Last November was a rough month for me. I was drowning in assignments and group projects, I stayed up late and woke up early, and the daylight was increasingly getting shorter. I couldn’t wait for my spring semester to start, when I wouldn’t need to study extra on the side anymore and I would swap my winter jacket for something thinner. But in that dark month, Rozen released another album with Zelda music, called Ballads of Hyrule II, and one track in particular spread sunlight in my mind, namely “Romance in the Air”.
Rozen’s cover of Skyward Sword‘s “Romance in the Air” has something magical that doesn’t necessarily make me think of Zelda and everyone’s favorite hero dressed in green, but rather it makes me think of spring. Green grass, blinding sunlight, lighter clothing, and happy smiles are a couple of things I associate with spring, and all those images pop up in my head when I listen to the song. But, to be honest, I find it difficult not to imagine Link and Zelda having fun in Skyloft, with the song being called “Romance in the Air” and all. After everything they’ve been through, I just want them to be happy and not have to worry about a thing.
There’s another song which really makes me think of carefree days and sunshine, and that’s “Summer” by the Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi, which can be heard in the movie Kikujiro. Both Hisaishi’s “Summer” and Rozen’s take on “Romance in the Air” have a cheerful tune which makes me want to skip along a street with lightweight sneakers on my feet instead of heavy winter boots.
The day I’ve been longing for since November last year has finally arrived. Yesterday officially marked the first day of spring on calendars in many people’s homes, and I think I can confidently say that I won’t see snow on the ground again until it’s October or November, earliest. The next time the sun is out, I’ll make sure to bring my earbuds with me, so I can stream Rozen’s song as I skip my way down to the harbor and take a scenic path to a more forested area.
