I see Virginia as a quirky, awkward girl who lives her life against the grain: “her hair is always a mess”, “she only drinks coffee at midnight”, “she doesn’t own a dress”. The beauty of the song is that the singer loves her for all of her faults; in fact, he seems to adore her. It’s not that he doesn’t notice the fact that she’s different, he sees it and embraces it. That’s what I love about this song – it’s such a refreshing message!
The problem lies in how Virginia seems to view herself and where she is going in her life. “She wants to be the queen, and she thinks about her scene. Pulls her hair back as she screams 'I don’t really want to be the queen'... finishing with a far more serious conclusion 'I don’t really want to live this...'”. The interpretation of Virginia’s view of herself seems much more vague and leaves more to speculation. She is obviously conflicted. Is it that her true “quirky” self is conflicted with who she wishes she were, perhaps a more refined Virginia? Or perhaps, she is frustrated with others expectations of her, as she knows she will never be who others want her to be. Either way, she is faced with the burden of self doubt and, despite the adoring writer, she does not hold herself in such high regard.
But, to me, the general impression of the song is that we should embrace the “inner Virginia” in ourselves, because being true to yourself is beautiful, sexy, and magic. Personally, I feel that the video produced for this song is extremely disappointing! (I was unable to share but it can be viewed on Youtube) The video features a modelesque Virginia who is far too mainstream – way too perfect - she certainly does not fit the description of the free-spirited Virginia that I envisioned.
After an extensive online search, I have found the girl who represents the perfect Virginia in my mind. Her name is Yael and she is a Franco-Israeli singer/songwriter. To me, she exemplifies quirky, yet beautiful.
So, even at the dawning of middle age, I am ready to embrace change, find it in myself to express the inner Virginia, who I have hid for years behind khaki pants, V-neck T-shirts and sensible running shoes!! I’ll let you know what happens when I find it in myself to welcome her home....
