Those of you with furbabies know that this was a difficult week for sure. The end of an era, the last of the Sheltie duo had to cross over the Rainbow Bridge this past week:

The two original ‘Bloggy Doggies’ of my blog, since we got them as puppies a year after I started my blog. Travis on the left, Rolex on the right, after being freshly groomed. Travis crossed the Rainbow bridge last winter, after growing a baseball sized tumor overnight, and a vet visit also revealed a heart murmur he’d had since birth.

Rolex was his half brother, born to the same mom doggy as Travis, 9 months later, and unusually large for a Sheltie, but what a big heart he had throughout his life.

He started showing signs of his age the last few months, slowing down, having to take the stairs one step at a time, and in the recent weeks started drinking lots more water than usual, then not being able to ‘hold it’ for a trip outside. A trip to the vet revealed multiple tumors expertly hidden amongst his thick fur, so it was time to say goodbye and set him free.

Never easy, though, especially after having him as a best friend for so many years – but it would be cruel to try to ‘fix’ him and keep him around longer, that would be selfish on my part. So now he’s pain free, playing with his brother Travis and his other brother he never had a chance to meet, Elvis, across that Rainbow Bridge.

Enough of the sadness, it’s Monday, and Monday means music! This week is a freebie, so grab your favorite tune(s) and let’s dance, shall we? Let’s just get this party started!

Let’s start with a reflective ode to a teenage romance.

We were leather jackets hangin’ onto a Harley / Two heartbeats in the moonlight / We were both feet hangin’ out over the edge of a water tower skyline / At least there’s a little bit of sweet in the bitter / Though part of me is always gonna miss her / I am who I am / I just miss who I was when we were

The song finds the artist remembering fondly the less complicated times of his youth. The country star misses the freedom that he had. He was quoted as saying:

“I like the idea that life just happens. At some point, in the moment or not, you just gotta go with it.”

When the artist first listened to the song, he immediately gravitated to its emotive and picturesque lyrics detailing young love. He said:

“I not only heard it, but I saw it. It made me feel something. The imagery is so strong – a stamp on the back of a hand, a Saturday night cover band, the girlfriend (or boyfriend) we ran with and a fake ID (which, of course, I never had). So many of us can relate, or likely will relate, at some point!”

It wasn’t until after this artist recorded the song that he found out that fellow country artist, Eric Church, was the writer of the song. The artist called Eric to let him know he’d just recorded it without knowing Eric was the writer. Eric was thrilled that the artist had recorded the song. Even better was the fact he didn’t know he’d co-penned it, as it meant he really loved the track. Eric was quoted as saying:

“That was the coolest thing for me is I didn’t send [the artist] the song and say, ‘Here’s a song I wrote.’ He found it, and honestly, it fits him more than it fits me.”

“There’s a line in there about ‘two heartbeats in the moonlight. Leather jackets on a back of a Harley.’ I don’t ride a Harley. That’s a line, call it ‘poetic license.’ That’s where it came from. [The artist and his wife] used to do that when they first started dating, and they were touring, they would jump on his Harley and they would put on their leather jackets and they’d go ride up in the countryside before the show. I did not know that until after he cut that song.”

“I truly believe songs find the path that they’re supposed to find, and that one was supposed to be with him.”

Give a listen to Keith Urban with “We Were”:

Next up is a new song from one of my favorite groups, a song that finds the lead singer at the back end of a breakup. She declares she’s gotten over her ex, so there’s no need to self-medicate her heartbreak with alcohol anymore. Now she’s ready to go out on the town for a little self-care.

I’m over drinking, over you / I’m done with bottles of chasing the blues / I’ll still go out with the boys and knock back a few / But I’m over drinking, over you

The song almost didn’t make the record, as the four received the demo only after they’d completed the album. Though they had no studio time booked, the quartet was desperate to include the tune on their disc. Their solution was to record the instrumentation in bits and pieces while out on the road. They then hired a studio for a couple of days, where they laid down their vocals. They were quoted as saying:

“I think it’s the fastest we’ve ever heard a song, turned around and cut it.”

So glad they did.

Here’s the incredibly talented Little Big Town with “Over Drinking”:

Next up is a brand new song from this American Idol alum, who is opening up about the inspiring video she crafted to go along with it.

The video tells the frame-by-frame story of a young-and-in-love couple’s life together– going to the grocery store, hanging out on the couch to watch movies, taking a dip in the pool and more. Intertwined throughout the clips, the male actor is seen working away in his barn building something from scratch. The video then takes a moving turn to reveal what makes their relationship, and his project, so special.

The artist is seen throughout the video narrating the story with the song that inspired it. She gets a sweet surprise when fiancé Cade Foehner, her “good one,” stops by for a quick cameo. She was quoted as saying

“’[The song]’ is such a special song to me — it’s inspired by my love story with my fiancé Cade, so I knew that the video needed to be just as special.”

