Simone Felice, of the Duke and the King

So there has been an interesting turn of the stars, and it has brought some very auspicious and serendipitous people in to my life lately.
One, Simone Felice of the Felice Brothers, has been an inspiring beacon of artistry and has renewed me to the imperative integrity of a song. I've found great solace in the beauty and seamlessness of his poetry and songwriting, and also that of his brothers and their band.

I first met Simone (photo; right) when he came to the studio where I was working on my record. I had just woken up and was still a little hazy when Simone burst through the door, gave me a grand hug, and exclaimed, "I'm so, so happy to meet you!"
We became fast friends.
We also became artistic comrades, ever devoted to the voices our respective arts and music.
They were working on mixing their record at the studio, and that is when I first heard the music he had created together with his friend and bandmate Robert "Chicken" Burke, (photo; left) who has also since become my producer.
One song in particular, the last one on the album, struck a chord in me. It was called "American Song". I left the studio, but the song stayed with me, and it haunted me deeply. I wanted to hear it over and over again, but of course I couldn't, because it was at the studio and I was home. So I sat down, figured out the chords close enough, and sang whatever I could remember.

But of course, the greatest compliment to a great piece of art is to give something back in response to it. This is the concept of the Response Song, or in this case, a sister song.
I didn't know Simone's lyrics, but the feeling of just the phrase "American song" inspired me just as it was.

The lyrics as they came to me, are as follows.

AMERICAN SONG
By Simone Felice, as heard by Maya Solovéy.
©2009

We sang it late
Sang it long
We lit our flames
They were strong.
It took so long
But we fought on and on
One more fighting song
One more American song.

We gathered round
Round the flames
Different colors
One race.
You could see the gaze
The face of hope beyond
One more fighting song
One more American song.

We sang it late
Sang it long
Battered and beaten
We fought on.
It took so long
But our hearts beat as one
Just one beating strong
One more fighting song
One more American song.



To me, my initial drive in the lyrics was that of civil rights, and our long and still growing march to freedom and equality. But I played it for some close friends, and it spoke to them as a song about love. But whatever the specific interpretation, it's about fighting for something, whether it be love, freedom whatever may mean the most to you, that's worth fighting for.