Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: psych-rock
Song Meaning of “Gaz Hilarant” by The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Gaz Hilarant is a song by The Brian Jonestown Massacre that explores the highs and lows of intense, passionate love. The narrator reflects on his relationship with a special someone, from its beginnings with its ardent start of ‘gaz hilarant’, or ‘laugher gas’ in French, which evokes feelings of joyful, reckless abandonment. He then transitions to singing about how things have cooled between him and his lover, which can be heard in the slower and broken down chorus of “as time goes by / our love went down the drain.” He returns to reflecting on the passionate start of their relationship in the bridge, singing about how they were “bordering on a flame,” suggesting how deeply invested he was in the relationship. While the song ultimately is a somber look at how a love affair has soured, it also carries a tender note in the chorus about how although things have gone wrong, they still use phrases they used to when they were together.
Gaz Hilarant is a melancholic yet beautiful portrayal of love billed in the past tense. The song draws attention to the deep connections we form with others that can be so fleeting, and is a reminder to cherish the relationships we hold dear.