#but its hidden under a thick layer of purple prose oops

[hazeleyed-fay]

So I cant find the post that initially got me thinking about this, but on the topic of Julie making Luke a better writer:

We see 2 Sunset Curve songs that Luke wrote pre-Julie. Now or Never and Bright. He edited Bright a little before he gave it to her, and we only hear it in full when she's performing it, but I think the core of it was basically unchanged. Now or Never and Bright are both good songs, they're fun to listen to and they're technically well done (by which I mean that the technical aspects are all well-executed). But they're also..... kinda generic?

Like not in a bad way necessarily, but the theme of both is kinda that "Life is awesome"/"I'm awesome"/"Don't underestimate me" teenagerness that's kinda default in a way -- music I wrote in my tween/teen years had the same vibes. And I kinda think that you end up with that vibe when you're feeling a lot but you don't really know how to express it in a way that will connect with other people. We know Luke was feeling a lot because we also see Unsaid Emily, which he wrote pre-Julie but notably not for Sunset Curve to perform. Unsaid Emily is for himself and his mom. Given the time to think about it, he knows what he wants to say and knows how to say it in his song. And Unsaid Emily turns out great, in that gutting, punch-to-the-heart way.

Basically, Luke pre-Julie had the potential to write great, emotional songs, but he shied away from writing those songs with the intention of performing them. For performances, he focused on less heavy themes with a broader, more general appeal, and on hyping up audiences and encouraging people. (btw we see echoes of this a bit too in the scene on the beach where the boys end up playing This Band Is Back -- Luke's trying to cheer them up, focus less on what they lost and more on what they still have as opposed to processing their grief because then there would be Emotions and our boy does not know what to do with sad people.)

Julie-and-Luke songs are a whole different breed to Luke's pre-Julie music. There are a lot of similarities, what with Luke, Reggie, and Alex's involvement, particularly in the level of energy. They're not writing slow ballads or swingy showtunes. It's still the same style of music, but the big difference to me is the amount of emotion and emotional nuance in Julie-era music.

Finally Free is also about breaking out of the mold -- but it's triumphant and celebratory and inwardly-focused where Bright was defiant, more about making your own mark than about being true to yourself.

Edge of Great is also about envisioning the road ahead -- but it's hopeful and about the faith and wonder at the future where Now or Never is an insistence that life isn't gonna stop you from doing what you want.

Pre-Julie, Luke's songs are pushing back against an undefined opposing force (and like, his parents on some level) but he doesn't really put any of his own feelings into them. He's angry, and the anger is where he's drawing from but it doesn't actually inspire him.

But with Julie? Julie's songs dig deeper into her feelings, and I think she writes them for herself more than for others (esp. compared to Luke's pre-Julie music). She doesn't shy away from grief or fear (Flying Solo, Stand Tall) but she always turns it around by the end of the song, makes the song about growth rather than about the sucky parts of life. Flying Solo is inspired by her fear of losing Flynn, but the song itself is an ode to friendship. Stand Tall has a definite basis in how Julie thought she wasn't going to be able to make music without her mom, but it reaches everybody else because it's ultimately about overcoming obstacles and loss.

(and not to make this too sappy, but julie's the reason that luke can connect with people in the end -- not because she makes him visible but because she shows him how to actually use his emotions in his music. luke helps julie get back on her feet after her mom's death, and julie convinces luke to wear his heart on his sleeve instead of trying to hide it every time it falls out of his pocket)