"American Honey"

Today, I became a college sophomore.  Today, I became one step further away from the curly haired little girl I used to be.  And today, I wished I had a chance to go back to that childhood, fresh-faced, innocence that we all lose along our way.

I listened to, undoubtedly, the most uninteresting teacher I have ever had in my lifetime while I prayed that I would get the opportunity to show the world I could be more than the overachieving, straight A student that I am.  I value education but I also value skill.  I know I've been fully blessed with a gift not many have, I just want to find the right outlet...and today that was not my 2 hour lab or lecture.  

Some carry around a certain memory from their childhood, I carry around the feeling.  That feeling that no matter how hard you try, you'll never fall; nothing is worth worrying about; and life was nothing more than the simple things.  In between the awkward silence and boringness of my classes, I wondered what it would be like to go back to that mentality now that I have seen and experienced the opposite side of it.  It would be liberating but captivating at the same time.  However, I didn't need those childhood moments...what I needed was "American Honey." 

Since I had the idea of starting this blog, I just knew I had to write about this song.  For some reason, I always carry this song with me.  Artists release new CDs filled with new songs and for some reason I always come back to this song.  What captivates me about this song is that there is more unspoken than said.  What is beautiful about this song is the fact that there is not one person that cannot be the person in this song...we all are.  This isn't a detailed a song about a busy life filled with waking up to an alarm clock, it's trying to find who you were in the midst of who you've become.  Unfortunately, the trials and tribulations that we all have to experience shape us into the person we become.  Some become bitter, jaded, heartbroken, the list goes on.  However, it's the values that we all learn in childhood that keep us running on the right path.    

I could endlessly fill this blog about the incredible songwriters that I have discovered but these three are on my bucket list of dream co-writes.  Myspace became like a musical heaven for me years ago and I discovered songwriters who are better than any artist that you hear on the radio.  By now I think the world knows how much I idolize Hillary Lindsey...the fact that I become obsessed with every song she writes and word she sings.  She has a voice that goes unmatched.  I love you all, but there's God and then there's Hillary in my life...haha!  The woman can do no wrong in my eyes.  I discovered Shane Stevens and Cary Barlowe through Hillary's myspace and fell in love with their abilities to marry a lyric and melody unlike anything I have ever heard before.  Individually, they are incredible...together, they are indescribable!!  You MUST hear their demo it is blows away the recorded version, LOVE!!!      

One of my favorite songs of all time!

FM Radio:

Singer: Lady Antebellum

Songwriters: Hillary Lindsey, Shane Stevens, Cary Barlowe

Song: "American Honey"

She grew up on the side of the road
Where the church bells ring and strong love grows
She grew up good, She grew up slow
Like American honey

Steady as a preacher, Free as a weed
Couldn't wait to get going
But wasn't quite ready to leave
So innocent, pure and sweet
American honey

There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowin' in the wind
Callin' out my name
Like a long lost friend
Oh, I miss those days
As the years go by
Oh, nothin' sweeter than summertime
And American honey

Get caught in the race of this crazy life
Tryin' to be everything can make you lose your mind
I just wanna go back in time
To American honey

There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowin' in the wind
Callin' out my name
Like a long lost friend
Oh, I miss those days
As the years go by
Oh, nothin' sweeter than summertime
And American honey

Gone for so long now
I gotta get back to her somehow
American honey

There's a wild wild whisper
Blowin' in the wind
Callin' out my name
Like a long lost friend
Oh, I miss those days
As the years go by
Nothin' sweeter than summertime
And American honey
And American honey 

Incredible Original Version:

Lady A's Video: