A few months ago, Hugh and I celebrated 24 years since we first started dating, and a few weeks ago we celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. Given the complexity of human relationships, I feel that I could write a whole album of songs just about our time together. And just as there is a little snippet of me in every song (even the ones that aren’t about me), there is probably a little piece of Hugh in all of them too – even though this is the only one that is dedicated solely to him.
The early days, including the first photo of me and Hugh together, at the SUMS ball on the 3rd of October, 1998.
As I write this blog, I’m wondering: if you were to write a love song for your partner, what would it be about? I could have written about unceasing love and support, a shoulder to cry on, and shared laughter. I could have written about the magic of seeing our two selves melded in our children, working together in the often hard yards of parenthood, having someone who really understands and shares the highs and lows, and stolen moments together, even when we are completely flat out. I could also have written of frustrations and disagreements – because what relationship is without these? – and how they are mended and resolved.
But instead, I chose to write about passion. I sometimes need to travel for work, and am away from the family for a couple of weeks at a time. When return I am descended upon en masse and instantly flung back into the tumult of family life. But occasionally, Hugh will manage to escape to the airport to pick me up on his own. And when I catch a glimpse of him waiting for me, I can’t stop the huge smile that spreads across my face, or my quickened breath. And that was what led me to this song.
So I’ve dedicated it to Hugh, with my love. And I also want to use this opportunity to thank him as well. During the writing of this album, the recording and the producing, and even now while I release songs and make the music videos, Hugh has been stalwart in his support. Even though the project has taken up a lot of my time, during a period when I was also very busy with work, he’s been encouraging and supportive, and has picked up the slack when I was having a hard time juggling it all. I couldn’t have done it without him.
There are some other people I’d like to thank as well. Greg Taylor has shot and edited this video, as well as all my others to date, and as always I am extremely grateful for his time, energy, talent and enthusiasm. And I’d also like to thank Bles Antolin and Norvin Yecla, who danced in the video and did a fantastic job of expressing the emotion behind the words. Here’s to passion, in all its guises!
(and if you would like to listen to the song, here's the Spotify link - or search for That's all it takes on any other streaming platform!)
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