What must it be like to grow up that beautiful? In this episode, we deep dive into the beautiful “gold rush.” We dive into the historical context of the real-life gold rush and how the gold rush was presented to us as kids versus today as adults. Then, we dive into how the reality of history affects how we interpret this song. We also explore how fame or popularity connects to this song. Finally, we examine the siren call motif and the speaker's ultimate decision to resist the temptation of the gold rush. Ultimately, our takeaway is the importance of agency, boundaries, and the speaker’s decision to not engage with a gold rush. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

Oregon Trail (website)

Empty Mansions by Bell Deadman and Paul Clark Newell

Mean Girls

Harry Potter series

Mythology by Edith Hamilton

Glee

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

“You’re Beautiful” by James Blunt

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Episode Highlights: 

[05:15] - Introduction to historical context of the gold rush 

[09:12] - The speaker’s perspective

[14:38] - The temptation to “jump in” 

[24:08] - The siren call

[31:10] - The structure of the song

[38:52] - The convenience of a dream

[48:50] - Is this person worth it?

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