The Song, My Child, Will Go On Forever (read aloud by Reilly)

What does a forgotten Disney lullaby have to do with a teenage rite of passage in Death Valley?
When I was 17, I spent three days and nights alone in the desert as part of a high school program called Vision Quest. I brought snacks, a journal, and—without fully knowing why—the lyrics to a song from Mighty Joe Young.

This is a story about the silence of the desert, the noise inside my head, and how an unexpected piece of music helped me process grief, loneliness, and the strange beauty of growing up.

There’s some Flight of the Conchords nudity, an earnest defense of My Heart Will Go On, and a deep dive into the work of underrated film composer James Horner.

I hope you enjoy listening to it.