Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: power-pop
Song Meaning of “Röda Backen” by Spinning Jennies
“Röda Backen” is a reflective folk-pop song from the Swedish indie duo Spinning Jennies. The song is about accepting and coming to terms with difficult memories of the past.
The lyrics of the song set the tone of the song by describing a melancholic and wistful journey. The protagonist speaks of needing to “cross that distant meadow” – a metaphor for going back in time and conjuring up a memory of an older, simpler self. The narrator longs for their younger, naive innocence but knows that they can never truly regain it.
The chorus of the song further solidifies this theme. The protagonist sings “in that meadow there’s a hill.” This hill is a symbol of their past – their childhood, as signified by the red colour – which brings them both joy and sorrow. Although they find joy in these memories, they understand that the hill – their past – is not where they belong and that they must let it go and keep moving forward.
The narrator’s journey of reflection is symbolic of coming to terms with the past and accepting that the future will be different. The song is a beautiful reminder that life is about embracing its journey and that the darkest parts we experience can also become a part of the beauty of life.