🔀 Turn of Events may be one of the oldest songs on Vertigo, but it also happens to be one of the most relatable.
Unlike many of the album’s songs that explore love, connection, memory, or belonging, Turn of Events dives into something far less glamorous:
Being absolutely convinced you’re right.
And then discovering you’re not.
It’s a song about frustration.
It’s a song about confrontation.
And ultimately, it’s a song about humility.
The Album That Never Was
The origins of Turn of Events go back to the 1980s, when I was developing a concept for an album called Ascertain Justice.
For reasons I still can’t fully explain, I was completely captivated by that phrase.
It stuck with me.
The planned album would have featured several songs that eventually found their way elsewhere over the decades, including:
❄️ Avalanche
❤️ Falling For You
🔀 Turn of Events
Although Ascertain Justice never became a finished album, pieces of it survived.
In fact, listeners may recognize the phrase from my 2025 album Ignite the Fire.
In the song Everybody’s Restless, there’s a line that says:
“Now, it’s time to ascertain justice…”
A small nod to an idea that never quite left my imagination.
Not Every Song Is a Love Song
One of the challenges while building Vertigo was balance.
The album contains its share of romance.
Love.
Devotion.
Connection.
Risk.
Belonging.
But life isn’t made entirely of hearts and flowers.
Sometimes it’s made of disagreements.
And stubbornness.
Lots of stubbornness.
That’s where Turn of Events enters the picture.
Digging In Your Heels
When I was younger, particularly in my twenties, I wasn’t always eager to admit defeat during an argument.
Actually, that’s putting it politely.
Once I convinced myself I was right about something, I could defend my position with the determination of a mother crocodile protecting her nest.
Compromise?
Not my strongest skill.
Listening?
Sometimes.
Backing down?
Rarely.
The problem, of course, is that being convinced you’re right doesn’t automatically make you right.
And more often than I’d like to admit, my wife was.
A Lyric from the Song
“How can I feel, how can I stay,
Do I give in now before you slip away?”
For me, these lines capture the turning point in the song.
It’s the moment when certainty begins to crack.
The moment when pride starts colliding with reality.
Losing the Argument
The song lives in that uncomfortable space between frustration and acceptance.
The narrator is convinced something has gone wrong.
Convinced someone else is to blame.
Convinced the situation is unfair.
But underneath the certainty lies doubt.
And eventually the realization that the story might look very different from another perspective.
That’s why I called the song Turn of Events.
Not because the circumstances changed.
Because the perspective did.
The Long Road to “I’m Sorry”
One of the hardest phrases in any relationship is:
“You were right.”
Closely followed by:
“I’m sorry.”
The funny thing is that most arguments aren’t won through endurance.
They aren’t won by repeating the same point louder.
And they certainly aren’t won by digging your heels deeper into the ground.
Sometimes the healthiest outcome is simply recognizing that another person saw something you didn’t.
That’s ultimately where this song lands.
Not in victory.
Not in defeat.
In understanding.
Why It Matters to Vertigo
Throughout Vertigo, perspective is constantly shifting.
Love changes perspective.
Memory changes perspective.
Risk changes perspective.
Technology changes perspective.
Turn of Events explores what happens when our own certainty changes perspective.
The song begins with frustration.
It eventually arrives at something closer to self-awareness.
And that’s a journey most of us have taken more than once.
Looking Back
One of the things I enjoy most about revisiting older songs is discovering meanings I couldn’t fully appreciate when I originally wrote them.
Back then, Turn of Events felt like a song about annoyance and confrontation.
Today, I hear something else too.
Growth.
Perspective.
And the realization that being right isn’t always the most important thing.
Sometimes understanding is.
And sometimes the biggest turn of events is realizing that the person you’ve been arguing with had the better point all along.
Now Streaming
🔀 Turn of Events is available now as part of Vertigo.
I’d love to hear from you:
What’s the longest you’ve ever held onto an argument before realizing the other person was right?
Closing Quote
“The biggest turn of events wasn’t the argument itself. It was realizing the other person had the better point all along.”
Hey there — I’m Jon. This is Moteventure, my corner of the internet where music, movies, lists, and life all collide. Glad you’re here.