“Glory“ by Hannah Stokes

“Glory” by Hannah Stokes is a gorgeous and unassuming acoustic track with a big impact. The arrangement is made up of only an electric guitar and the vocals. Despite the sparse arrangement, there is never a dull moment. Stokes’ meandering melodies and captivating vocals hook the listener on every syllable, and the unique texture and unpredictable movements of the electric guitar constantly offer new moments of satisfying instrumentation. Stokes’ showcases her aptitude for songwriting in this tune, drawing inspiration from “The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea,” a novel by Yukio Mishima that follows a young boy and his disillusionment with glory and struggles with identity. 

Glory is a tantalizing idea, but often may not be worth the journey. Stokes looks at the idea that if your only purpose is obtaining glory, you will never truly be satisfied with your life, like a “soldier wandering aimlessly” or a nightingale with “no song to sing.” The lilting melodies are hard to pin down, and this poignantly mirrors the idea of wandering through life in a never ending search for self-satisfaction. Several moments in the song feature non-lyrical vocals twirling and building as Stokes’ emotional delivery pulls at the listener’s heart.  

Though not all of us go on long, dramatic journeys in a search for glory, many people are caught in a loop of always striving for more. It can be frustrating, and unfulfilling, and Stokes’ captures that perfectly in this song through lines like “glory wasn’t made for me” and “I’m not who I thought I’d be.”

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