Out of Africa theme (John Barry) - Korg Radias

Published on Jul 21, 2018 MIDERA

"This track was made as a tribute to my father who passed away exactly 8 years ago (as of this publication date [Jul 21]) from cancer.

8 years ago - I saw his final breath. Only a week earlier we were playing Scrabble and going to a casino. A week before that he and I beat Conan the Barbarian on Atari (I needed him to get closure - and see the ending of that ridiculously difficult game).

In regards to the music - this is John Barry's theme to Out of Africa (a movie that I've never seen). We used to go on trips when I was younger. My parents would drive for hours and days... we would listen to 'travel music' which included things like Bananarama, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and, yes, the Out of Africa soundtrack. My siblings and I would groan listening to this travel music.

My dad loved this song. The whole soundtrack played on repeat at his wake. A few years ago, I thought I could handle listening to the original song. I was wrong. I would break down and cry.

A few weeks ago as I was about to head out to work, this song came on in a playlist. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I couldn't move, couldn't turn off the music. I just stood there and thought about my dad and how much I wish I could talk with him again. Sometimes I do see him of course, when I'm sleeping. I can hear him so vividly. I can see him so clearly. I'm always so shocked that he's alive, that he beat cancer. Sometimes he's just fine. Sometimes he's in extreme pain... but it always ends the same way. I wake up and remember that he's not here.

So here is my tribute to him, 8 years later."