My music roman empires

Jewel Ogungbamigbe

Music Journalist

If you are active on TikTok then you may have come across the recent trend where women ask their boyfriends or male friends how often they think of the Roman Empire. The answers were shocking as the men who answered in the videos tend to think about the Roman Empire a lot, to an almost weekly or even daily extent. To put a twist on this, girls and people in general started adding their own “Roman Empires” to the trend, listing things that they often think about on a daily basis or to an overwhelming extent. Here are some of my current music “Roman Empires” or parts in music that are so good that I often find myself coming back to relisten and rewatch. 

1. Fleetwood Mac- Silver Springs (Official Live Video)

I discovered this video from somebody posting it in one of their own Roman Empire TikToks. Although I’m not sure which one it was, I most definitely understand the appeal as to why somebody would think about this video often and why it would secure a spot on their list, which is why it’s on mine. After watching the full live video, I haven’t been able to stop my frequent returns to do daily rewatches. Stevie Nicks can be seen singing along with her bandmate and former partner Lindsey Buckingham on stage. The tension can be felt throughout the whole performance but when it gets to the time mark around 3:40 things become very intense. Nicks and Buckingham continue to make prolonged eye contact while singing the chorus, with the lyrics  “Time cast a spell on you, but you won’t forget me. I know I could’ve loved you, but you would not let me.” Then as they sing along to the next lines of the chorus Nicks shoots Buckingham with a determined and heated gaze as she bellows “I’ll follow you down ’til the sound of my voice will haunt you. Give me just a chance. You’ll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you.” 

If you need even more convincing to indulge in the many rumors and beliefs that Stevie Nicks is a witch, add this one on there, as it almost looks like Nicks is casting a spell on Buckingham as she sings along to the lyrics while staring him down. It’s very powerful to witness and I recommend that you give the video a watch as words can only describe so much and witnessing it will give you a much better understanding.

2. Cocteau Twins-Seekers Who Are Lovers (Live BBC)

This isn’t the first or last time I’ll be mentioning Cocteau Twins in my articles. I have to say that “Seekers Who Are Lovers” off of their Milk and Kisses album is undoubtedly one of their best and severely underrated songs. When I first listened to this song I fell even more in love with Elizabeth Fraser’s vocals if that’s even possible, as the chorus of this song sounds like angels are communicating through her. If I were to die and ascend to heaven this song is what I would imagine to be playing as I rose to or entered the pearly gates. You can only imagine my delight once I discovered the live performance of this song on YouTube. 

Fraser’s vocals carry out just as strongly when performed live and just as clearly as in the recorded version. The event is enchanting to see her be so passionate and confident on stage as she sings along to such an ethereal song. This song and video will continue to remain one of my Roman empires as I will always come back to rewatch this astounding piece of art. 

3. In the Flowers-Animal Collective (Official Video)

Animal Collective is another one of my favorite bands and “In the Flowers” probably has to be my favorite song by them, solely because of the part where lead singer, Avery Tare, says “If I could just leave my body for a night” and then the beat drops around the 2:30 mark. This part of the song just feels as if you’re taking a psychedelic trip purely through your ears. The visuals that accompany the official music video are something reminiscent of a psychedelic trip and they’re bright, quick and a bit nonsensical as the video shows two people dancing to a backdrop of various neon images. The music video does a great job emulating the atmosphere of the song itself, but you can just listen to the song alone, close your eyes and let your imagination take over to create your own vivid unique visualization.

4. Buttress-Brutus (Official Music video)

This is another song that I discovered on TikTok, the instrumental version, but as I quickly became addicted to the distinctive, eerie beat, I soon searched to listen to the actual song on YouTube. While watching the music video, I was fully engaged with the storytelling which included artistic visuals and thought-provoking lyricism. The story takes place in ancient Rome and follows a female character’s narrative named “Brutus” as she’s overlooked by a male figure whom she covets and wants to become. The lyrics are deep and symbolic, telling a story that’s rooted in feminism and overthrowing the patriarchy. Buttress does an excellent job in performing this story as she sings along to the lyrics in a hushed, anger-ridden whisper that slowly grows in volume until she’s shouting in unfiltered rage. Some of my favorite lyrics are: “My name is Brutus and my name means heavy so with a heavy heart I’ll guide this dagger into the heart of my enemy” and “My name is Brutus but the people will call me Rex”. Rex means king in Latin, which I thought was a clever touch for the plotline. 

Now that I’ve let you guys inside my head and shared some of my music “Roman Empires” with you, I hope you give these videos a watch so that they also become some of yours. It would be interesting to share some of the same recurring thoughts, as men do with the actual Roman Empire.