What’ll I Do

Song Meaning

Crystal Gayle's plaintive croon in "What'll I Do" isn't just a song; it's an emotional MRI, revealing the raw ache of separation and the existential dread of romantic absence. The song's core question, repeated like a mantra of despair, isn't seeking practical advice. It's a rhetorical howl into the void, a sonic representation of the helplessness one feels when love becomes a ghost. The simplicity of the lyrics—'When you are far away / And I am blue / What'll I do?'—belies the profound depth of the emotional chasm they represent. It's the sound of someone grappling with the unbearable lightness of being without their beloved. Gayle masterfully captures the torment of imagination that fuels loneliness. The lines 'When I am wond'ring who / Is kissing you / What'll I do?' expose the vulnerability at the heart of insecurity. It's not just about the physical absence; it's the mental movie playing on repeat, torturing the abandoned lover with visions of intimacy they're no longer a part of. The photograph becomes a pathetic stand-in for human connection, a mute confidant unable to offer solace or change the cruel reality. This imagery highlights the objectification that grief can impose, reducing memories to tangible, yet ultimately unsatisfying, relics of a happier past. Ultimately, "What'll I Do" resonates because it taps into a universal fear: the fear of being forgotten, of being replaced, of love's impermanence. It's a stark reminder that love, for all its beauty and joy, carries with it the inherent risk of profound pain. The song doesn't offer answers, resolutions, or even a glimmer of hope. Instead, it lingers in the discomfort of the question, forcing us to confront the unsettling truth that sometimes, there simply is nothing to do but endure the agony of longing.