Sarah McLachlan “Forgiveness”

We experience an artist chronologically.

We hear their first single, then their second single, then their third single. And so on.

Their story is told in successive order.

Because we humans are natural story-tellers, and because we experience time in linear fashion, we may string a chronological narrative together through these songs.

But that’s single-release-chronology. Which is not the same as songwriting-chronology.

An album’s worth of songs may contain various tunes, some that were written years before the record was made, others written during the final recording process.

In real life, Sarah McLachlan got a divorce from her husband.

Her first post-divorce single was “U Want Me 2“, from 2008 greatest hits package. It was clearly a break-up song.

And her next album’s first single was “Loving You Is Easy,” a bouncy, I’ve-found-Love track.

So it was easy for the brain to go: “Oh, Sarah has found love again.”

But then your head snaps back with the follow up song, “Forgiveness,” which goes back to the devastating break-up. And suddenly, Sarah is not okay again.

Confusing, for the narrative-minded.