(Note: this series was originally published elsewhere.)

Something in music: origin

One evening at a hot, trendy L.A. nightclub on a rare solo outing, yours truly found himself standing alone at the bar preparing to review the upcoming act. Before he had taken more than a few notes, however, he was bookended by a pair of vivacious vixens who insisted on engaging your rockin’ writer in cozy conversation. Strangely, the subject of “marriage” arose.

One of the young ladies noted that when a gal is about to get hitched, she needs “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.” Your provocative penman was immediately inspired. After all, those very same terms could be applied to music too: “Something old” or classic, “something new” or recently released, “something borrowed”, a cover, and “something blue”, a blues song or a song with “blue” in the title. The rest is history.

‘Something’ in Music 288

Something Old

Our “something old” in this edition is the classic cut “I Can’t Explain” by the Brit band the Who. The song was written by band member Pete Townshend. The track was first released as a US single in 1964. It was released as a single in the UK the following year.

Something New

Our “something new” this time is the new single “I’ll Wait Here” by American singer-songwriter, musician and sound healer Annie Fitzgerald. In a recent e-communique Fitzgerald spoke of the new release. She said:

“Safe spaces and trusted people have been themes I’ve been exploring & sinking into. I wrote ‘I’ll Wait Here’ in the midst of the pandemic, when uncertainty was the undercurrent of every conversation collectively, and when my family and I were going through a lot of transition. Its themes are presence and patience; sometimes there aren’t words. Sometimes we just need a container to safely move through.”

Fitzgerald concluded: “This song could have been written to so many people. Sometimes I know deep down that I wrote it to my son, Will. Sometimes I also know, that I wrote it to myself. I hope you connect with this new song! I’d be honored if you feel called to share with those you love!”

The song features Fitzgerald on vocals and acoustic guitar; Steve Bosmans on electric guitar; Matt Patrick on bass, drums, Hammond organ, and background vocals; and David Gerald Sutton on strings.

Something Borrowed

Our “something borrowed” this edition is the song “Going Across the Sea.” This traditional song was first recorded by Uncle Dave Macon in 1925. This lively cover is by the American “dancing fiddler” Hillary Klug. In a message on social media Klug discussed the song.

She said: “[The song] is a traditional fiddle tune. It was played by Middle Tennessee banjo player Uncle Dave Macon.” She added that the video features her “fiancé Evan Winsor on the guitar.”

Klug concluded: “We filmed this video in a beautiful home in Nashville, Tennessee. The video was filmed and edited by Kaitlyn Raitz. I love to fiddle and dance at the same time, and I love creating videos and doing social media! So I combined these things into a career, and I love it!”

Something Blue

Finally, our “something blue” this edition is the song “Crazy Man Blues” written and recorded by American singer-songwriter and musician Malcolm Holcombe. It’s off his 2021 album Tricks of the Trade. If you’d like to hear his more recent work, be sure to check out the full review of his new, upcoming disc titled Bits & Pieces. The new album drops on June 23, 2023.

Did we mention your favorite “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”? If not, let us know. Don’t forget to send us your bride photos too!

(Images courtesy of Rock n Roll Bride)