Promise

Today’s selection is a blissful track by English singer-songwriter, composer and musician Ben Howard (b. 1987). It’s a perfect sound for the late afternoon, as Sweety and I had a late-ish lunch that lasted several hours with friends we hadn’t seen since 2017. And I’m feeling sleepy from the big meal and long conversation, so the peaceful sound of “Promise” was quite welcome.

The song begins with the sound of rain. When I first played the track, I was captivated by the sound as it didn’t entirely seem like rain; it was almost like a cross between fire and rain. But looking into Howard on Wikipedia.org and AZlyrics.com, I found a reference to a 2012 interview Howard did with the southern California, USA radio station LAist.com, where he told how the sound was recorded at 2:00 am in a barn, with large raindrops hitting the roof.

The sound experience reminds me of warm evenings in our summer porch, hearing, smelling, feeling, seeing, touching, and even tasting the rain. It’s such a relaxing set of feelings. And it seems far off today, as it is a cold and very windy day here; not the mild spring weather we often have by this time of the year.

The song is about love; maybe the writer is seeking a promise that the lover will wait until he can return from someplace he has to go.

“And meet me there, bundles of flowers
We’ll wade through the hours of cold
Winter she’ll howl at the walls
Tearing down doors of time

Shelter as we go…

And promise me this
You’ll wait for me only
Scared of the lonely arms
Surface, far below these birds

And maybe, just maybe I’ll come home

Who am I, darling to you?
Who am I?
To tell you stories of mine
Who am I?

Who am I, darling for you?
Who am I?
To be your burden in time, lonely
Who am I, to you?

Who am I, darling for you?
Who am I?
To be your burden

Who am I, darling to you?
Who am I?

I come alone here
I come alone here

“Promise,” by Ben Howard.
Lyrics retrieved from AZLyrics.com.

The song has a gorgeous sound with intricate acoustic guitar playing/plucking/slaps, cello accompaniment, soft vocal melodies, and some subtle electronic keyboard at the end. It’s almost like the voices and instruments take over for the gloriousness of nature.

“Promise” is the closing track from Howard’s debut studio album, Every Kingdom (2011).

Now you know a little about why this is my Song of the Day for Today. Thanks for joining me here.

Please enjoy the audio from the Ben Howard YouTube channel, and enjoy the rain:

With warm wishes,

Steve