Although the song has been used in plethora of films and television shows, the first time I actually heard Joseph Arthur’s “In the Sun” was when Michael Stipe covered it for a Hurricane Katrina relief benefit EP in 2006. Stipe’s vocals accurately alternate between hope and despair, and while many artists often try to mold and morph popular ballads into crisis-appropriate anthems, the lyrics of “In the Sun” don’t need to reach at all to explicate the sea of emotions felt when disaster strikes, like it did in New Orleans five years ago.
I didn’t write about Haiti earlier this year when it was hit by a devastating earthquake, but now Chile is suffering the same fate. I can’t help but think of “In the Sun” and those lyrics that have punctured my soul time and time again. They seem quite right, unfortunately, again.
“I pictured you in the sun wondering what went wrong
And falling down on your knees asking for sympathy
And being caught in between all you wish for and all you seen
And trying to find anything you can feel that you can believe in…”
Please, if you can, donate to help the relief efforts in both Haiti and Chile. The organization, World Vision, is a good place to start.
Arthur recently offered up a free download of the new song “Love Never Asks You to Lie” on his website. It is simply more proof of this talented singer-songwriter’s poetry. Head here to check it out.
Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts perform “In the Sun” on Letterman in 2008: