Some songs are simply created for fun. And then some songs are born out of the need to relieve the pain from within the heart. William Locks’ new single “If I Could Say” is exactly such a song, a struggle within himself brought up by the themes of death, regret, and haunted by the unuttered words that last a whole lifetime.
Rotterdam-based, Netherlands, William Locks, the artistic persona of the songwriter Willem van der Sluijs, has for a long time taken his inspiration from real life. But this record is much more personal than any of his previous works. The song “If I Could Say”, written years after the car accident where his ex, ex-girlfriend lost her life, is all about the pain of the fact that sometimes personal development comes too late and that the words we long to say can no longer be said.
William was not holding back the truth when he declared that it was the most difficult time of his life, and he was the cause of it: young, angry, and hurting, “an asshole, ” as he defines himself in a very unpretentious way, when their relationship existed. He only after many years and after he had undergone a transformation of himself realized the extent of what he had lost and that he would never be able to offer forgiveness. That understanding had him reaching out for a pen, scribbling the lyrics of the song as a personal letter addressed to a memory, a moment, a ghost of the old him.
We have in his single an example of a work that is intensely impressive and sincere, and too painful to hide. It has come into being solely in his living room, which was turned into a studio by putting mattresses and curtains on the walls. The work is very tender in nature, and a fully equipped environment with shiny touches will never be able to make it again. The place is audible in the singing. The silence between the words can be even more felt. It is music out of sorrow, not perfect, human, and terribly heartfelt.
Listeners who hear “If I Could Say” understand the song is not just a heartbreak ballad. It is a call to look deep inside one’s self, acknowledge the unfinished conversations, the heaviness of the regret, and the necessity of uttering the truth of one’s feelings. William’s thought is of a kind so simple yet so deeply meaningful: “Tomorrow is never guaranteed. Make peace before going to bed.” This track, as he bravely ventures into a new era of his artistry, is the turning point not only in his musical journey but also in his personal evolution as a person who chooses to be vulnerable rather than keep quiet. To William Locks, it is a gesture of farewell, sharing this song with the world. To his fans, it could be a memento to find comfort when there is still time left.