Drive
All Songs Written by Shelly Waters
Track 1: “Little Old House” was inspired by just that – the little old house where I spent the first five years of my life. My happy memories of humble beginnings helped me to create imagery which I’m sure will conjure up childhood memories for others.
Track 2: “Drive” was inspired by a Facebook post about a young man’s road trip, It was one of the last songs I wrote for this CD after producer Joe Taylor requested more material. The young man’s dad had a dream of taking a cross country road trip, but cancer took his life before he could fulfill his dream. The son was left with two things – that unfinished dream and his dad’s car, so he took the road trip his dad never made. This song has a “seize the moment” message: Life is short, follow your dreams.
Track 3: “Dance in the Rain” is a simple uplifting song based on an inspirational message I read one day: Life is not about running from the storms, it’s about learning to dance in the rain. This song almost did not make the cut, but Joe approved it once I told him about how much positive audience response it was receiving. This one’s a real foot-stomper.
Track 4: “Reaching for You” I had the idea for this song when my husband, Dave, and I were sailing one day. Sailboats cannot sail directly into the wind, nor on a course that is too close to the direction from which the wind is blowing. For many boats, “reaching” is the fastest way to travel, traveling perpendicular to the wind but not necessarily closer to your destination. I simply drew a parallel to human nature…sometimes we have to do a good bit of reaching before finding that special someone.
Track 5: “Revolve” I really did not expect “Revolve” to make the cut when I submitted it to producer Joe Taylor. One day I was thinking about how life in general is like a revolving door, people go in/out of our lives. That progressed to a personal challenge to try come up with a meaningful chorus using words that rhymed with revolve. This song talks about a deceitful relationship, but the concept could be applied to other situations as well. The final cut of this song was by far the most surprising…Joe’s guitar work really transformed it.
Track 6: “She Waits” The initial inspiration for “She Waits” also came to me during a sailing trip. My husband, Dave, and I were visiting a museum in Maine and there was a piece of artwork dedicated to the wives of North Atlantic fisherman…fisherman that would leave for weeks at a time to fish one of the roughest bodies of water. It described these women as “still as stone” waiting on shore for their husbands to safely return, often times they did not. Fishing those waters is a dangerous profession. The song is also a dedication to military wives and their struggles at home while their husbands are on active duty elsewhere.
Track 7: “Promises” came to me when I was reflecting on situations in which people do not honor their words and break promises. I applied it to couple relationships, but this is another song that you could interpret into other situations.
Track 8: “One and Only” is my personal little ode to Patsy Cline. It’s a song of unrequited love (a common theme in her songs), and if you listen to the words carefully, you will hear several references to the legend. At the height of her career, she was introduced as “The One and Only, Patsy Cline”, hence the title of the song. The words ‘voice’, ‘midnight walks’ (“Walking after Midnight”), ‘sweet dreams’ (“Sweet Dreams”), ‘flame’ (she was known for singing “torch songs”), “you sailed your ship alone” (this was the name of the last song she sang the night of the deadly plane crash), and ‘crazy’ (“Crazy”) are all references to her.
Track 9: “State Line” was written about nine years ago with a fellow musician in Houston, TX. I had recently moved to Houston and it’s basically a song about my decision to move and start my life over. This one has a special place in my heart since it is really the first song I ever wrote. Randall Bramblett’s organ work on this track really brings it to life. (co-written with Julian Samuel)
Track 10: “Need to Rest” The last track, “Need to Rest” also has a sailing related inspiration. Coming down the Atlantic coast, probably about 50 miles offshore, Dave (my husband) woke me up for my watch and told me about this little bird that had landed on the boat. She was simply too tired to fly anymore so she managed to find a spot on deck protecting herself from the waves crashing over the bow and rested until she was ready to fly again. Dave’s anecdote reminded me of how we all feel that same way at some time or another…life can get overwhelming and we simply need to rest for a while. Listeners quickly identify with this song and it’s proven to be a tear-jerker.