The video features Madeline Delp, who was named Ms. Wheelchair USA in 2017. The story behind the video is very similar to Delp’s own life. The artist was quoted as saying:

“Her personal story has common threads with the story in the video, so she connected with it and wanted to be a part of the project.”

The artist wanted to show viewers that it’s important to hold on to the more special people in your life.

“I hope it reminds them to cling to those keepers, those ‘good ones’ when they come along – to treasure them and that special thing they have.”

Here’s the adorable Gabby Barrett with “The Good Ones”:

Last, but certainly not least, is a new song from this favorite group that caught me by surprise, especially considering my having to say goodbye last week to my furbaby, Rolex. For the release of this furry friend-filled music video for their new song, this band partnered with Best Friends Animal Society to raise money for animals displaced by Hurricane Dorian.

The clip shows just how much joy animals bring to humans’ lives, as snippets play of various pets doing adorable, sweet and hilarious things. The lead singer was quoted as saying:

“Whether it’s funny things they do or the fact that they comfort us when we need them, we wanted to highlight how pets can make us smile even when we think we can’t. Especially in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, thousands of pets are without homes. We hope you’ll help by donating to Best Friends Animal Society who is doing incredible work taking care of the animals that need love too.”

This new song is included on their recently released sixth studio album. The album was released on September 20th.

As part of the release of the video, the band is encouraging fans to make a donation to Best Friends Animal Society’s Disaster Relief Fund to support their efforts helping animals displaced by disasters like Hurricane Dorian.

Get ready for some needed giggles (and some tears), here’s Zac Brown Band with “Leaving Love Behind”:

That’s a wrap for this week – see you on the dance floor!

Now on to the particulars of Monday’s Music Move’s Me:   Photobucket

I have the supreme honor and privilege of being a co-host with the inimitable Xmas Dolly and our musical cohort, the awesome Cathy from Curious as a CAThy, Callie of JAmerican Spice, and Alana of Ramblin’ with AM!

Want to join in the fun? It’s easy – just find a tune that rocks your boat, post it and link up – don’t forget to grab Xmas Dolly…er, um, I mean her button…over at her place here. Check out Xmas Dolly’s sidebar for the random themes we sport each week – and you can always ask for a specific theme of music you like, too. Check out the other music lovahs and let’s jam!



9 Comments

  1. Oh gosh, these were all so great! I love me some Little Big Town and Zac Brown Band, but the fur babies get me every time. Every. Time. I read about your precious fur baby on Facebook, and I am so sorry. I know how bad it hurts.

    I can’t link up with Linky for some reason, but if you get a chance to come by my blog, my 4M post is here.

  2. Please accept my condolences for your loss. We give our hearts to our pets, and the little darlings break them without meaning to.

    Thanks for the nice sountrack for my evening!

  3. So sorry to hear about your dog. Rainbow Heaven I’m sure is a great place for pets! Sending big hugs for ya girlfriend! HUGS!
    Keith Urban with “We Were”: I’m a pretty much a fan of his these days for sure and Little Big Town too! Now, Gabby Barrett with “The Good Ones”: Great tune, but wasn’t that guy at the end one of the Americal idol contestant too when she was? hmmmm scandalous! hahahahaha Well, I’m done for the day and pooped! Have a good one girlfriend… big hugs!

  4. So sorry to hear about your dog. Rainbow Heaven, I’m sure it’s a great place for pets! Sending big hugs to ya girlfriend! HUGS!
    Keith Urban with “We Were”: I’m a pretty much a fan of his these days for sure and Little Big Town too! Now, Gabby Barrett with “The Good Ones”: Great tune, but wasn’t that guy at the end one of the Americal Idol contestants too when she was? hmm scandalous! hahahahaha Well, I’m done for the day and pooped! Have a good one girlfriend… big hugs!

  5. Stacy,

    I’m working in reverse, I overlooked your mewsic post this morning and went straight to your RTT post where I learned about your beloved Sheltie crossing over the rainbow bridge. Again, I’m so sorry for your loss. Pets become an important part of the family. They give a lot of unconditional love and comfort to their humans. Saying prayers for you, dearie!

    I enjoyed your mewsic choices this week. I remember quite well Gabby from the new AI, as well as her finace, Cade. This might be her first original recording that I’ve heard by her. What a sweet song! I always liked her on AI and figured she’d become the next great female mental artist since she tended to cover heavy rock on the show. I guess I need to go check out her latest songs on YT.

    Thanks for sharing the dance floor with me, dearie. Happy autumn!

  6. Sending hugs, behind, and, the Zac Brown Band song brought tears to my eyes, for sure. I quit watching American Idol years ago, so it was good seeing one of their winners – from Pennsylvania, too. Any video showing people with disabilities as people like the rest of us gets two thumbs up from me.

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