Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” has accumulated several layers of meaning for me through different arrangements and periods of my life.

The music is beautiful, orderly, and flowing, yet its emotional effect is not simply cheerful. Its serenity can coexist with grief, memory, and spiritual longing.

That makes it relevant to my interpretation of R.E.M.’s “Laughing.” In both cases, musical beauty does not necessarily describe an uncomplicated emotional state. The surface may be graceful while deeper tensions remain present beneath it.