This week Shauna and Dan explore heartstrings and their journey from literal, though misunderstood supporting structures to the marionette strings of your emotions. Bonus: Sad animated films, underused guitarists, and the best pizza places.
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Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
Episode 204: Tugging at Your Heartstrings
Record Date: Aug 18, 2023
Air Date: August 23, 2023
Intro
Shauna:
Welcome to Bunny Trails, a whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase.
I’m Shauna Harrison
Dan:
And I’m Dan Pugh
Each week we take an idiom or other turn of phrase and try to tell the story from its entry into the English language, to how it’s used today.
Our episode this week was inspired by a question from our Dean of Learning, Mary Halsig Lopez.
Opening Hook
Have you ever listened to a song that took you back to a time with a loved one and you know you just can’t go back to that experience ever again? Or maybe you see a story about a dog who keeps going back to the cemetery to lay on its owner’s grave . In both cases, you may get a feeling in the chest that we call tugging at your heartstrings.
Meaning
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, heartstrings are:
Quote
This structure viewed as the source of a person's most intense feelings or emotions, esp. of love or compassion. Chiefly in figurative contexts… esp. in to tug at the heartstrings: to move deeply.
End Quote
The Oxford English Dictionary has their first attestation in 1533 out of Erasumus’ Enchiridion Militis Christiani, or The Manual of the Christian Knight. I’ll read the quote from later translated copy.
Quote
My soul shall desire and long for thee in the night, yea and in my spirit and my heartstrings I will wake in the mornings for to please thee.
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Book_Called_in_Latin_Enchiridion_Milit/XfVMAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover
But this phrase didn’t start as a figurative term. Since at least 1425, we defined many supporting structures of the heart as heartstrings.
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/heartstring_n?tab=meaning_and_use
So let’s jump into the anatomy real quick with an article from Cat Wang published by The McGill Office for Science and Society on 3 March 2023.
Quote
The phrase is thought to be based on anatomical knowledge from the 15th century. Heartstrings were presumably the tissues and/or vessels that surrounded heart, holding them in place and guiding the emotions. These have since been defined as the pericardium and the great vessels, vital for cardiovascular function but not necessarily responsible for any emotional processing. The nickname “heartstrings,” however, remains common in anatomy education, referring to structures within in the heart called the chordae tendineae.
Chordae tendineae, which translates from Latin to “tendinous chords,” are exactly what the name suggests: tendinous connections found in two valves of the heart.
End Quote
https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/medical/can-you-really-tug-heartstrings
So there really are heartstrings in a colloquial sense and they are sometimes even used in anatomy education. But these are not quite what the folks of the 1400s thought they were. And since at that point we thought the heart was the seat of emotion, and we still refer to it that way even today, it makes sense why tugging at the heartstrings would be a phrase for that chest abnormality that can come with extreme emotions.
We already read a figurative usage from 1533. And I’ll note Shakespeare was quite fond of the term, using it in at least 10 different works between 1590 and 1613.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/23675894
But we’ll pick back up in 1740 with Daniel Fenning’s The Royal English Dictionary.
Quote
Heart-strings, S. the tendons or nerves supposed to brace the heart. Hence to affect the heart-strings is to give the most exquisite pain to the body or mind.
End Quote
We see in the mid-1700s, this usage was meant to express pain, in an almost literal sense. Over the episode we will see that shift a bit to our current definition where any extreme emotion that involved love or compassion can, good or bad, be applied.
Everyone’s favorite meme-famous lexicographer Samuel Johnson also defined the phrase. A Dictionary of the English Language was a contemporary work as the one from Fenning, but I wanted to include it because 1. Memes and 2. Mr. Johnson uses several attestations in his dictionary, which I love. This is from Volume I, the 4th edition, dated 1777.
And here are a few of those attestations:
Quote
That grates my heart-strings: what should discontent him! Except he thinks I live too long. - Denham
If thou thinkest thou shalt perish, I cannot blame thee to be sad ‘till thy heart-strings crack. - Taylor
There’s the fatal wound, that tears my heart-strings; but he shall be found, My arms shall hold him. - Granville
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Dictionary_of_the_English_Language_in/tcYiFFaxDZ8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=heart+strings&pg=PT897&printsec=frontcover
We’ll move forward to the 1800s now with this article out of The Wheeling Repository out of Wheeling, Virginia dated 28 April 1808. This is the opening paragraph from an article called Intemperance Cured.
Quote
A PLANTER in a southern state
(No matter on what day or date)
Repeating oft the cheering drop,
Had almost burnt his heart-strings up
End Quote
I definitely approve of the rhymyness.
Here’s one that comes from The Columbia Democrat out of Bloomsburg, PA dated 09 May 1840. It is an excerpt from a story called First Love where Madelon has discovered her beloved is with another.
