Hello, Monday! Hope all you mothers had a wonderful Mother’s Day! Since it is Monday, Monday means music! For this new year, the 4M crew is operating a bit differently. If you have a theme idea, submit your request by email. Each person’s suggestion(s) will be credited accordingly – unless someone wants to volunteer for the monthly co-host spot, then we won’t be looking for anyone to fill it in 2023. It’s tough to commit for 4-weeks. The object is to keep things fun!
For this week, our theme is: “Single word song titles or single band/artists name.” Let’s get this single party started!
Let’s start with a song where this singer is conveying a message of strength for her daughters and women everywhere. This song was freshly released in celebration of Mother’s Day, a song that represents a new era for this artist, who is ready to share her experience overcoming postpartum depression through music — and the love she has for her two daughters Violet, 4, and 20-month-old Sophie. She said:
“It was really important to me to get to send a message to my daughters, mark this period of time and let them know how I was feeling, how important [they are] and how much love I have for them.
I was really missing them when I was going off to the studio because my baby was just 3 months when I started doing sessions again. Sometimes songs feel like they come out of the sky, like a little star I grab. This one came almost pre-written. It was almost like it was revealing itself as I played.”
Give a listen to Rachel Platten with “Girls”:
Next up is a song where this artist takes us on a journey of resilience and self-discovery. Despite facing overwhelming personal challenges, the artist offers a message of hope and renewal.
We’ll build a fire, we’ll torch our old life / And hope that the spark survives
The artist shared that the song delves into the concept of moving on from a difficult period of personal turmoil. He said:
“You know in movies when people have breakups and they put everything into the fire and go, ‘It’s a new dawn’? I feel like that’s a healthy thing sometimes, to move on and be like, ‘That was then and this is now.’
The lyrics in this chorus are ‘We’ll build a fire, we’ll torch our old life and hope that the original spark of what made it amazing survives and we’ll just move on from it.’”
Without further ado, here’s Ed Sheeran with “Spark”:
Next up, this song absolutely needs to be part of this week’s theme. Hard to believe this came out 11 years ago! This was the first single on this country quartet’s fifth studio album, and ended up being their very first Country #1, which was long overdue after they’d been recording for 10 years.
They initially had doubts about the song when they first heard it, but thankfully they came around. One of the female leads said:
“Natalie sang the demo and we thought, ‘Man, that’s a song that you’ve never heard.’ First of all, who’s ever written a song about a pontoon? Never heard that. But having a chick sing it? I don’t know. There’s something weird about the delivery when we heard Natalie sing it. And so we thought, ‘This song is cool. It sounds like something country fans will really love if they could get a chance to hear it.'”
The rest, as they say, is history.
Get ready to dance, here’s Little Big Town with “Pontoon”:
Last, but certainly not least, this was this band’s first new music in nearly three years last June. The frontman said:
“Since the beginning, we’ve always set out to get people up on their feet, smiling and dancing when they hear our music.
‘[This song]’ felt like it had that special sauce when we were making it in the studio, and we’re already seeing the song work its magic when we play it live. We’re so excited to share it as our first new single in years. So, to all you summer lovers…this one is for you!”
The video captures picturesque summery vibes with the band and friends hanging out at a backyard pool party.
All the pretty girls looking sad all summer / All the pretty boys want to dance / Strangers in a world full of lonely lovers / Find someone and take ‘em by the hand
Get ready to dance some more, here’s Fitz and the Tantrums with “Sway”:
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: 
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, 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!
Great picks for this week!
Every time I hear “Pontoon” I think of summer. It certain is feeling like summer here and it wont’ be long before there’s a whole lot more activity on nearby lakes. Ed Sheeran was on AI last week or the week before. He sang this song on the show. Great song picks! Have a boogietastic week, dear friend!
Nice way to start (almost) the unofficial beginnings of summer. My favorite this week was the Ed Sheeran song, although Fitz and the Tantrums had me up and dancing.