Are You Lonely Tonight?

Scot Bruce in Westminster, August 1, 2019

Still a newlywed in January, 1956, I'd been startled the first time I turned on my radio and heard Elvis Presley belt out, "I get so lonely, I could die." A few years later when he crooned "Are You Lonesome Tonight," again, I felt he was talking directly to me.

How is it, I sometimes think, that I could have so much in my life to be thankful for, books, California sunshine, travel opportunities, theater, friends all over the world...and still identify so strongly with Presley's laments on loneliness?

Last week a busload of my fellow residents at my senior living complex went to a concert in our local park, an Elvis tribute. I expected a Las Vegas style impersonator, with pasted-on sideburns and a pot belly, rasping out the oh-so-familiar lyrics, just a smidgen flat. Instead, I got the real thing, or as close to it as anybody could expect outside of a hologram.

Scot Bruce, a lifelong Elvis fan, has paid tribute to The King in the Los Angeles area since 1990. He

not only looks very much like the younger Elvis, he strums the guitar and swivels his hips in exactly the same manner. Additionally, he's able to elicit an emotional connection with his audience. Though many in the crowd danced through the hour-and-a-half show, others of us sat reflecting on where we were and what we were doing when we first heard Elvis sing each particular song.

But it was the especially evocative quality of the songs about loneliness that resonated with me that night. How could I feel lonely when surrounded by a crowd? It may be simply not knowing what changes will take place when my apartment complex comes under the supervision of the new owners this upcoming week.

As Scot Bruce sang, I felt overwhelmed by nostalgia for "the way things used to be." This might not be an uncommon reaction. But since that evening in the park, I've begun to focus on what wonderful things I have to look forward to, rather than lamenting the things I will lose. That helps.

I recall when I was in grad school in English first seeing the imagism poem by ee cummings, "l(a":

So many ways to understand this poem, often known as "a leaf falls." A brief discussion can be found here: https://poemanalysis.com/a-leaf-falls-by-e-e-cummings-poem-analysis/

It's the very lack of completion that seems to bring on a deep sense of being alone.

Tonight I'm going to "The Jazz Angels in Concert: Summer Jazz on the Patio" at Grace First Presbyterian Church in Long Beach.  The Jazz Angels, a young group of artists working to preserve America's only original art form, will bring a different beat. Bet I won't feel one mite lonely!

For more info on The Jazz Angels, a program based in Long Beach that pairs professional musicians with youth, age 11 to 18, to improve the quality of their lives through jazz education, performance and community awareness: https://jazzangels.org/

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