Quote
The discovery came like a thunderbolt upon the heart of Madelon; in the full tide of her happiness she was dashed down to utter misery: from the bliss of knowing that she was beloved, she fell to the wretchedness and despair of desertion by the one beloved. Who can paint the bitter, wasting agony the young heart feels, when having been thus lured to the highest pinnacle of bliss, it is rudely cast into the dust? We talk of breaking hearts, but hearts do not suddenly break; ages of pain, of withering pain, roll o’er the victim’s head, ere the heart-strings yield; the day thoughts are troubled, and the dreams of the night are faught with horrid fancies.
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85025180/1840-05-09/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1770&sort=date&date2=1963&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=18&words=heart-strings&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=heartstrings&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=5
That author was not credited in the newspaper, but that is some intense stuff right there.
Next we’ll move to Sacred Heart, Oklahoma with an entry in the Indian Advocate dated 01 June 1904.
Quote
Home is something more ethereal, less tangible, not easy described, yet more easily conceived; the source of some of the deepest emotions of the soul, grasping the heartstrings with such a sweet and tender force as to subdue all within the range of its influence.
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/45043535/1904-06-01/ed-1/seq-16/#date1=1770&index=3&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=heartstrings&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=heartstrings&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
This next one is out of Goodwin’s Weekly out of Salt Lake City, Utah dated 30 March 1918 in an article calling for people to buy into the War Savings.
Quote
It still seems a little difficult for many of us to realize that British blood which is being shed so heroically to stem the Hun drive is as precious to this country as it is to Britain herself. We still speak of the British line or the French line and can’t seem to get used to thinking of it as OUR line.
We are due for some poignant reminders. An Allied counter-stroke is going to come with as great or even greater force than that of the German drive - at a cost of thousands of lives.
And very soon Americans will be in the thick of it. OUR boys will be mowed down, and our heartstrings will be torn as have those of our gallant allies.
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/2010218519/1918-03-30/ed-1/seq-16/#date1=1770&index=1&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=heartstrings&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=heartstrings&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
Before the jump into our modern phrases, I want to address the concept of the heart’s role in emotions. We know the heart is not the seat of emotions, but it would be fool-hearty to suggest it isn’t involved at all. For more on that, we’ll return back to Cat Wang at McGill.
Quote
The heart as a whole, however, is tied to emotion. When you have strong or sudden feelings, a cascade of reactions happens in the body. Stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline are released, the heart rate increases quickly, and blood pressure rises. You do “feel” that in your heart. In fact, there have been numerous studies looking at cardiac physiology in response to various emotional states. One area of research has found that the suddenness of experiencing strong emotions can have cardiovascular effects like heart attacks or strokes. An article from 2018 showed that persistent strong negative emotions and stress are highly prognostic for heart disease. Conversely, positive emotions were associated with better heart health.
So, whether it’s a sad melody, or the story of a loyal dog — it’s true that your emotions are felt (in part) in your heart.
End Quote
https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/medical/can-you-really-tug-heartstrings
Let’s move onto some more modern takes on this phrase, but first a quick word of thanks to our sponsors.
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Modern Uses
2016 Movie
Heartstrings is a 2016 movie based on a 2012 graphic novel titled Le Coeur en Braille. I cannot find an official synopsis of the movie and most of the ones I found online were poorly written. So I am, reluctantly, using the one from Wikipedia:
Quote
Marie, a serious student who is passionate about playing the cello, wants to join the conservatory, but is losing her eyesight. She befriends Victor, who falls in love with her and decides to help her succeed, all the while keeping her handicap a secret.
End Quote
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartstrings_(2016_film)
2017 Article
Here is a 2017 article from Troy L. Smith at Clevland.com that explores 50 incredible movie scenes that tug at your heartstrings. I won’t explore all of them, or even most of them here. But check out the full behind the scenes video on Friday at patreon.com/bunnytrailspod to delve into more of them. I’ll just hit some of the animated kid movies on the list, and I’ll tell you now there are spoilers for each of them, so if there are some animated movies from 1942 to 2015 that you were still hoping to see while unsullied, skip the next few minutes.
#40 is Inside Out and that scene with Bing Bong.
Quote
Pixar has a way of punching you right in the gut. Few scenes prove that more than when Bing Bong dies in “Inside Out.” Heck, you probably tear up just trying to explain to your child what actually happened.
End Quote
#36 is The Land Before Time
Quote
Sometimes children’s movies can be the most poignant when it comes to death. “The Land Before Time” is a fine example when Little Foot’s mom dies
End Quote
#10 is Bambi
Quote
It’s become the go to example when thinking of sadness in film, especially children’s films. A hunter shoots Bambi’s mother and you’re left wondering: Is this really for kids?
End Quote
#8 is Lion King
Quote
This is almost too tragic of a moment for a children’s movie. Not only does Scar kills King Mufasa. But he manages to make young Simba, curled up to his dad’s dead body, believe it is his fault. Hey, I guess if you’re going to go “Hamlet,” you have to go full “Hamlet.”
End Quote
#1 is Up the opening scene.
Quote
You’d be hard pressed to find a more moving scene than the beginning of “Up.” In those 10 minutes, we learn lesson after lesson about life, love and loss. It’s emotional stuff that leaves you a wreck before the movie’s present day storyline even gets going.
