This past weekend I was lucky enough to take my little sister to her first concert and see Sam Smith perform. I had chills that entire night – a stark contrast to this NYC heat wave we’re currently enduring. In my own experience, there’s only one artist I know who can make a venue as big as Madison Square Garden feel really intimate and even lowkey.
He talked about how his initial worries for his tour stemmed from how his songs can be really depressing. I mean, he’s not wrong. By the end of the first song, I had tears. But I have to say he successfully made the night a beautiful time composed of raw emotion and acknowledgement of pain and troubles, but choosing to leave it at the door.
One Day at A Time is this week’s track and one of the more hopeful and optimistic songs off of his album, The Thrill of It All. As opposed to singing about devastating heartbreak, a common theme in many of his songs, this is a love song dedicated to his friends. It’s an encouragement for steadfastness in the midst of chaos and a reminder that the people who you love and trust are the ones who will keep you steady and continue to give you fresh perspectives.
This song reminds me of my friend Jay. Whenever either of us are going through a hard time we’ll pray that while it feels like our world’s gone crazy, we would feel like we’re being led to calm pastures and still waters. Maybe that’s the same feeling Sam Smith was trying to evoke in this song, to sit by a river or to take the time to look up at the stars. Here it for yourself and hopefully it gives you that same kind of peace and assurance.
You can learn more about Sam Smith here:
About The Curator - Jordan Yutan
Jordan finds joy in simple things like brunch, naps on the grass, and long car rides with the music on high. Her version of fun consists of dance parties, movie marathons and – of course – karaoke. Music has been such a key part in shaping her spirituality. She believes the first time she felt God reaching out to her was through a song and that still happens time and time again. She sees music as a vessel to vulnerability and will gladly invite anyone to listen, but especially wants to hear the songs in their own hearts. She dreams of visiting cafés all across the world, and meeting all kinds of people over a cup of coffee. But for now, she’s making the most out of college, soaking up the sun in her beautiful campus of UC Santa Barbara.