Song for Dad

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(Quick disclaimer: This is a super not funny song, it's uncomfortably sincere. Be warned!)

I wrote this song for my father 18 years ago. It was my Father’s Day gift to him. I had been playing guitar and writing songs for a couple of years by then, and since I had no money to buy him anything, I figured sharing my feelings in song might be a little better than nothing, or hey, if it turned out decent, maybe even just as good as a Montréal Canadiens tie, or a Canadian Tire gift certificate (I guess I don’t have to mention I grew up in Canada). I don’t really remember writing the song, I think it just flowed out of me in one afternoon. It was at a time in our relationship where we were trying to find our way back to each other after my tumultuous and rebellious teen years. I was now a young adult, beginning to make my own way in the world, finding my footing as a “grown up,” and searching for my voice as an “artist.” I’m pretty sure this was my way of telling him that he had done a good job, that I appreciated him, and that I was going to be okay. But also, that I knew he was a special guy, and that I was grateful that he specifically had been my example of how a man should show up in the world.

Anyway, I recorded a quick version of the song after I wrote it, and gave it to him on something we used to call a “Compact Disc.” I remember being nervous, but playing it cool (because, you know, dudes), genuinely not knowing how he’d respond. Well, I guess he liked it, because he spent the next 18 years telling me over and over that I should record it and put it out into the world. I told him that it was for him and wasn’t meant to be anything else, but he was annoyingly persistent, so I eventually gave in and promised him that one day I would. But the time never really felt right, and the idea of sharing this song with anyone but him and the family always felt strange. Until now.

In January, I sang it at his funeral, and needless to say, it was incredibly difficult to get through. But as I sang it, it struck me that the words almost felt truer and more honest now than when I wrote them all those years ago. And so, in May I flew to Nashville and recorded this new version with the incredibly talented producer, and altogether good dude, Jordan Lehning. And since my father LOVED it when the musically-inclined Lajoie family members would play and sing together, they are singing all the harmonies on the track.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad, this one’s for you. We love and miss you with all of our hearts.