No non-sense here, we are Chasing Smoke after all…

 

At it’s most basic level this song is about Freddie Mercury and the exclamation to his fans about his sexual preferences.

 

‘I Want to Break Free’ is such a classic song that simply embodies so much passion and emotion that I cannot overlook it. And so for the sake of journalism and philosophy I’ll be ignoring Freddie’s message and instead put my own twist on how this song could be interpreted by others and myself.

 

After my first semester at Wayne State I obtained a 4.0 and to celebrate my father took me out to dinner. After a nice meal and a few glasses of wine, my fathers celebratory nature began to dwindle and an ominous forecast of my future slipped out.

 

My father began to ramble about the unemployment rate, Federal Reserve, housing crisis, student debt etc… Regardless of my scholarship and high marks my father still remarked constantly how the only way to be successful in contemporary America is to work harder than everyone else around you. And thus my focus pounced on the subject of internships.

 

It wouldn’t be much more than a month later that I would obtain my first internship at a small Advertising Agency. I won’t deny for a moment how enlightening and rewarding it was to work, yet at times I couldn’t help but think about wanting to ‘break free’ in my own respect. I was a fresh nineteen year old undergraduate student working thirty hours a week while attending school full time, but I always heeded my fathers warnings and stuck the course, imagining that at the end of the ride I’d find my freedom and satisfaction.

                                                                                                                        

After the internship concluded I chose to recline for a few months, it wouldn’t be long before my father once more chirped into my ears about the state of politics, the economy and class structure though. And so I spent the first half of my sophomore year as intern on the Business Development team at a mortgage company.

 

Aside from the knowledge obtained, amassed wealth in my savings account and friendships developed, I still found myself from time to time scribbling on my note pad about freedom.

 

Were any of these employees free? Were there ‘relationships’ really nothing more than social means of professional self-advancement? Even many of those in leadership positions seemed to have a general sense of disdain for the life that they’d chosen and personally expressed envy for my youth.

 

Although I loved my time at these positions, a vexing emptiness still lingered and so I plotted a course for the University of Michigan. I felt like this would be the home I yearned for. These were the people I could find comfort and love in. And lets be honest here, having that block ‘M’ on a resume doesn’t hurt either.

 

My time at the University of Michigan, and this is simply me being honest, was really a disappointment. In truth it was just before I left that I began to understand what I really wanted from life and the sincere gap between appeasement and satisfaction.

 

To me it’s so reminiscent of Freddie howling out to his audience about accepting ones identity. Knowing who you are under the surface and what you need to be happy.

 

“I want to break free from your lies. You're so self-satisfied I don't need you. I've got to break free. God knows, God knows I want to break free.”

 

Freddie acknowledges that there are those who will cloud your judgment, whisper fears in your ear and attempt to coerce you with their own truths, but in response we must break free this and find our own truths.

 

Chasing Smoke is Alexander J. Singer breaking free in a sense. It’s me breaking away from the path others attempted to outline or influence for me and cultivate something that offers myself genuine pleasure.

 

I’ve worked the forty hour weeks, I’ve filled out the excel sheets, I’ve managed social media platforms and I’ve watched incredible humans be shot done on their own hope of nurturing a urge.

 

In the words of my Ex-Business Development Director, money may put you to sleep at night, but your job will wake you up every morning.