Questions, chaos, and faith
On a whiteboard in my basement, I’ve written part of the chorus to a song called “QUESTIONS, CHAOS, AND FAITH” by Joy Oladokun, who has become my favorite musical artist. The hook has become a mantra for me over the last few years.
The song is about pain and reflection in the aftermath of the overdose death of her childhood best friend Casey and being part of a christian community so closed in their belief that there was no room for people like Casey.
It’s an incredibly beautiful song, and I’d invite you to give it a listen and to read the review of it from Atwood Magazine.
I’ve wanted to start writing again for several years now, and I’ve struggled a great deal with all the internal critics that come out of the woodwork when I try. The closer I come to finding my authentic voice, the louder the critics become.
So, I’m starting with Joy and their song and that verse. I don’t know where I’m headed with this blog again. I don’t have the answers, but I definitely have questions and chaos.
And faith? For me, that’s faith in the sense of being open and aligned with self. This post is one of many steps down that path.
My own time spent in christianity decades ago makes me particularly sensitive to cherry-picking verses from the larger context – and while I felt that the meaning that the hook carries for me is aligned with the meaning that Joy intended – I wanted to make sure I knew as much context as I could, beyond just the hundreds of times I’ve listened to the song and the album that it is part of.
I’ve spent time re-reading the reviews and interviews and various social media posts that Joy posted in releasing it in 2024.
One thing that I didn’t know until pulling this together – Joy has mentioned that the opening sample in the song comes from an artist named Daniel Hanson – who created it from a song sung by the Mamuna tribe in Paupau New Guinea – documented in this video from documentary filmmaker Drew Binsky.
It is a song that is sung when the tribe is coming home.