Ben Howard’s “Conrad” Lyrics Meaning
The lyrics of Ben Howard’s “Conrad” center on a relationship the singer was in that sadly did not work out.
And the song’s title is based on “a tale of Conrad’s” which the singer references throughout the song. In that regard, he compares his lover to “the boat that breached” in that particular story. The “tale” he seems to be referring to is actually called “The Tale” and was written by the famous Polish-born British writer Joseph Conrad in 1919. That particular story centers on the theme of abuse of power, in which a suspicious officer breaches an innocent sea vessel, tries to prove them guilty and in the process destroys them. And the primary sentiment Ben Howard is trying to put forth in this song is that his ex took advantage of him in a likewise manner.
Or as he states in the song, he was “good” and “careless” in dealing with this individual. And apparently she convinced him that their relationship would be greater than she actually “knew” it would be. But at the end of the day it would appear that Ben ‘learned’ a lesson from the experience of being disappointed by that romance.
Who wrote “Conrad”?
Ben Howard is the sole writer of this song. He also produced the track alongside Chris Bond.
Release Date
Island Records released “Conrad” on 21 October 2014 as part of Howard’s second studio album entitled I Forget Where We Were.
Did Ben Howard release this as a single?
No. The album I Forget Where We Were was supported by just these two singles:
- “I Forgot Where We Were”
- “End of the Affair”
FYI, despite not coming out as a single, “Conrad” went on to become one of the albums biggest songs. As a matter of fact, it is one of Howard’s most recognized songs.
Song’s Title
Apparently the song’s title was inspired by the iconic writer Joseph Conrad. Once again, Joseph authored the famous short story “The Tale” (which apparently served as a big inspiration for the song’s lyrics). FYI, Joseph Conrad is regarded as one of the greatest novelists of all time. Some eve regard him as the greatest writer to ever write in the English language.
I disagree. I think he’s talking to himself and the romantic interest. Some lines meant for her some for his former self. He allowed himself to get involved with this person even when he knew it was hopeless but he threw himself into it carelessly. He wasn’t mindful of himself. And he perished. Coming out of the curl of the world (wave) to see. I believe he surfs so that wave analogy is there. Just my opinion. That’s how I read the word usage etc
Now that I think about it and he may have been talking as the abuser. And reminding the other person that hey, you knew it was never going to be something that changed the weather and the sea. Anyway itt’s unfortunate and it’s something that we’ve all gone through