I was asked to play this song at a charity living room concert recently. Thinking about relearning it from the version Spencer (drums), Sammy (synth), and I recorded for my solo album WARM made me remember why it’s been played so rarely in a live setting. Sometimes I get so attached to the idiosyncrasies of a recording that any attempt at recreating the song feels less than. Some magic only works once, I guess. But since some time has passed since I last took a stab at this odd folk miniature, I decided to just relearn it from memory in the hopes that whatever tiny un-reproducible lovely flaws and nuances from the album would leave my mind.
Like a lot of songs I post on here, it ended up in a softer, more intimate key for my voice. Which in turn makes the lyrics land on a different part of my brain. On WARM the recording feels almost defiant with its unconventional drumming and icy atmospherics. Here, I think I hear it as an earnest attempt to reconcile the loneliness of one’s cosmic placement—a tiny mind wrapping tiny arms around layers and layers of incomprehensible infinities (no, I’m not high!)—and the exhaustion that comes hand-in-hand with the wish that our small frail bodies could remind us all more convincingly of our shared fates. To take care of each other and be kind to one another. Being hopeful is a slog. Not caring is worse.
Anyway, thank you for allowing me to share the song with you again. I hope my weighing in on its personal meaning hasn’t inhibited anyone’s own interpretation. It’s not something I do a whole lot. And I’m not likely to make a habit of it. But something about this recording and the desire to share it inspired me to make more sense of it for myself. Knowing we’re all here together gave me the confidence to share not just the song but my thoughts as well. Maybe that’s the true spirit of the song. Is there really ever anything to lose by letting one another in?
This Week In Wilco, Etc.
2018 / November 29: Jeff appears on the podcast WTF with Marc Maron.
2018 / November 30: Jeff’s solo album Warm is released on dBpm Records.
2022 / December 1: Jeff pays tribute to Christine McVie on Starship Casual by performing three of her songs, “Little Lies,” “Think About Me” and “Say You Love Me.”
2008 / December 2: Wilco opens for Neil Young with an 11-song set at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Canada.
From Far Away (solo acoustic version)
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