Song Meaning
Carly Simon's "The Best Thing" isn't a straightforward love song; it's a bittersweet meditation on missed connections and the elusive nature of recognizing true happiness in the moment. The opening verse sketches a scene of youthful, almost naive romance. The singer recalls a past relationship, marked by its simplicity ("cheapest wine") and mutual belief. The phrase "I was his foreigner / And he was mine" suggests a shared sense of otherness, a bond formed in a world apart from their everyday lives. This idealized memory is tinged with regret, encapsulated in the recurring line: "How was I to know it was the best thing / To come along for a long time." This isn't just nostalgia; it's a lament for a chance unknowingly passed by. The song meaning lies in the retrospective understanding of value.
The second verse shifts to a domestic scene, observing children at a birthday. The focus on the youngest child, turning five, introduces a theme of fleeting time and the potential for future happiness. This verse contrasts sharply with the earlier romantic encounter. The singer seems to be searching for something in this familial setting, perhaps a sense of belonging or fulfillment that was absent in her past relationship. The innocent image of the child blowing out candles further emphasizes the theme of unacknowledged blessings. The rhetorical question “How was I to know…” echoes, reinforcing the central theme: the difficulty of appreciating the present while caught in the currents of life.
The cryptic closing lines, "What do the people at the end of the world do / About time? What about time? / Their secret sleeps with me," introduce a more philosophical dimension. This suggests a search for timeless wisdom, a way to transcend the limitations of temporal understanding. The "secret" implies a deeper truth about happiness and fulfillment, one that remains elusive yet somehow within the singer's grasp. Ultimately, "The Best Thing" is a poignant reflection on the human tendency to overlook the present moment, only recognizing its value in retrospect. It is a song about the quiet, unassuming nature of true happiness and the subtle sting of missed opportunities.
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