remember The Story just take a Stand because zipping down Our Highway I Ain’t Worried About It

Today’s Monday’s Music Moves Me is a little bittersweet. Last week, one of our OG Bloggy friends and a participant of MMMM since its inception passed away suddenly. Our dear friend, Patrick Weseman of Adventures in Weseland, will be sorely missed. He was a constant each and every week; his lovely comments and music choices always made me smile.

Patrick, my friend, heaven gained an amazing angel. RIP.

Since it is Monday, you know that Monday means music—Patrick would want us to carry on. This week is a freebie week, so grab your favorite tune(s) and come dance with us, won’t you?

Let’s start with a song that’s been around since 2007, but was on something I was watching recently, which brought back memories, so since it became an earworm, I needed to share it again. Plus, the artist grew up not too far from where I grew up, so that’s just an added bonus in my mind.

This song of devotion is this artist’s biggest hit, released in 2007. It found new life when it was used in a very emotional scene from the TV show Grey’s Anatomy. The artist is a big fan of the show, which frequently features her music.

Fun fact: Producers will sometimes lure vocalists out of their comfort zones to coax a better performance, and that’s what this producer did on this track when he asked the artist to sing it without her guitar. She had been singing the song for years, always playing along on acoustic guitar, but the producer told her the instrument was distracting her. Enraged, the artist didn’t agree, but put the guitar down and recorded the take that made the cut.

Get ready for some major goosebumps, here’s Brandi Carlisle with “The Story”:

Next up is a song from an album this iconic country music group debuted on June 6th, an album featuring reimagined versions of their hit songs with the help of some friends. For this song, a GRAMMY-Award winning Christian singer/songwriter is featured. The country group said:

“'[This song]’ means so much to so many people. We knew if someone was going to sing it, it had to be someone who felt every word. Enter Brandon Lake! We can’t wait for you to hear the new version.”

Get ready to be amazed, here’s Rascal Flatts and Brandon Lake with “Stand”:

Next up is a musical duo we never knew we needed. The long-time country star paired with this A-list actor for this duet after they were paired together on a popular Prime Video series as exes who get a second chance at reconnection. The former couple share a love of music, something of which is teased in the show’s official trailer.

Like their fictional characters, they both boast deep musical backgrounds as well. The A-lister has been a part of a musical duo with his brother since 1995, while the country star has been in a country music duo since 2002. The A-lister said he’s written a bunch of songs with the country artist for their show, calling it a “great” experience. He said:

“I have been writing songs since I was 12, and I’ve written a lot of songs and my brother [Michael] and I have written a lot of songs together with The Bacon Brothers, and we’ve also more recently actually got the chance to partner with some great songwriters. Jen comes from that tradition in country music where a lot of people write songs, and so it was very comfortable right away. We just had a very good musical songwriting connection right away.”

Get ready to dance, here’s the inimitable Kevin Bacon and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland with “Our Highway”:

Last but certainly not least is a brand new song by this favorite artist, which was just released on June 6th. This marks the first single since their 2024 five-song EP, which included a tribute to the late great Jimmy Buffett.

This band is one of the most influential country bands of the twenty-first century, with three GRAMMY Award wins, sixteen #1s at radio, and five consecutive albums that debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart. Fan favorites of their songs are still widely popular amongst all generations of country listeners, appealing to many with heartfelt songwriting and their laid-back southern charm.

Fun fact: The group was inducted into the Fenway Music Hall of Fame, becoming just the third artist to receive this honor, joining Paul McCartney and Billy Joel. This accolade was awarded after the band achieved 13 consecutive sold-out shows at the historic venue, the most by any music act in the park’s 110-year history.

Give a listen to Zac Brown Band with “I Ain’t Worried About It”:

That’s a wrap for this week – have a great Monday! See you on the dance floor! 

Now, onto 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!