Kradam, The Rock Opera: Act I, Scene 5
Act I, Scene 5
We are now entering into a very difficult phase in this journey.
Written All Over My Face, Can't Let You Go, and Heartless Scene 4 ends with Adam asking Kris, "What do you want from me?" In other words, "Where is this relationship going?" Scene 5 opens with them trying to figure that out. WAOMF is basically a response to WWFM. You can hear the frustration in Kris's voice as he tries to sort through everything and to explain himself. It seems that it's decided that their relationship will not continue. It isn't entirely clear who makes this decision or the reasons behind it, but I have some ideas.
We haven't really heard what Kris wants, which leads me believe that, at this point, Kris isn't entirely sure what he wants. Yes, he absolutely loves Adam. On the other hand, he has probably spent much, if not all, of his life trying to not be gay. Coming out, therefore, probably feels like a huge, scary, stressful change in his life, especially since he's currently being watched by 30 million people each week. I think he is not so muchunwilling as he is unable to make the kind of commitment that Adam seems to be asking of him. Consequently, however, it would seem that Adam decides that they should end things. You can hear how much sorrow this causes them both, though.
CLYG wasn't written by Adam, but it was written for Adam. I think I can hear how the beginning of CLYG somewhat echoes the ending of WAOMF, but I lack the music vocabulary to explain it well. Basically, Adam's voice at the very beginning CYLG follows a pattern in relation to the accompaniment that is similar to Kris's "oooh" at the end of WAOMF. Additionally, both songs also feature a type of chord called a minor seventh, which you don't see much in the other songs.
There are also connections between CLYG and "Heartless." For one, their choruses follow the same chord pattern of i VII VI V . In fact, if Adam and Kris were to sing their choruses together (at the same tempo and in the same key), it would sound something like this.
Can't let you go--------------------Can't let let you go---------------------Can't let you go---
--------------------How could you be so heartless---------How could you be so heartless----
Like with the "The Truth" and "Broken Open," parts of CLYG and "Heartless" look like they could be part of the same conversation (Again, Kris is in red and Adam's in blue):
You run and tell you're friends that you're leavin' me,
They say that they don't see what you see in me,
You wait a couple months then you gone' see,
You'll never find nobody better than me
But it's not that easy for me to say goodbye,
And everything in me wants you back in my life
I know you can't believe
I could just leave it wrong
And you can't make it right
I'm gon' take off tonight
Into the night...
Into the night
You saw the way that I felt,
But I'm better off by myself.
That's the tale I like to tell, yeah
Cause in the night, I hear 'em talk,
The coldest story ever told.
Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul
To a woman so heartless..
Nothing kills more than to know
That this is the end of the road
And I know I've gotta let go, oh
I don't actually believe that "Heartless," for Kris, is just about Adam. I think it's a song of lament about the whole situation. He's also angry with his wife, TPTB, society in general, and probably even God.
I selected Kris's performance of "Heartless" on AI for my playlist because it's such a heartfelt performance. But he's been doing a really cool mashup of "Heartless and Gangta's Paradise" for a while now.
Click to viewIs It Over? Act I closes at the saddest point in the story. But don't worry, there's still Act II.
Continue to Act II, Scene 1