"Sleep Better " by Pete Yorn, Tuesday, July 10, 2021

Until last year, thanks to an Apple Music recommendation, I hadn't heard Pete Yorn's Musicforthemorningafter, or at least I thought I hadn't. Despite excellent reviews from Rolling Stone and Spin, Yorn's debut album only reached number 111 on the Billboard album charts and was certified Gold, selling 500,000 units in the 20 years since its release in March 2001. However, listening to the album 19 years later, many of the songs sounded familiar--a late '90s/ early '00 pop-rock sound that always holds a special place in my nostalgia. But it's no coincidence Yorn's music sounds familiar. So many of the songs from this album have been featured in movies and television shows from this time. The list is massive: Me, Myself & Irene, 40 Days and 40 Nights, The Sweetest Thing, Orange County, Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, House M.D., Revenge, and Smallville all featured a track or two by the underrated folk-rocker.

HE TOOK A KIND OF VACATION. "Sleep Better" turns a few cliches on their heads to talk about a separation period between lovers who ultimately realize that they "sleep better" together. However, it's an epiphany that the two will have to realize several times over the course of their relationship. Despite the message of the song, The Washington Post recently posted an article titled "For couples, sleeping apart could actually have health benefits." In the article, the author argues that most Americans are not getting enough sleep, the seven hours recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and one reason is sleeping with a partner. Citing several psychologists and doctors, the author argues that sleep incompatibility is keeping many couples awake at night, and this lack of sleep is causing poor performance at work and even causing or compounding issues in the relationship. Sleeping together in the same bed wasn't always a cultural norm. A 2019 article in the Guardian gives a fascinating history about sleeping separately. In 1919 Dr. Edwin Bowers wrote in Sleeping for Health: “Separate beds for every sleeper are as necessary as are separate dishes for every eater. They promote comfort, cleanliness, and the natural delicacy that exists among human beings.” One hundred years later, Eric Marlowe Garrison, a certified sex counselor argued that different sleeping arrangements based on the partners sleep needs “from twin beds in the same room near each other to double master bedrooms” helped to strengthen relationships.

THEY TOOK THE TIME TO REFLECT. The hotel was spacious and the line was clean. The view wasn't particularly nice, overlooking the alley in Jong-no. The hotel had cost Josh's credit about $150 for the night, and at the end of this term, he needed to relax. In the morning he would join his friend from another institute at Seoul Station and they would get away further from C., spending the remaining days in Busan--their third trip of the year. "I'll come to Seoul early in the morning and meet you at 11:00," Josh lied. No, tonight was all about one thing. "Let's get something nice to eat," Alex messaged on Saturday night during the end of year part for the institute. "Maybe we can see a movie too. I'm pretty free Sunday evening." "Nice. I booked a nice place in Jong-no. Maybe you can check it out," Josh texted back. It was flurrying in Seoul on Sunday night when Josh arrived at the hotel. Josh checked his messages. There were a few from his student, Julia, which Josh didn't open and one from Alex. "Meet me in front of Topgol Park. Let's have Japanese food. I know a good place." When Alex embraced Josh, Alex's cologne, Bleu de Chanel, intoxicated Josh with memories of the past two months. Tonight was the night he would ask Alex to spend the night. They could finally have time together. Time had always slipped away during their prior meetings. Some other appointment or not wanting to raise suspicion with Josh's roommates. Tonight no one knew where he was. He was an adult in a big city sitting across the table from a handsome older man who had a smile on his face, interested in what Josh had to say. Every moment of the cold evening drew closer to the time when he could invite Alex back to his room in what would be the perfect ending to a turbulent year.

https://genius.com/Pete-yorn-sleep-better-lyrics