Day 48 (May 6): Tom Rosenthal - Throw the Fear (Friends Week!)

Fenn | Tom Rosenthal
I have become a bit sceptical of optimistic songs lately. They just don't seem to hit the mood, you know? I don't want to hear Frank Turner bellowing about how we're not dead yet at the moment. I want the inky dark of my soul to be represented in audio form right now.

Today's song of the day is therefore a bit of a curveball with me. Today's friendly friend responsible for picking a song is Jasper, whose very evident love for Tom Rosenthal's music made it not entirely surprising that he picked out a Tom Rosenthal song for the day. I see you, Jasper. I see your Spotify, which I view as the window to anybody's soul (is that weird? I hope not).

The song is "Throw the Fear" from his 2017 album Fenn, and I have to admit that its defiant and sunny optimism confused me. You see, it's purportedly about seizing the day and unlocking one's inner potential, as communicated by its happy tone. The content matches the lyrics, and it's exceedingly pleasant. It's just a very lovely song.

There's got to be a catch here, right? Hidden meanings or something. Conspiracies through the first letter of each word to communicate the true, darker meaning of the song. He can't mean that life might turn out okay and that we are all valuable. The mystery must run deeper. It cannot be this sweetly optimistic and hopeful.

Yeah, my next therapy session's a few days off, thanks.

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