The approach of summer brings a change of rhythm – certainly for my family, and perhaps also for yours. The late sunsets, the warmer weather, and the longest school break of the year all set the tone for a shift, and for taking stock. With their new single, “One More Dance Around the Sun,” Great Lake Swimmers (GLS) have created a summer anthem ready to be part of the soundtrack for the season.
In what is the first release of new original material from Tony Dekker’s music project since their exceptional 2023 album “Uncertain Country,” GLS delivers a sunny, jangly tune that is still rooted in the thoughtful lyrical heft we’ve come to expect from the band. “One More Dance Around the Sun” is a mid-tempo folk-rock song that fits well in the GLS catalog yet feels somehow different. It’s hopeful and buoyant, but in a way that comes after living some life and learning the lessons from it.
Sweeping acoustic guitar leads off the tune with accents from the keys to frame these scene-setting lyrics from Dekker: “I know this place like the back of my hand / The way that it bends, and how to get back / Concessions and lines, rhythms and rhymes.” The listener is invited into a land of “Furrows and rows, rivers and roads,” a “Back roads, pay loads, sweat through your clothes” place – an honest country of settledness. The rhythm section joins in as the second verse begins and the song takes on the feeling of hitting the highway even more than it already had.
The chorus is simple but brilliant, featuring a resiliently joyful take on the “one more trip around the sun” adage: “One more dance around the sun / To know where to start again / One more dance around the sun.” Every time it comes around again in this song, it’s a welcome arrival.
Other highlights in the song include the masterful pedal steel guitar solo by Blue Rodeo’s Jimmy Bowskill in the bridge, which lands at just the right place in the course of the song, and the tremendously fitting backing vocals by Colleen Brown. Dekker’s last verse lyrics also stand out, as he sings, “If I could get to the edge of it / Turn it over and figure it out / Cut through the fog, cut through all of it.” He’s coming from a place of appreciation for what he has seen on his journey, but he also acknowledges there are many more miles to go and much to learn as it continues.
“One More Dance Around the Sun” celebrates the settled peace of knowing one’s place in the world, but also urges further seeking and finding, all while moving along to a catchy and sturdy tune. Whether or not the song becomes part of a larger album project, it stands well on its own and deserves repeated spins, in summer or any other season.
Photo Credit: Robert Georgeff
Matt Wheeler is a Lancaster County, PA-based singer, songsmith, stage-banter conversationalist, husband, & special-needs father. And an avid vinyl record collector, a purveyor of random facts, & tour-er of Canada (southern Ontario is a favorite destination). Ever since being introduced to Great Lake Swimmers' music through Pandora in about 2009, he has had an appreciation for Canadian music.
Matt's songs & stories, including his classic literature-based project "Wonder of It All," can be found at www.mattwheeleronline.com.
