Years ago, a friend’s poem on Facebook inspired me to write a song—an experience that felt creatively freeing since the lyrics were already in place, though it was a challenge to shape the music around the poem’s rhythm and emotion. I first recorded it 16 years ago and recently re-recorded it with Leo, now preparing to graduate. The original poem, likely an ode to my friend’s late husband, took on new meaning as we revisited it; our first recording in 2009 included Leo’s mom singing backup while holding a needy two-year-old Leo—a memory I treasure. This new version echoes both past and present loss, deepening the song’s emotional weight. – Jon Burns
Working with Leo on their recording project was an enjoyable experience. Revisiting the song my husband wrote years ago brought back some nice memories, and playing the fun bass line gave me a little boost of confidence, especially since I have not played much lately. If I were to change anything, I should have practiced singing more so that we could have finished the backing vocals. We also probably should have simplified the song’s arrangement a bit to make it easier for Leo to manage the number of tracks in the song. – Kirsten Burns
I have a faint memory of being in the same room as my parents while they first recorded this song. I remember sitting on my dad’s lap and holding a plastic orange bowl. I don’t remember what brought it up, but a couple months ago, my dad played the song for me, and I decided that I wanted to recreate the song for this project. I barely know how Pro Tools work, so that was a challenge for me. I had a lot of help from Mr. Flo in the recording studio. – Leo Burns
