Stubborn Love Featuring a Stubborn Cello

The cello is not just meant for symphonies or orchestras and thank goodness The Lumineers know this to be true! They can add a beautiful element to several different genres of music. In The Lumineers' case, the cello adds a lovely rich layer to the folk genre which they are known for. One of their songs that features the cello in an interesting way is "Stubborn Love". The song opens with a sixteen second duet between cellist Neyla Pekarek and guitarist/lead singer Wesley Shultz. A drum is then brought in to accompany them and thus the foundation of the song is set. The cello being prominent at the beginning of this song not only establishes the folk genre, but it adds a melancholy tone to the piece. It is as though it is telling its own story before the lyrics even get the chance. The cello breaks for a verse then picks back up, and when it does it appears as though the cellist is performing her own song as the rest of the band plays in unity. The cello's melody being different draws our ear to it and allows it to stand out amongst the rest of the instruments as it continues to tell its melancholy story despite the upbeat melody of the band. Since the lyrics of this song are about a girl or a woman who is being told to keep her head held high rather than dwell on the mistakes and downfalls of her life, it can be reckoned that the cello here could represent the sadness of the woman while the rest of the band represents the person/people telling the woman to stay positive. This song not only shows how many layers The Lumineers incorporate into their music, but that the cello can do so much more than just supply the background sound for a song!

(song plays from 0:25 to 4:49)