The confusion and bewilderment caused by a breakup can test even the strongest mental and emotional makeup. Great songwriters have a way of elucidating the truths behind those scenarios to help those who are suffering.
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Jackson Browne found himself in the middle of just such a situation when writing and recording his I’m Alive album, which was released in 1993. “Two Of Me, Two Of You”, one of the gorgeously sad highlights, searches to make sense of the wild swings between contentment and frustration within a romantic relationship.
Torture for “Two”
In the 70s, no singer-songwriter matched Jackson Browne in terms of his ability to diagnose and dissect flawed romance. His ability to peer at the problems with clear eyes and keen judgment, combined with his natural poetic tendencies to create some of the best lovelorn songs of that era.
As the 80s dawned, Browne started to move away from that material. Albums like Lawyers In Love and Lives In The Balance found him dealing with political topics and social concerns. It was fair to wonder if he’d ever again go back to writing and singing about matters of the heart.
His personal life ended up making the decision for him. Browne endured a tumultuous breakup at the end of a long relationship with actress Daryl Hannah. I’m Alive pretty much focused on nothing else other than the end of that relationship and what it all meant.
“Two Of Me, Two Of You” clocks in at just under three minutes, meaning that Browne had to be concise in his summations. His ability to say so much in the lyrics with just a few sharp strokes, in combination with the languid resignation of the music, makes this one of the great hidden gems in his career.
Exploring the Lyrics of “Two Of Me, Two Of You”
“There are two of me,” Jackson Browne sings at the beginning of the song. “And two of you.” Those opening lines might sound confusing at first, until you realize he’s referring to the split personalities that can develop when things get rocky in a relationship. “Two who have betrayed love,” he continues. “And two who have been true.”
“And together we went crashing through,” he muses about the damage done. “Every bond and vow and faith we knew.” In the second verse, he recalls how he knew that a part of him would always remain faithful. But his ex’s behavior shook that confidence. “And the more unfree and troubled you grew,” he sings. “I could feel the whole world splitting in two/Trying to make the room/For the two of you.”
In the middle eight, Browne reflects on the extremes of their time together. “How the light would leave the sky when you cried,” he sings. “And return again when you smiled.” He doesn’t dodge his own for their parting, as he mentions “the darkness I have inside.”
That brings us back to the beginning observations about the duality of their nature. The unspoken implication is that any relationship is hard because of the warring natures we have inside of us. That’s what Browne means when he sings of the “passageway hidden from our view.”
“Two Of Me, Two Of You” displays all the traits of Jackson Browne’s 70s classics, showing that he hadn’t lost much of his slow-song fastball. Having lived through the hard part, he survived to tell the bittersweet tale to an audience of fans who’d been waiting for that insight for a while.
Photo by Robin Platzer/IMAGES/Getty Images
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