It was the first time you heard a particular note, drum beat or electronically created sound that made your ears tingle, your heart skip a beat and resonated with your soul. This is “My Song” – a series where the music that makes the person is spotlighted. James Bullock writes about a song that has become synonymous with three of the most tumultuous years of his life.
The final months of 2007 felt like the equivalent of fighting Mike Tyson in 1988. Every time I thought I caught my breath after a gut shot, something else happened. What felt like the knockout left hook was the somewhat surprising dumping of yours truly at the hands (or more appropriately, mouth) of my then girlfriend. Not long after our relationship came to a close, I finally gave Pearl Jam’s “Binaural” a listen. The highly under-appreciated and underrated album closes with one of the most haunting songs in the band’s catalogue. Even more profound was the fact I heard it for the first time after I had parted ways with so many things in my life – from relationships, friends, family members, and freedom to a certain extent. “Parting Ways” was the unknown anthem of my last three years (2004-2007) until that day I listened to “Binaural”.
