his actions seem calculated as they are needy. He wants to be a memorable person and feels he has to create an alter ego to be noticed. Sometimes he gets carried away and she wishes he would just be him. Usually, she lets him be and allows him to sort out things for himself. His gothic mystique

            The  picturesque “Building A Mystery” has an intriguing character, with a gothic mystique, creating its own lore.