Song 14 // SOPHIE - "JUST LIKE WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE"
Oh, just like we never said goodbye
When you spoke to me in that way
Oh, just like we never said goodbye
And it makes me feel, makes me feel
When I looked at my phone this past Saturday and saw all the photos of SOPHIE online I was confused. I scrolled through endless screenshots of SOPHIE from her “It’s Okay To Cry” music video posted from various artists and friends. Once I stopped scrolling and saw the captions, the heartbreaking news set in. SOPHIE past away tragically and the world lost a groundbreaking pioneer, a transgender icon, a friend to many, and an angel.
It’s taken me a while to collect my thoughts and emotions. While I can’t speak on the same terms as those that knew her personally, SOPHIE was and will continue to be such a musical inspiration to me. Some of my cherished memories of living in San Francisco, during a difficult time in my life, stem from my close friend playing SOPHIE on repeat and finally going to see her live back in 2015.
SOPHIE’s music was revolutionary. She was an innovator that made pop and electronic music what it is today. SOPHIE released music under her own name and produced for artists including Charli XCX, Madonna, Vince Staples, Flume, as well as working closely with artists and friends from the PC Music collective. SOPHIE pushed pop and electronic music to their most experimental and avant-garde extremes and broke expectations of what these songs should sound like. Even if you haven’t listened to SOPHIE, you’ve heard her distinct influence.
Across SOPHIE’s oeuvre you’ll hear abrasive, jagged-edged electronic beats, sweeping glitchy noises, glossy bubblegum soundscapes, and most importantly, iconic forward-thinking trans music.
When SOPHIE first began to debut her music with PC Music, the artist remained mysterious — shrouded from view under the guise of fog, lights, and high-pitched vocals. But it was the release of SOPHIE’s first single, “It’s Okay To Cry,” off her album, OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES (2017), that SOPHIE introduced herself to the world.
This time SOPHIE used her voice and her image prominently and proud, on full display for the world to see as a transgender pop star. In an interview with PAPER Magazine, SOPHIE was asked if she believed in God. “Yes, God is Trans.” Later on in the interview SOPHIE was asked about what transness means to her. “For me, transness is taking control to bring your body more in line with your soul and spirit so the two aren't fighting against each other and struggling to survive.”
In songs like “Faceshopping” and “Immaterial,” SOPHIE shows us that gender can be shaped to our image, our faces can be photoshopped, painted with makeup, or surgically altered to our liking. The closing track from OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES, can be viewed as optimism for a better and more inclusive future with SOPHIE repeating, “There’s a whole new world,” throughout the song. The album featured all of SOPHIE’s stylistic musical trademarks and it will be remembered as a landmark album — SOPHIE was the first trans artist to be nominated for a Grammy in the “Best Dance/Electronic” album category.
I first heard SOPHIE’s work through her debut singles compilation, Product (2015). The collection of songs was unlike anything I’ve heard before. Each one unique and showcasing a different side of SOPHIE’s producing artistry. Throughout this week I’ve been coming back to “JUST LIKE WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE” as I mourn SOPHIE’s passing.
We were young and outta control
I haven't seen you since I was about, mm, sixteen years old
But then you called me up the other day
I was shocked, but what could I say?
And your voice exactly the same
And it makes me feel, makes me feel
The entire song has a glistening and sharp sound to it. In light of SOPHIE’s passing, the lyrics feel even more anguished, as though the listener feels full of regret.
We went out the very next day
You still remember my favorite place
And we laughed, just like we used to
And did everything we like to do
And now we’re holding hands and running
And it makes me feel, makes me feel
They can be interpreted as old lovers or friends meeting again after some time has passed. But now, to me, it speaks of SOPHIE leaving this world before anyone was able to say goodbye.
We were young
We had everything we wanted
Running wild through the night
We were young
SOPHIE, you will be remembered and loved. Rest In Peace.
Still got that glint in your eye
Like you did the very first time
Oh, it's like we never said goodbye
And it makes me feel, makes me feel, like everything that I could ever need
And it makes me feel, and it makes me feel, like I don't ever wanna say goodbye
// press play