Some songs come less as fleeting melodies than as full-fledged experiences. "In The Middle Of A Moment," the new single from the esteemed songwriter Mark Nevin, is one of those rare tracks that are timeless and urgently current.
Nevin draws the image of the tide of life and the importance of seizing an opportunity when it arises. But these are not just poetic abstractions to Nevin, they're lived wisdom. At 18, his world shattered when he left the cult of Sun Myung Moon, at sea, disoriented and adrift. A simple card with words from Shakespeare was a lifeline, reminding me that moments of collapse, despair, and defeat can also be moments of possibility. That spirit infuses every note of "In The Middle Of A Moment." The song radiates a calm sense of confidence, its whispered words serve as a reminder that openness is a friend of strength. Nevin's voice is warm and knowing, encouraging the listener to lean in and ponder. The arrangement is sparse and intentional, allowing the words and their meaning to breathe. The result is a meditation, a soundtrack for standing at life's crossroads and daring to choose courage over hesitation.
This is not just a song of personal release, it is a gift. In a culture where many feel like they are crawling through wreckage, Nevin offers a kind hand moving in the opposite direction, both personally and politically, and spiritually. He reminds us that courage can be as simple as uttering yes when the time comes, however unsure we are of what will happen.
What sets Nevin's work apart is that he humanizes philosophy in a way that doesn't feel preachy. He doesn't pretend to have vanquished adversity once and for all. Instead, he accepts the cycles of things falling apart, and he shows how each disintegration contains its own tide to surf. "In The Middle Of A Moment" captures that ephemeral awareness when you feel the wave rising beneath you and must make the choice to surf or watch it break without you.