I have a very strong pull to the singer songwriter types. Yes, those who know me will claim it’s because they look like jesus and appear to not have not eaten or bathed in the last few months. I rarely date that type of guy but I can conjure elaborate fantasies of us travelling on a bus through Arizona, living on music, cheap beer and…. okay I’m back – sorry got lost there.
ANYWAY. My trio of current faves are Josh Ritter (for his boyish charm and talent); Ryan Adams (for his eff you attitude and hypnotic tunes) and Ray Lamontagne – who appears to be the shyest man ever but the voice…oh the voice….
So today – I give you Ray’s tune – You Are The Best Thing.
(the man is so shy he doesn’t make videos…but enjoy the music).
So – it’s a love song. But what it reminds me of – or WHO it reminds me of is Will. It’s our song. It came out around the time he was born and I would slow dance around the kitchen with him trying to get him to sleep to it. Then I bought tickets to see Ray that November. It was my first grown up outing when I started to see the light during my postpartum.
The afternoon before the show, he came in to do an interview at one of our stations and thankfully someone called me. So I packed up Will and we headed in. And he played this song live!! And it felt like for us. Ray says in all interviews that his songs are love songs but not based on his own life – he wants the listener to relate it to theirs.
So when I sing to Will…
Baby, we’ve come along way
And baby, I hope and pray that you believe me when I say
This love will never fade away
I’m saying ‘buddy, I may have thought about giving you to qualified people to raise you back in the cloudy days…but I always did and always will love you.’
Thanks Ray – you’re pretty good and all but Will – he’s really the best thing.
wow.
I get the jesus type allure- but I had forgotten about it a bit- maybe my age has me acting too much like a grown up. Yikes. Enough of that.
that voice is like a easily the sexiest thing this side of Sunday. But the day is not over yet
oh Lynn..my heart. That song always killed me and now I’ll think of you. hugs.
Sara, I think you know my love of Ray is about as strong as yours… although I failed to get tickets to the concert like a dumbass.
I first heard this song on CBC Radio 2 on my way home from work, also shortly after Pea was born. I nearly started crying, partly because I was so tired, but mostly because of how much the song represented the emotions I had for my new little girl at the time (and still now). I blogged about the song later that week ( http://ricochayspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/03/new-chune.html) and haven’t looked back since.
Looks like we’re on the same page on this one. Although I did manage to find footage of Ray singing this song on a late night TV show… which apparently Ray has had taken down because he’s the shyest guy on the planet, like you say. In the video I found he was actually wearing jeans!
I used to sing the song “Somewhere Out There” from the movie “An American Tail” to my son – the rhythm always soothed him. Remembering that just now after reading your words brought me to tears. My now-grown-up son and I have been estranged since my divorce from his dad 10 years ago. I rarely see him or hear from him. Where the rhythm once soothed him, the lyrics now soothe me.
http://www.ronstadt-linda.com/mousemovie.htm
Hey Saucy Redhead – thanks for stopping by twitter friend!!! I love Grace Potter – and have had others tell me to check out Colbie and Brandi…must check out the others! Thanks for the suggestions and commenting in!
OH Jen! You’ll love the Josh. Check out Golden Age of Radio and Animal Years first…so good. Your kids got great soundtracks as well!
Love this post, Sara. Partly because I’m a huge fan of Ray Lamontagne and Ryan Adams (so now I have to go check out Josh Ritter), but also because it made me think of each of my own kids’ songs.
I was never much of a lullabye singer, and would often find myself singing Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” or Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” a capella at 2:30am with my newborns, but eventually I’d start to come back to the same song again and again. For my first it was Emmylou Harris’ “Walk You Across Texas”. He seemed to love the steady beat of that one. My second got Bruce Springsteen’s “Pony Boy” and I still sing that one to him all the time. My baby girl got Elton John’s “Your Song”. Those songs became the soundtrack for our nighttime feedings, and bring back such amazing memories when I hear them.
I too love singer songwriter types – and Ray LaMontagne is right up there. Thank you for sharing this. And if you’re looking for some new SS to check out? Some of my favorites: Chad Hollister, Grace Potter, Colbie Caillat, Alexi Murdoch and Brandi Carlisle 🙂
Oooh I need some sleep cause I’m crying after your comment Jen. Ugh – I never used to be this emotional…okay lie I did ….. I love both those songs so much too!
You’re awesome.
My song with Josh is “After the Rain” by Blue Rodeo. I listened to it while I was pregnant and cried and laughed and pondered this kind of love. Then, after he was born I did the same but with him in my arms. Every time I hear that song I think of the beginning of our amazing connection.
Then with Meg it was “Quick Silver Girl’ (renamed “SqueezeBottom Girl”) by Steve Miller. “She spreads her wings and she soars.” Love.
OH. You will LOVE it.
It’s great!
No!!! It’s my Sunday Rogers on Demand treat during his nap….now I can’t wait even more!
Hey….did you see Parenthood…
it was all Ray Lamontagne!