I recently saw a biopic on Brian Wilson the troubled singer and writer for the Beach Boys. On the whole the movie was serviceable but did not quite do justice to the compelling story of Brian Wilson’s life. But the thing that had the most impact on me from the movie was the ending footage from a recent concert featuring Brian singing his song “Love and Mercy” (which also happened to be the name of the movie).
“Love and Mercy” is certainly not the best song in the Beach Boy’s or Brian Wilson’s repertoire. I’m not even sure it makes my top ten list. However the message encapsulated within the song, the notion that living this life is hard and that everyone needs deserves love and mercy, is a just as relevant today as it was when Brian wrote it in the 80’s. We all deserve love and mercy from our troubles whether they be related to money, our health, our relationship issues, or whatever roadblocks life throws in our way. Everyone needs a break.