Freedom — Poetry is for everyone #13
Is there a song you could listen to forever?
In the Summer of 2015, shortly after I had had the idea for Still Space I did what all good creators do: I poured every ounce of my focus into the logo and the website and the promotional material — basically anything, all the side dishes, that would helpfully keep me from showing up to the actual meat of the idea itself, which at the time revolved around sharing meditation techniques.
One of those diversions had some substance though. It involved me sitting in meditation for 24 hours on the Millennium Bridge in London opposite St Paul’s Cathedral, Shakespeare’s Globe and the Tate Modern at my back. Yes please and thank you. I took the odd break but mostly, I happily stayed in my meditative state the entire time. I’ve no idea how I’d fare if I attempted the same now but that day, the gods of ease were with us!
I roped in a director friend of mine to film it and we rocked up to the Southbank just before 4am to get set up — him with his tripod, me with my cushion… and off we went.
The intention was pretty straight forward, we wanted to capture a time-lapse of the entire day. We shot from four different angles at various points. My pal Geoff would move around me whilst Londoners flashed by getting on with their days, mostly unfazed. It was tourists who occasionally stopped and stared in curious disbelief — or wonderment, maybe. The footage we got was incredible. I had no trouble at all meditating for such extended periods of time. People genuinely didn’t really bother us but for some reason, we never got around to putting together a final edit. Actually I do know the reason, I experienced very serious burnout for the first time and then Fleabag happened, so not just the footage but the whole of Still Space got put on the back burner until… well, until I launched this Substack. Though I did make use of the stills from the footage which made for some pretty cool artwork for the business.
I can’t entirely credit my own inner peace with my lengthy sit though. I decided what would support me through the meditation was music, or rather, a single song that I couldn’t get enough of at the time — Pharrell Williams’ Freedom. Do you know it? I’m going to wager… no.
The first time I heard this song was via YouTube with the accompanying music video. I don’t remember if a friend had recommended it or I stumbled upon it by kismet but when my energy and the song’s collided, I honestly felt like my soul was levitating. I immediately shared it enthusiastically with everyone I knew.
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With a running time of only 2:42 minutes I would have to listen to it a near 600 times in 24 hours and reader… I pretty much did. Yep. Rather than creating an epic playlist to see me through that momentous task, I decided that Freedom would be my anthem for the entire journey. Despite that, even now it remains one of my favourite songs of all time, in fact perhaps even more so for accompanying me that day on the bridge. I was recently asked in an interview what song I could listen to forever and I didn’t even blink before I said Pharrell Williams, Freedom — “I thought you were going to say Pharrell Williams, Happy” screamed the interviewer enthusiastically “lots of people say that”. Nope. But sounds like Mr Williams has a monopoly on two of the most listenable tracks of our time (let’s face it, as one of the most prolific producers of modern pop it’s probably more like hundreds) — but not as many people know Freedom as well as I’d like and that’s why I wanted to share it here because I think it’s a work of lyrical but more importantly perhaps, mystical, genius.
I still play it on a loop. It is the one song that goes on every single playlist I’ve ever made. It definitely has some Christian under(over)tones which I personally don’t resonate with but I can reach beyond that to the far deeper spiritual electricity that permeates the song (and every living thing?? ;) ), that holds up and holds of Mother Earth in the reverence with which she belongs. The music video is equally powerful so I’ve included that below but of course for now, I really want to zone in on those deceptively simple lyrics. I invite you too to take a deep dive — read them a few times over, listen to them as well, pop the video on repeat, see how it makes you feel. You know, just as a Human. Being. This is the song that on the daily reminds me, we belong to one another. Pharrell’s primal cry of FREEDOM calling us all back to our humanity, our truth — a reckoning with who we have become and a reminder that we still have time to make a change, to return to ourselves and be who we really are.
I hope one day my pal and I will actually get around to editing that video, with Freedom as the soundtrack so it can accompany me for real.
FREEDOM
by Pharrell Williams
Hold on to me Don't let me go Who cares what they see? Who cares what they know? Your first name is Free Last name is Dom We choose to believe In where we're from Man's red flower It's in every living thing Mind, use your power Spirit, use your wings Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! Freedom Freedom Freedom Hold on to me Don't let me go Cheetahs need to eat Run, antelope Your first name is King Last name is Dom Cause you still believe In everyone When a baby first breathes When night sees sunrise When the whale hunts the sea When man recognizes Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! Freedom Freedom Breathe in We are from heat The electric one Does it shock you to see He left us the sun? Atoms in the air Organisms in the sea The son and, yes, man Are made of the same things Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! Freedom Freedom Freedom Freedom Freedom
Do you know this song? Do you LOVE this song? Do you have a favourite song? If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life what would it be? One you know you could never get bored of? A song that you return to again and again that you rely on almost like a mantra?
I’d love to hear from you <3
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