End Quote
https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2017/07/50_incredible_movie_moments_th.html
I watched that movie with my kids and other adults and I cried like a little baby during that opening scene.
2018 Song
Heartstrings is a 2018 song by Kolohe Kai with an island pop vibe. Here is the chorus:
Quote
Your pulling on my Heartstrings everyday,
Wrapped around your finger, I just wanna linger.
And listen to the sweetest melody, Baby I’m yours my heart is yours, yours to play.
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVSgEm9Rs9A
2019 Series
Of course, I have to mention Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings, a Netflix series that aired in 2019. Here’s the synopsis from Netflix.
Quote
Eight stories celebrating family, faith, love and forgiveness come to life in this series inspired by Dolly Parton's iconic country music catalog.
End Quote
https://www.netflix.com/title/80244846
2019 Song
Heartstrings is also the name of a song by Felly which featured Santana. It’s a beat-driven alt rock song with amazing, though underused, guitars. Obviously they are amazing because Carlos Santana is one of the best guitarists of all time.
Quote
Cupid’s gotta hold of my heartstrings, yeah my heartstrings,
And every time you go girl my heart breaks, girl my heart breaks (mhm),
And even though I try to move on, the gravity is much too strong,
Cupid’s gotta hold of my heartstrings, yeah my heartstrings,
End Quote
https://youtu.be/R0qxzFwTshY
2022 Book
Let’s close out with Heartstrings, a 2022 book by Rachel Spangler. This is a romance novel, but I don’t think it’s the spicy kind, if you catch my drift. Here’s the synopsis from Google Books, which they took from the cover:
Quote
Mira Collins has her life together. She's built a solid career as a financial planner, a comfortable home, and an uncomplicated and regimented routine ... until her wayward sister, Vannah, shows up unexpectedly and drops a bomb on her orderly world. Ever dependable Mira reluctantly accepts temporary custody of her ten-year-old nephew, Ben, then quickly learns that not all responsibilities can be handled with a color-coded calendar system, and that being a substitute parent is terrifying. There are new skills, stressors, and emotions to contend with, many of which are simultaneously simplified and complicated by Ben's beautiful young violin teacher. Shelby Tanner is fresh out of grad school and eager to start her first job as an orchestra teacher, and although she believes the power of music will enrich her students' lives, she still feels like she's waiting for her own to start. Working harder than ever to make ends meet while struggling to find her feet, she quickly learns that not everything can be handled with a well-tuned instrument or a creative mindset, and that being an adult is terrifying. She's desperate to feel confident and competent, but the world keeps tripping her up. Case in point, her growing attraction to the guardian of her most gifted young musician. Drawn together by their changing circumstances and their mutual affection for Ben, Shelby and Mira learn to lean on each other despite their differences in age, personality, and lifestyle, until Vannah's reappearance threatens to upend everyone's lives all over again. Is attraction enough to sustain opposites without the commonality of Ben between them, or will the beautiful music they've created together fade into silence?
End Quote
https://books.google.com/books/about/Heartstrings.html?id=1A4tzwEACAAJ&source=kp_book_description
Wrap Up
I love how heartstrings has shifted from being immense emotional pain to being something from a place of love, compassion, and empathy. Of course, sometimes it is love lost, compassion spurned, and empathy ignored, but just the expansion of the term allows for such a wider usage. And I love that we, our parents, grandparents, and their parents slowly made that change over time. It likely wasn’t something anyone meant to do, but we did it. Together. And that tugs a little at my heartstrings just thinking about what we can achieve as a society.
Dan:
That’s about all we have for today. If you have any thoughts on the show, or pop culture references we should have included, reach out to us at bunnytrailspod@gmail.com, or comment on our website bunnytrailspod.com
Shauna:
It’s poll time!
Recently we asked our Patrons, what is your favorite pizza place?
We gave some general groupings, a National Chain, like Pizza Hut or Dominos, a Regional Chain, something with several locations in your town and surrounding areas, and a Mom and Pop Store, something with just a few locations in your town.
Mom and pop wins with half the votes. Nation and regional chains tied for second.
Dan:
Mary said,
Quote
I like Marco's. According to Mashed, it's the only national pizza chain that was started by an Italian. I like it because they don't act like a chain. They know my name and miss me when I don't order often. No matter how much I love it, I can't eat dairy. If I try to order a topping with dairy in it, they just don't put it on the pizza and explain why. Mostly, they don't treat me like I have two heads when I ask for a pizza without cheese or scrimp on the ingredients and it always tastes delicious!
End Quote
My favorite is Pizza John's in Derby, Kansas. It's a small mom and pop place that's been in the southern suburb of Wichita since 1969.
Shauna:
As a person who can have neither gluten nor dairy, pizza is sometimes a sore subject. But honestly I like my own homemade pizza the best.
As a reminder, our silly polls mean absolutely nothing and are not scientifically valid. But Patrons of all levels get to take part. Head over to patreon.com/bunnytrailspod to take this week’s poll!
Outro
Shauna:
Thanks for joining us. We’ll talk to you again next week. Until then remember,
Together:
Words belong to their users
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