It's Time To Express Your Love
Sep 19th, 2008 | Author: admin | Category: Fly Perspectives
Comments (45)
Shortly after R&B super group Jodeci split up to focus on other endeavors, brothers K-Ci and Jo Jo released what is still (at least in my opinion) one of the best explanations on how to write a heartfelt letter to a loved one. Even though letter writing is a lost art form in 2008, you can still put this effective technique to use through email.
So today, I’ve decided to do a lyric-by-lyric breakdown of their song “Last Night’s Letter,” to not only explain their method, but to also use it as an exercise of expression for us all. Ready? Well let’s go.
Listen to “Last Night’s Letter”
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**Step 1: Explain your state of mind.
The Lyrics:
I was sitting at home, thinking to myself
I started thinking about you
The Fly Explanation: Before you begin to pour out your feelings, it’s important for the other person to know why you’re even writing them in the first place. A perfect way to do this is by briefly explaining your state of mind at the point of message composition.
**Step 2: Lay out your feelings.
The Lyrics:
How much I do love you, I really do
The Fly Explanation: There’s no need to beat around the bush. After you frame your mindset, get right down to the meat of your argument: your feelings for them. Valuable time is often wasted trying to come up with some cute or creative way to express how you feel. In the words of Joe Clark in Lean on Me: “Don’t f@ck around with it, do it expeditiously!!!”
**Step 3: Detail what your feelings mean.
The Lyrics:
I would never trade you, never forsake you
Cuz nothing could be better
That’s why I wrote you this letter
The Fly Explanation: Similar to Barack Obama’s task of explaining to America what change really means, you’ve now come to the point where you have to detail what your feelings entail. If you miss this step, then your words will come across as empty, and lacking any real substance since they didn’t move you to any type of substantive action.
**Step 4: Provide a closing argument.
The Lyrics:
I’ll love you always lady
The Fly Explanation: No real explanation is needed here. The proper way to close your message is to restate the main idea, which is more often than not your feelings for them.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Your Assignment: Now it’s your turn. Take the steps that I’ve detailed above, and practice writing a love note to someone. The person can be either real or imaginary. The point of this exercise is to get you accustomed to expressing yourself in a meaningful way. Upon completion, share your letter with the rest of us, and we’ll each take turns providing constructive comments on it.
My Letter: (Hey, I can’t really make an assignment without first doing it myself right?) Note: I’ve numbered the steps so you can see where I followed the pattern from above.
Dear Mystery Woman,
When I woke up this morning, there was so much that I wanted to thank God for: Life, health, family … and of course you.(₁) I love you—that much I’m sure of.(₂) And I’ll never let the outside world or the hectic pace of my career come between us. Never. (₃) So as your day begins, never let our love drift too far away from your thoughts, as I can assure you that it won’t stray too far from my own. I love you, and I’ll see you soon. (₄)
The Fly Guy
The ball is officially in your court..
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