Singer-songwriter Michael Marcagi strikes a sensitive chord with his second single “Scared to Start”. With thematical undertones of escapism, the desire for an authentic connection, and the longing for freedom, Marcagi’s song has managed to capture listeners worldwide. Let’s dive deeper into the meaning behind “Scared to Start”, as well as Marcagi’s personal account of the inspiration behind the song.
The first verse of “Scared to Start” sets the scene of the song. A seemingly lost and disillusioned woman who dreams of bringing meaning into her life. She climbs into the front seat of the narrator and starts sharing her dreams with him.
These dreams involve living passionately, nomadically, and away from societal norms (staring at stars while lying in dead grass and living out of cars and bars). In the chorus, the woman challenges the narrator to think about these dreams and questions why he is reluctant to follow them.
“Scared to Start’ is a song for the adventurers, the travelers, and the people who look forward without dwelling on the uncertainties of life,” Marcagi said about the song. “It’s about taking the risks and putting yourself out of your comfort zone, regardless of what the rest of the world has to say.”
Still, the song has a thread of hesitance running through it, captured in the song title alone: “Scared to Start”. Being held back by fears and doubts are recognizable themes for dreamers, which is undoubtedly part of the reason why so many people connect with Marcagi’s song.
In an interview with Holler, Marcagi shared the inspiration behind the song. “I wrote it about a relationship, and just feeling consumed with someone and not taking notice of the outside world. It’s about not doing what the world is telling you to do – like the lyric ‘live out of cars and bars’. When you’re so wrapped up in love, you have this feeling of, ‘I don’t care what we do. I just want to go for what I believe in.”
“I always had a special connection to that song, and when we finished recording it in New York, I remember driving home feeling as though we finally cracked the code. It felt like I’d achieved what I was looking for.”
With that last statement, Marcagi probably refers to the honesty of “Scared to Start”, which also partly relates to the love-hate relationship he has with his upbringing in the suburbs of Cincinnati. After all, why would you write a song about the desire to run away if you were perfectly content with your current position in life?
“Growing up in a part of the country where I still live, there is a lot of love-hate relationship with it,” Marcagi told RTE. “You feel it’s very mundane but it’s also where a lot of the people you know and love are so these new songs are trying to capture those mixed feelings I have growing up here.”
Feelings Marcagi successfully captured. Because “Scared to Start” reached the charts worldwide and is a heavily streamed song on streaming platforms. With this achievement, Marcagi made his own dreams a reality, which resonates with the theme of the song. In an Instagram post, Michael Marcagi expressed his gratitude:
“Thank you to everyone that has connected with the song, and shown me more love and support than I ever could’ve imagined. I am so grateful for all of the new folks who have reached out and supported me. It means so much. Thank you for changing my life and making my dreams a reality in such a short time.”
