“Live, learn, and love without regrets” is a sincere reminder that we should welcome each phase of life, take lessons from what it offers, and continue to choose love as we go.
Erick Oscar’s “Live, Learn, and Love Without Regrets” has an immediate personal touch. The song isn’t based on a general idea or a phrase that has been chosen merely because it sounds significant; it started as a prayer that he wrote seven years ago and which has since stayed a part of his daily routine. Since he is a Christian, he considers those words to be a lifelong prayer outlining the way he would like to live—that is, by fully experiencing life, learning from every situation and loving without letting regret control the future. The fact that it has this background means that the song carries real emotional depth. “Live, Learn, and Love Without Regrets” sounds less as if it is a presentation of an idea and more as though the singer is passing on a principle which they have personally held onto for years. Erick still hears the song every morning to serve as a reminder of where his priorities should be. This detail alters the way the song is received; it is not just something that has been written for an audience, it is something that the songwriter also continues to put into practice himself. the song fits perfectly with Erick Oscar’s usual approach to writing pop and ballads. Because of his long association with the acoustic guitar and with church worship music, it has a warm and genuine base which keeps the message at the heart of the piece. Instead of covering the lyrics with unnecessary complexity, the music backs up the reflective nature of the writing. The end result is a song that seems appropriate for quiet mornings, for personal reflection and for those times when you need to take a step back and consider where your life is heading.
The reason why “Live, Learn, and Love Without Regrets” is so effective is the simplicity of its aim. The three words which are at the heart of it—live, learn and love—stand for three different ways of dealing with life. To live means to stay open to new experiences. To learn involves recognising that mistakes, disappointments and hard periods can still teach us a lesson. To love means to keep giving emotionally even though life doesn’t always turn out as hoped for. The inclusion of “without regrets” gives the message greater impact since it does not request people to feign that everything has been perfect. Rather, it proposes that the past can be acknowledged without it becoming a lasting burden. That point of view is particularly appropriate for a songwriter who has been producing music for decades. Since over 1,200 songs have been written by Erick Oscar and he has played acoustic guitar with his worship band for more than 35 years, this song seems to be a summary of that experience; instead of attempting to tell a detailed story, it expresses a philosophy which has become all the more important to him.
There is also a close link between the song and Erick’s faith. Since the song is based on a prayer, its message acquires a spiritual aspect, but the main idea is still something that can be understood outside a religious context. All of us have times when we wish that we could have done things differently, relationships that we wish we had managed otherwise, and experiences which leave us with unanswered questions. The song “Live, Learn, and Love Without Regrets” deals with these feelings by offering encouragement instead of focusing on them. Therefore, the song is especially effective within Erick’s broader body of work. His music alternates between English and Spanish and spans various styles such as pop, ballads, bachata, country, Americana and Latin music, but his songwriting always ends up focusing on emotional honesty. In this case, that honesty is condensed into a single clear message. The musical world explored in the album Live, Learn, and Love Without Regrets is further developed through songs such as “Say What I Feel”, “Even If I Forget”, “Because I Said So”, “Te Voy a Tirar La Chancleta”, “Show Me The Way”, “More Than You Know” and the Spanish versions of “Más De Lo Que Tú Crees”. However, it is the title track that most clearly shows what Erick aims to achieve with his music. The song ‘Live, Learn, and Love Without Regrets’ succeeds since it seems to have been lived through rather than created artificially. The message is based on something that Erick has been doing for many years, and the fact that he still listens to the song himself gives it a particularly human touch. It is a piece of music centred on faith, reflection and gratitude, but most importantly it serves as a reminder to keep moving forward. There’s no need for a song to provide answers to every question; sometimes it’s enough for it just to remind us of the way we would like to live. For Erick Oscar, the song ‘Live, Learn, and Love Without Regrets’ is precisely such a reminder.
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