Impressions VI — While the Saxophone gently weep
On Don Myrick’s sax solo on Phil Collin’s ‘All of my Life’
When I started Impressions four months ago, I encountered a problem. Describing the emotions evoked by sounds proved to be a daunting task. When I discover I could hear and interpret instrumental compositions, I never saw a need to translate those feelings into words. During that period, I lost the ability to memorize song lyrics but I can recite every phoneme of George Benson’s solo on 20/20 to any nerd who would care to listen to my hilarious attempt at scat singing. However, expressing the full essence of how those melodies make me feel has always eluded me. They dissolve in mass by the time they land on paper.
This is the power of music. It’s the beautiful moments in the masterful articulation of emotions through musical instruments. These are the breathtaking instances when a specific musical arrangement resonates profoundly within the heart, transporting us to an emotional realm that surpasses language barriers and cultural divides. Like the one in…
All of my Life — Phil Collins (Sax by Don Myrick)
All of my Life is a heartfelt ballad that explores the themes of love, loss, and reflection. Phil expresses a deep sense of longing and nostalgia for a past love or relationship. He reflects on the moments they shared and the impact it had on his life, emphasizing that his love has been a significant and endure part of his journey.
But the song’s pathos starts with/from the evocative shrill of the sax. It resembles the wail of a man who stubbed his pinky toe on the boulder of painful self reflection. If you hear deeply, with the ears of your heart, it feels like a man telling his story, but this time, instead of words, he has converted them into musical notes such that unraveling mere fraction of the profound anguish encapsulated within those melodies might span an entire lifetime lifetime. The narrative quality of the intro is more highlighted by the strategic use of pauses and sustained notes, which imbue the composition with a profound emotional weight, driving the sorrow deeply into the heart of the listener.
From that perspective, I attempted to express the melodies in actual words. Weird! I know.
00:00 – 00:02 — The shrill, yell, and scream of regret. The piercing, impassioned cries of remorse; it’s as if a man has firmly grasped your collar, compelled to confide in you. Escape is not an option; you must heed his words. However, he commences with a decade’s worth of pent-up shouts that have long weighed on his heart.
00:02 – 00:13 — His sources of regret are straightforward. He squandered numerous opportunities to love, under the misguided belief that time would forever be his ally. He’s willing to go to any extreme, even to the extent of bargaining his very soul or trading his essence, just for the slightest chance to rewind the clock and rectify his choices. The sustained note, occurring between 00:12 and 00:13, resonates like yet another impassioned cry.
00:14 – 00:30 — He’s attempting to offer excuses, and for the sake of fairness, we may grant him that much. The festering wounds of regret have burrowed so deeply into his soul that his only means of solace is crafting narratives and opportunities to vindicate his actions. Regrettably, these feeble attempts at justification lack substance and resemble the incoherent ramblings of a troubled mind.
00:33 – 00:53 — Now, he’s simply narrating stories – about his wife, his son, his friends. He’s listing the names of those he ought to have cherished and spent time with. His thoughts are besieged by memories, and his words flow incessantly, an unstoppable torrent of reminiscences.
He pauses briefly, then resumes on 04:30 until the end of the song. However, this time, he carries his regrets and losses with a newfound acceptance of the irretrievable nature of time. Redemption may have eluded him, but he now imparts a poignant message: a warning to cherish your loved ones and stay close to them. Notably absent are the yells or sustained high notes; instead, he preaches and admonishes, emphasizing the value of love and relationships.
Some may dismiss this and say, "It’s just a saxophone." To them, I respond, "No, it is not merely a saxophone; it’s a weeping saxophone. I can hear its mournful cry. Listen closely, and you will too."
Honestly? I’m still grappling with it. I’ve hesitated to publish this post more than 30 times because I feel like I haven’t truly captured the essence of that piece. It resonates deep within me, and at times, I attempt to coax it up from my core like a fisherman, but it slips away each time. I hope Don Myrick forgives me. Words are actually overrated. Man! 😏
Read here: Previously on Impressions — The Strange Sensation of Meaning
