If you’ve ever sent a message to a loved one and signed off with an ‘x’, you’ve probably wondered, even if just for a second, why in the world the alphabet’s third-last letter – a letter associated with algebra, treasure maps, and wrong answers – has somehow also become associated with kissing.
The answer, predictably, is that nobody knows for sure.
Some reasonable guesses include:
- In the Christian tradition, the cross was associated with Christ, and therefore faith and fidelity
- Before most people were literate, folks used to sign their name with an “x”
- It kinda looks like puckered lips
- It kinda looks like two (very minimalist) profiles joining in a kiss
- The word “kiss” kinda has the same sounds as the letter “x”
- If you say the letter “x” repeatedly, it sounds…like another word
Okay, that last one was a theory a friend of mine had in fifth grade. But I’m including it anyway, because when nobody knows the answer to something, anybody could be right.
The origins of British indie pop band The xx are far less mysterious. Founding member Jamie Smith was DJing under the name Jamie xx, and when the band formed around him, they adopted the moniker.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. The opening song on their debut album, this track was never a big hit, and wasn’t meant to be. But there’s something so evocative and exciting about it that you’ve likely heard it in a commercial or on a TV show. It’s the perfect album kick-off, with all the tension and promising momentum of a first date.
2. The percussion has a lot to do with that momentum, especially the occasional 16th-note thudding of the kick drum.
3. The “aahs” in the second half remind us that this is a band of human musicians.
Recommended listening activity:
Sharing some cinnamon hearts.