This Boy - Anthology 1 Version

Song of the Day 01/19/2022

This Boy - Anthology 1 Version by The Beatles

Much of my work concerns the articulation of emotion, which is as nonsensical as saying something like ‘my work concerns the solid of the fluid.’ More specifically, I think that the sum of writing, or good writing, concerns the meeting point between observation and emotion, usually mixed emotion, particularly how an individual simultaneously copes with multiple conflicting truths.

Most days, it’s not so easy to just roll out of bed and be in a place where I feel ready to write. There's often quite a large barrier between me and the page. I’m not always very naturally in touch with the deepest aspects of myself. And even if some days I am so emotionally in touch, it isn’t a guarantee that I can transfer this intuition into words. Human beings have tools, and to become a professional in any field, it’s important to utilize the right tools, so I’ve been told. I’ve found that music is the ‘tool’ that somehow catapults me into this space where I can translate fuzzy, unclear emotion into something mildly coherent and legible. It’s like a pill that allows my experiences, the impressions of those experiences, and the emotional fallout of those experiences to all come together into a form I can make sense of. As cloying as that all sounds, it is the shameful truth. Today’s song is a good example of one of those pills, especially the middle part at around 1:03 when Lennon really belts it.