“When I was just a kid / There would always be / A little note tucked in my lunch just for me / A message just to say / That you’re with me through the day / Your way of saying that I’m really not so far.”
Vancouver, BC singer-songwriter Jill Barber shares this beautiful new single and music video with the world today, and for those of us here on the North American continent, serves a friendly reminder that Mother’s Day is less than a week away. Take this as your cue to plan time to spend with loved ones, make dinner arrangements, order some flowers, and pick up a card. I am particularly appreciative that Jill has planted such a seed, as my own mother resides across the pond, where Mother’s Day falls on the last Sunday in March – thus it is necessary for me to pick up a card right now to hold onto until next Spring, and then send on its way to the old country.
Following the success of “Entre nous” (2020 GDW album of the year), Jill reunites with her good friend and collaborator Maia Davies to co-write this deeply personal single that celebrates motherhood and the bonds of love and reverence between generations. “I wrote this song on my mother’s birthday last year, and sent it to her as a voice note. We are very close, but live very far apart and hadn’t seen each other for over a year. I wanted to express my gratitude to her in the best way I know how, through my music,” Jill shares. “I am a mother myself now of two young kids and I sometimes worry that I’m not doing as good a job as she did with me… but I know she set the example I will always strive for, and I wanted to thank her with this song.”
“Today it is your birthday / It popped up on my screen / And I’m sorry I forgot to send a card / I’ve been so busy with the kids / And working in between / That keeping up with the details has been hard / So I put the kettle on / To make a cup of tea / Closed my laptop and picked up my guitar / And I put it in a song / That I can sing for you / It’s my way of saying that I’m with you where you are.”
Accompanying the single is an equally beautiful music video that Jill created using old family ‘Super 8’ footage recorded by her father in the late 1970s and early 1980s. “Not only does it capture the spirit of the era in which I was born, it’s also a precious time capsule of my mother as a young Mum, and me and my brother Matthew as infants,” she shares. “Although these images of a mother tending to her young children are glimpses of my own family story, they represent the simple, everyday enduring love that a mother has for her children, a theme that I hope will resonate with many.”
“From your notebook on the counter / To collected recipes / That you copied from the pages / Of ladies’ magazines / There’s a certain recognition / Any child can understand / There’s comfort in what’s written / In my mother’s hand.”
Photo Credit: Jessica Jacobson
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
