Hello Herald 92.0 FM listeners, did you know that a recent survey revealed that 83% of students at UofT have experienced heartbreak in some capacity? Well, that’s probably false since I just made that up, but you know what isn’t?

The prominence of heartbreak.

Many individuals associate heartbreak with romantic relationships, but there’s so much more to it. A loved one moving away? That’s heartbreak. Another Grammarly ad interrupting your YouTube binge-watch session? That’s still a case of heartbreak. Running out of ideas for things to add to a list about heartbreak? Utter heartbreak. I’m no song expert, but in my unprofessional, non-expert, and biased opinion, the fact of the matter is nothing—and I mean nothing—depicts heartbreak better than the song “Time Goes ‘Bye’” by Jex Nwalor. 

Now, only one question remains: why? Buckle your seatbelts if you haven’t already done so, ‘cause I’ll be divulging how this song is relevant to me, and perhaps along the way, you’ll realize that you might not be so different.

Let me ask you something: who is somebody you haven’t seen in years? We all have that one person who comes to mind: maybe it’s a long-distance relative, an ex-situationship, or a friend. For me, that person is a family friend.

Out of respect for his privacy, I won’t be sharing the intimate details about his situation nor his real name.

“Noel” was that person to me. And can I just say, wow, it brings me great pain to even write an alias. And yes, it’s very meta of me to comment on something I just “wrote” when I have an audience (you) and the theme of this piece is me pouring my heart out to to “listeners” of a radio show, but this is reality, my reality; I want you to feel the words that are coming out of my mouth. “Random,” “words,” “say,” “I don’t know”—that was just some jargon that popped into my head, so maybe not those words, but I want you to feel the following: Noel is a family friend of mine. Or rather…

Noel was a family friend. 

He’s gone—he’s moved to a secluded place,

And I won’t see him, ever again,

And I can’t speak to him, ever again.

Again, this is my reality. This is the world I’m currently living in—a world without Noel.

Noel and I weren’t too close—our relationship was that of cousins who would occasionally meet at family reunions; we always enjoyed each other’s company, but wouldn’t keep in touch. As we grew older, so would the time between each reunion, until eventually, no more would be had. But this fissure was different; it was abrupt and would last… indefinitely.

When heartbreak enters our lives, it takes away time and also reminds us of the time that could’ve been. 

What if I had…? Why didn’t I…?

We can keep thinking about hypothetical scenarios, but that won’t change anything.

I need nothing more than the title of the song “Time Goes ‘Bye’”—which is also one of the lyrics—to describe this situation, or any situation pertaining to heartbreak for that matter: whether or not we like it, time will always be moving, and although we have strings attaching us to that person, it’s up to us to tug on those strings every once in awhile, before it’s too late.

Moral of the story: Contact that person, and it may be the Barnum Effect, but somebody definitely comes to your mind when I say that. Whether it be a text, a call, or a peck on the cheek, check in with that person before the hotel lights inevitably turn off.

We’ve come a long way, haven’t we—hasn’t it felt like time flew by, or dare I say, time flew “bye”? (sorry, not sorry)

Thanks for having me on Herald 92.0 FM! 

Next up: “Time Goes ‘Bye’” by Jex Nwalor!