Justin Ripassa turns a life-threatening moment into a message about living with "Whole Wide World"

Some stories of life are so deep that they change a person's outlook on life. Justin Ripassa's "Whole Wide World" is one of those moments, a country-pop, singer-songwriter rumination on love, possibility, and all that is worth experiencing, born of a life-threatening episode at sixteen.

The song was based on a case of appendicitis that had been overlooked and had become so dire that surgery was not an option at the time. Justin imagined a future he might never see, unsure whether he would live to see it. That outlook is central to the emotional core of the song, as he writes from a position of failure and turns the track into a message to the people he loves.

"Whole Wide World" is not only about what may be lost but also about the lives others are to live on. The message is to let loved ones continue living, to see the world, to fall in love, to get married, to make memories, and to have experiences that once might have been ordinary. "Whole Wide World" is a reminder that life's possibilities are worth noting, especially when circumstances show just how precious they can be.