Finally, a long-overdue appearance in these pages from the magnificent Antje Duvekot. Vertigo comes from Antje’s 2009 album The Near Demise of the Highwire Dancer.

It’s a love song:

You’re on a highwire and I’m climbing out
And I feel the danger as I steal a kiss from your mouth

It’s a love song, and a metaphor. The frisson of simultaneous fear and excitement of a new love, a new adventure—we’ve all been there—wrapped up in the imagery of the circus, the big top, the high wire. The excitement of putting on a show, whilst being utterly terrified.

Antje steps out on that wire, taking her physical and emotional life in her own hands. There is no safety net:

There’ll be no safety net
When I fall right our of the sky
There will be no ambulance waiting
And I have no wings to fly

It’s a beautiful surrender:

I will break all my bones

The redemption is in the confession:

I lied about the vertigo

I guess we’ve all pretended to be braver than we really are from time to time, only for our bravado to be caught out by life, by love. A beautiful song. Thank you, Antje.

You’ll hear more from Antje Duvekot in these pages. The song, and in fact the album, are produced by another Threehundredsongs favourite, Richard Shindell, and features his Cry Cry Cry bandmate Lucy Kaplansky on vocals too. So I’ve worked some of their music into the playlist too. Enjoy.

Artist:	Antje Duvekot
Album:	The Near Demise of the Highwire Dancer
Writer:	Antje Duvekot; Mark Erelli
Producer:	Richard Shindell
Released:	2009; Black Wolf Records