When I’m submitted songs, I generally prefer to listen to the track before reading any of the information about the song or artist submitted with it. I want the music to speak for itself before I influence myself with additional information.
The moment I heard Melanie MacLaren‘s “Laika”, it hit. The beauty and melancholy of this stripped-down, finger-picked acoustic track was undeniable. The final single from the artist’s upcoming EP Blood Lust (October 24th), listening to it made me want to know more about the song, so I read the details: the track was inspired by Laika, the Soviet Space dog put into orbit on Sputnik 2. There was no way to leave orbit, so it was sure that she would die. As a dog-lover, just thinking about this broke my heart. As I listened to the song again, I visualized it from the perspective of this innocent dog being sent into space, and I was further moved.
I wanted to know more about MacLaren’s writing and thought-process going into the song, and thankfully the artist was kind enough to answer some of my questions.
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The Indy Review: Your beautiful new song “Laika” was inspired by the true story of Laika, the Soviet Space dog put into orbit on Sputnik 2. When did you first hear about this story, and what about it initially sparked your creative inspiration?
Melanie MacLaren: I remember hearing about her a long time ago probably in a history class or something but I had forgotten about her. This past winter I was watching true crime stuff on YouTube and scrolling TikTok and a video about her came up, and I immediately got emotional. Then I thought about how I (and a lot of other people) can listen to true crime, read a history book, watch the news, and feel incredibly desensitized to the material, but then you hear a story about an animal and you have a strong reaction. I just feel like that’s a strange phenomenon worth exploring, so I wanted to write a sad song about a dog as an experiment, and see if it affected people more than upsetting songs about people.
IR: You turn Laika’s story into a symbol for how humanity treats each other and exploits the vulnerable. When you began writing lyrics inspired by Laika’s story, did you know you wanted to use it as a metaphor for that grander ideal, or did it develop from a more literal initial draft?
MM: I was personifying her from the outset, her story felt naturally human to me, so it didn’t even strike me as a metaphor. I think I was writing many parallel songs, one about her, and others about people who’ve been exploited in various ways. But they ended in the question I ask in the song– “is there no limit to what a man will do” — so it’s all the same song I guess. So many stories asking where do humans draw the line on cruelty and seemingly no answer and no line.
IR: Despite the track being really melancholy and gentle, I’m sure there’s anger behind the lyrics. Were you ever tempted to tackle the song in a more aggressive tone?
MM: Not really, I felt like I had to speak softly for people to really listen to what I was saying and the message was important to me. I definitely felt a lot of anger and mostly disgust while writing it, but people sometimes listen more when you’re quiet, and I just wanted people to listen.
IR: You conjure some lovely imagery in the track. If you were to make a video for it, do you have a vision for how you would bring this track to visual life?
MM: I would like to do some sort of visual. I picture something like the painting “Christina’s World” by Andrew Wyeth, but its Laika’s world and instead of a woman looking at a house from a field, it’s a dog looking out at the earth from space. I love that painting. Lots of people care more about dogs than women though, or other people, so I’d like to make the subject a dog. I also like the idea of a video or photos being some sort of evil road trip, neon signs and deserts and all that kinda seedy literary imagery but, you know there’s a dog, with its head out the window smiling and stuff, all unaware.
IR: The song is part of your upcoming EP Blood Lust, which came from a difficult period in your life. During hard times, are you more attracted to/influenced by stories like Laika’s, which have a tragic end?
MM: Not really I’m actually more drawn to things that make people laugh, I feel like Laika is sort of an outlier for me and is really the only song where I’ve talked about something tragic without making some sort of joke. It’s pretty uncomfortable for me to be completely serious and sad. I guess the “joke” is it’s a song about humanity and unfathomable cruelty people inflict on each other, but the imagery is a dog floating in space. But that’s not much of a joke that’s still deeply upsetting. Probably more upsetting. Maybe that’s the “joke.”
IR: What do you hope listeners take away from this track after listening?
MM: I hope they listen to the lyrics and I hope they’re uncomfortable.
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