Last week I got to meet my absolute favorite living artist and see him perform in concert twice. Of course you all know my unwavering love for Whitney Houston, but aside from her, Jon McLaughlin is the man! What he does with lyrics comes straight from the heart. He is so funny and down to earth and it was an honor to meet him.
Here is a signed Polaroid of our moment
I have been following Jon’s career since 2007 when I saw him open for Kelly Clarkson at the Chicago Theatre. Back in the spring I actually met him at House of Blues by his merch tale when he opened for Parachute. It was a brief meeting and after it was over I was kicking myself for not telling him what his music means to me. In those brief star struck moments it’s hard to remember every emotion you have felt when listening to someone’s music.
This night I stood just feet from him as Jon introduced a new song. He asked, “Is this good? I figure you’re a safe crowd to ask.” Yes Jon, yes it is good!
When an artist writes a song they have a certain story they are trying to tell. Every listener interprets the lyrics in a different way. I wanted to tell Jon how much his music has gotten me through the hard times and the happy, but he self-admittedly writes mostly about break-ups. All of you who have read my blog know that I love hard and deep and was really hurt a few years ago. At that time I really got into Jon’s music and pretty much downloaded everything I could get my hands on. When I had 60 seconds with Jon last week it was really important for me to tell him how a particular song, “Questions” had impacted me.
And how can a man/Be all that they say/When all that I know/Is men run away/I think I lose just a little bit of me/In every man that I see
I absolutely had to take this opportunity to tell Jon that his lyrics helped me get through the hardest emotional time of my life. I know that how I interpreted the song wasn’t exactly how he wrote the lyrics, but I told him, “I know the story you wrote wasn’t exactly mine, but your lyrics connected to me and helped me see the truth in my situation and the light at the end of the long emotional tunnel.” He thanked me and said, “Yeah, that is one of my oldest songs. I think that was about the fourth song I wrote years ago. Thank you for telling me.”
I came for your questions/Of what you don’t know/But you can’t see the answers/Unless I go
When I listened to “Questions” back in 2013 I would just cry and cry and sing it at the top of my lungs while driving to work and driving home from work. Those were the hardest moments for me being alone in my car. What allowed me to cry was that he left me but what gave me strength was that he came for my questions and took the answers with him because he wasn’t going to be able to give me what I truly wanted out of life and deserved to have. Now I am happy in love and getting married to a guy who can answer my questions and can live the life that we want to live together. It meant a great deal for me to be able to have that moment with Jon and to let him know how his lyrics helped me heal.
A quote I always read back in the day
So when the show started we were sitting a mere 5 feet from Jon.
“Anybody Else”
He opened the show with one of my favorite songs, “Anybody Else”. I always imagined this song if I ever ran into my ex again. Basically that I was waiting around for him to change his mind. I did this for far, far too long. I think in those moments of despair you cling to anything, any hope that it might not be over. So again this was one of those emotional songs I used to sing and cry to in my car.
How long has it been?/I think about you every now and then/It’s good to see you doing so well/Oh no, right now I’m not with anybody else
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And I’ve got oceans of time/Oceans of time to sink/And I’ve got oceans of memories
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Sometimes a word or a line from a song/Can send me back to when we had it all/But in the end, you play the cards you’re dealt/And I’m not ending up with anybody else
I thought my life was over because he left me. In those moments, days, weeks after he left I never thought I’d find anybody else. That didn’t happened and luckily so for me since I met and fell in love with such a wonderful, kind, and loving man. But more than anything now-a-days, it is just one of Jon’s most beautiful songs. He really is such an amazing lyricist. Take a listen to this song below — the harmony, the lyrics, Jon’s emotion. It is just the best. And I love how the song ends so soft. It’s a wonderful 5 minutes of emotion.
“Human”
Three songs in Jon sang “Human”, a song off his first album Indiana. The best part of this is when he sang “Fast Car” in the middle of the song. It is one of my all time favorite songs. Admittedly, I went to see both of Jon’s shows, so I knew the second night that my fiancé was going to be overjoyed when he heard “Fast Car” and he was. I just wish Jon sang more of it. Maybe one day he’ll do a cover for an album. Maybe he’ll do a duet with Tracey Chapman. Now that would be amazing.
“Before You”
Screaming at the top of my lungs/Finally I found someone/Never knew what love could do/Before you
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Guns out blazing/My heart is racing/And even the ordinaries amazing
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Blasts of color bounce off each other/And you’re the reason why I’m/Screaming at the top of my lungs/Finally I found someone/Never knew what love could do/Before you
“Before You” is the opening song off Jon’s latest album Like Us and it is one of my absolute favorites. It speaks to the love and excitement I have for my fiancé. I’ve certainly dated men in the past who I really liked, but honestly, the ease of loving my fiancé is something I never felt before. There have never been those insecure wonderings if he liked me or if he was interested or if he would stick around or if he … You know what I’m talking about. From the get go it has just been easy and consistent and loving and all the things that for years I longed for from other people. Now I have it from him and I’ll “scream at the top of my lungs” about it!
“You & I”
This is our song.
I got a funny feeling everything’s going to be okay/All of my worries suddenly fading away/And I just can’t stop smiling/Ever since I heard the news/That you love me and I love you
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But one thing’s for certain/I’m one happy, lucky fool/’Cause you love me, and I … I love you
You already know I went to see both of Jon’s shows at City Winery last week. The first night my fiancé was not with me and Jon did not play this song. When I met Jon I meant to tell him the full story, that “Questions” was my breakup, get over it song and “You & I” is now my song with my fiancé. We’re thinking it will be our first dance together when we get married. It is all full circle JON! The second night he played “You & I”. At the first chords of the song my fiancé and I looked at each other with joy.
So this is my Ode to Jon. I first heard him open for Kelly and I knew he was special. Then one of his biggest successes was singing “So Close” from the movie Enchanted. I too love that song, but Jon is so much more than that(and he didn’t actually write that song). He is a singer/songwriter and a master at writing lyrics. For a lover of sappy songs, Jon’s my guy. He loves to write a good breakup song or a good healing song. He loves to jam on the piano. In a way I’m happy he is still playing places like City Winery because it means we get to have those intimate venue vibes. It means that he’s still super accessible to his fans. Jon really has been with me on a journey. His lyrics have helped to mend a broken heart and to heal and to see the light again. Thank you Jon. Thank you.
Say YES to Life 