Establishing the mood with an astral, almost psychedelic guitar soundscape, intricate and dreamy, expanding with a cerebral riser, Scott Walker opens This Is What Love Can Feel Like with an emotive narrative as he sings, “She never knew what true love was, she was robbed of close tenderness, the boys they came to try and win her heart, but inside she wasn’t quite the same…”
We immediately connect with the story arc of the track and Scott Walker‘s poetic prowess and the message that he conveys with his songwriting. In essence, the lyrics explore the human search for love after loss.
Scott’s muse – the woman at the heart of the song – has been denied tenderness and true affection, which leaves her emotionally adrift. Her solitude under the “midnight air and moonless sky” symbolizes physical isolation – her loneliness and her struggle to live without the love she once dreamed of. Still, she carries on through raising her daughter which gives her life meaning.
The message is about strength and how caring for others can transform pain. Even after this heartbreak, it shows that love can return in simple, quiet ways. Her smile shows her choice to stay kind and hopeful.
Scott elaborates by telling us, “This song is about a girl who was sexually abused growing up and thus had a very distorted view of what love looked like. This song tells our story of how we met, and introducing her to what true love can feel like.”
We appreciate the optimism and empowering notions – how she learns from her past, finding goodness where there was once sorrow – and turns this loneliness into courage. Scott, who is currently serving as an Active Duty member in the United States Air Force, stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, cites Dashboard Confessional, Goo Goo Dolls, and Third Eye Blind as sonic influences, which we can feel manifest – although there is no doubt that his songwriting is unique to his own design.
We love the unique authenticity that Scott Walker creates with, and have added This Is What Love Can Feel Like to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream his wider discography, including the entirety of his 2025 EP, My Serenity.