Dio - As Long As It's Not About Love; from the album \"Magica\" (2000)
As long as it's not about love - This is by far my favorite Dio song to date, it's difficult to put into words but I will do my best. The first thing to note is the return of the alien voice, whom in his collectivist brain cannot comprehend the word love. This parallels a very deep held belief in my own personal life. No collective, no government, no society can create love. It is something that can only come by the selfish longing of the individual for the company of one exclusive other. This events of song are both the tragic result of how the demands of all societies destroy love, and also the truth that only love (the selfish love of 2 people) can give the model of peace. This is highlighted by the closing line of the song \"If the magic comes between us, and we never meet again, take a part of me away, because maybe it's all about love.\" On the song itself: the guitar work is very complex, incorporating a barage of arpeggiated chords and blues' like licks. Also 2 very brilliant guitar solos that shred with the best of them. The structure of this song is very original, dancing between a verse part, a chorus part, and a third theme that has nothing to do with the other 2. I also give kudos to Simon Wright for his drum work on this particular song. I will admit to crying during my first listening to this song. There was just too much truth in it for me to handle, and since then I have often had to fight back the tears while listening to it. Sometimes you love something enough that it can both make and break you emotionally, and that something can only be found through self-discovery and self-actualization.
Written by hells_unicorn (Encyclopaedia Metallum's reviews)
