The song, ‘Wessex Boy’ uses the creative practice of music to portray singer/songwriter Frank Turner’s feelings towards his hometown of Winchester. The song explores the relationship between Turner and the town in which he grew up, despite the fact that he no longer lives there, as is made clear within the lyrics of the song. The lyrics indicate that, at least for him, the place you happen to live is not necessarily the place that you consider your home. Turner also goes further than his own experiences, and explores the relationship between the typical individual and their hometowns and the enduring nature of this relationship.
During the verses of Wessex Boy, Turner shares his personal memories of his life in Winchester, demonstrating his fondness for these memories. The memories he associates with specific places are outlined, and his emotional connection with each of them is shown. At this point his portrayal of the relationship between an individual and their hometown is noticeably limited to his own personal experiences, and the song is not universally accessible on an emotional level at this point. However the song as a whole allows for the emotions expressed to be relatable to the listener, regardless of their particular hometown.
The chorus section of the song explores the more general attitude towards one’s hometown, instead of focusing specifically on Turner’s personal experiences, with the exception of the line specifying his identity as a ‘Wessex Boy.’ The lyrics highlight the slightly surreal experience of returning to the place where one grew up. Furthermore, the additional section of the final chorus highlights the extended connection with one’s hometown through the lyrics “there’s something about hometowns that you never can escape.” This stresses the longevity of the relationship between person and place, when that place has been one of great significance for them.
The connection between one’s identity and their hometown is clearly stressed in this song through the line in which Turner reaffirms: “I’m a Wessex Boy, and when I’m here I’m home.” He clearly maintains that he identifies as a “Wessex boy” despite the fact that he no longer lives there. Through this affirmation, he demonstrates the way in which his identity is strongly tied, not to the place in which he lives now, but to the place in which he grew up. It is also that same place that he appears to consider his home.
The song, “Wessex Boy”, by singer/songwriter Frank Turner engages the creative practice of music to portray the enduring relationship between an individual and the town in which they grew up. Turner makes his feelings on this very clear. Through his identifying himself as a “Wessex Boy” within the song, he shows how his identity is very strongly tied to his hometown of Winchester, despite his not actually living there anymore. Turner also uses the song to access the emotions of people in general in regards to their hometowns, through his generalizing language within the chorus. This shows the song to be a full exploration of the issues relating to an individual’s identity in relation to a specific place.
-Christina Mcgrane