Becoming yourself is no easy thing. We all assume that being a person will be a breeze for the person who has to be one, but life seems to have a way of interfering. Between crushing disillusionment, the atrophy of long-standing relationships, and the mundane tasks involved in merely surviving, we tend to forget who we’re trying to become. Eyal Har-Noy‘s “This Is Me” channels this common struggle into an energetic pop-rock anthem, guitars ablaze, drums pounding, the chorus practically asking to be bellowed from the open car window.
The basic message of the song is clear: We are who we are and there’s a difference. Between that and becoming who we are. Har-Noy is coming from a more fragile place. He sings of love that is leaving in the stresses of everyday living. “Stand with me, don’t fade away. I can feel you love me, but it’s lost between the day.” It’s a great opening because it doesn’t have to create some great big tragedy. Sometimes things just get too hard to hang onto, and we’re left to find out what remains.
Eventually, “This Is Me” begins to reveal itself more and more. Verses give way to a chorus that is based on the simple phrases “Here I am. This is me,” transforming what could have been a generic inspirational lyric into something that makes sense, given the slow pace of its evolution. The lyrics may not be revolutionary, or anything that hasn’t been thought through before, but don’t feel unwieldy either.
Thankfully, the composition takes care of much of the work. Soft vocals and a subdued initial verse helps the song to build, as electric guitars and pounding drums explode into the chorus for an anthemic finish. Har-Noy’s guitar work plays a vital role in all of this; it isn’t merely used to fill things out, but becomes a second voice on the track, guiding the melody when the vocals have done their work.
That function is most apparent in the instrumental section, where, with the guitar, jumps back and forth from ascending lines to more relaxed melodic passages before the song goes back to the last chorus. It feels like the music has some room to breathe instead of just having more volume for the sake of climax. When Har-Noy extends the last phrases, the guitar responds with a shimmering finish that feels like the tune is saying farewell.
Har-Noy also wrote, produced, sang and mixed “This Is Me” himself, so there’s a lot of care and love behind the eight-minutes-plus track. As a result, the song feels very focused and directed. It’s not a very complex message, but it’s one that understands that confidence isn’t necessarily a breakthrough; often, you just keep going.
This Is Me is not trying to lie and claim that the journey toward being yourself isn’t hard; it’s just making the journey sound a little more victorious.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for various publications around the world, the former lead writer of review blogspace Atop The Treehouse and content creator for Manila Bulletin.
