Love on Mother's Day

Happy Mother’s Day! Another day to appreciate the women in our lives that have given the most for us and will always be there with love and support no matter what: mothers, aunts, grandmothers, and wives who will someday be mothers themselves. Recently, Florida Georgia Line released their new single and music video for H.O.L.Y dedicated to their wives. Also, Chris Janson released a new music video for his song Holdin’ Her which is also the beautiful love story of his wife and family. It got me thinking of all the beautiful songs dedicated to the love of someone’s life. Of course this list can probably go on and on, but I decided to keep it short. These are a few of my favorites (most of them performed live at a show I’ve seen); these stand out because whether you watch the music video or see it live you really feel the love and how much these women mean to their man. That is exactly what great songwriting is all about: the emotion you feel, not just the lyrics you read.

#1: Die A Happy Man by Thomas Rhett

Let’s start with the American Country Countdown Song of the Year “Die A Happy Man”. Thomas and Lauren have the best love story. Thomas was in love with her since high school and she is still his number one in anything he does. He wrote “Die A Happy Man” for Lauren proclaiming that all he needs is her love: I know that I can never tell you enough/That all I need in this life is your crazy love/Oh if all I got is your hand in my hand/Baby I could die a happy man. Watch below!

#2 The Only One Who Gets Me by Charles Kelley

Of course Charles Kelley was going to make the list, but this song he specifically wrote for his wife Cassie. Charles explored his own solo project this year which gave him the opportunity to really write a song that was 100% about his wife. I saw this song performed at the Gramercy theater in December and at the House of Blues in Boston in April. Each time he performed it with his gritty register and such personal lyrics about his love story you felt the passion on stage. My favorite part in NYC was the line with a little wine you’re my tiny dancer, and he added “it's true” with a smirk on his face. Sweetest lines of the song: who puts me back together when it all goes wrong and you’re the calm/you’re the steel/when my mind starts spinning those wheels. Again another song about a perfect relationship. Watch the performance below!

#3 Holdin’ Her by Chris Janson

I saw Chris Janson this year for My Country 96.1 Day Before St. Patty’s Day party and he performed this beautiful song he wrote about his wife and just recently released the music video featuring his wife and kids. The video opens with him explaining that the video is their love story; it was love at first sight, his wife already had two kids, he calls them his bonus kids, and he was blessed with two more babies. He says he is the luckiest man alive-you really believe it when you watch the video and listen to the song: Because when I’m holdin' her/it’s like peace on earth/no matter where we are/I’m right at home holdin’ her. Official video below!

#4 I See Home by Tyler Hilton

I saw Tyler Hilton perform for the first time this December at the Gramercy Theater. One of the songs that stuck out was for his wife, Megan Park (who was Grace on the Secret Life of the American Teenager on ABC Family). Megan was actually in the crowd that night and came to the stage after he dedicated the song that he sang to her at their wedding: It’s clear to me now/that I’ve found a place, somewhere to fall/somewhere I can call my own/ when I see you I see home. Performance below!

#5 Yours by Russell Dickerson

I am going to be seeing Russell in Hoboken in June. His EP Yours is out now. The title track Yours was his wedding song for his wife. Every line is so dramatic and beautifully poetic, but it’s the chorus that does you in when you hear it: I came to life when I first kissed you/the best me has his arms around you/you make me better than I was before/Thank God I’’m YOURS. Can’t wait to feel the passion in his voice live on stage!

#6 It’s Your Move by Josh Kelley

This year I got to see Josh perform this song he wrote about a really big fight him and his wife, Katherine Heigl, were having. I was also lucky enough to hear it the second time in the same room as Ms. Heigl herself. Of course even the relationships that look perfect have their moments and this was such a good story of not wanting to lose the love you have with someone: do you want me to scream ‘I don’t really love you’/because I really do/ girl I don’t want to fight/ if you want this as bad as I do it’s your move/ if our ship is going down I don’t care I just want to be on it/ we built something beautiful here and God I still want it. The video directed and starred by Katherine Heigl herself is just as emotional and dramatic as when Josh is singing it with an acoustic guitar on stage. Watch the video and it live below!

#7 H.O.L.Y by Florida Georgia Line

There is a theme of wives who inspire these love stories to star in the videos. We bring it back to FGL’s new single and video for H.O.L.Y: you’re an angel, tell me you’re never leaving/cause you’re the first thing I can believe in/you’re holy, holy, holy/I’m high on loving you. After the release of the single and video both Brian and Tyler have said that they will be starting a family with their significant others within five years. For mother’s day Brian posted an Instagram picture of Brittney and their dogs and captioned it “one day this will be a stroller full of kids and you’ll be amazing at that too my love”. Looks like the future is bright for all these beautiful couples.

Lesson learned? Find the love of your life. Never let them go. And write a personal song about how much that person means to you. You will have a perfect love life that the world envies and forever will have a song that commemorates that love.