While 2020 is getting smaller and smaller in the proverbial rear-view mirror, the effects of the stress felt society-wide during that turbulent year are still fresh on a lot of folks’ minds… including Columbus, Ohio’s Angela Perley.
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“I was in need of a mental escape,” she explains to American Songwriter. “I was also listening to a lot of Gram Parsons… and when I get inspired, I usually try to let it flow and write music.”
Following that spark, Perley sat down to see if she could wring a song out of her pandemic fatigue… and sure enough, before she knew it, she was sitting on a new tune: “Here For You,” which officially dropped as a single on September 30.
“The song is about enjoying life and love, and boldly finding and following your bliss,” Perley explained. “I’ve experienced a lot of death this year in my family, so the song is also a blanket for me to find comfort in playing live and a reminder that life is so short and precious. ‘I’m here for you’ was probably my most used phrase of 2020 with friends and family… so, I’m sure that lit the fire subconsciously as well.”
With a rootsy-rock vibe (clad with an irresistible slide guitar line), a laid-back backbeat, and big, rich harmonies on the chorus, the song does capture hopeful, sunshiney energy. It’s also one of those songs that manage to blissfully pair its harmonic changes with its lyrics—listening to Perley croon out I’ve got $37 to my name and I’m kicking this town while the cadence resolves, it’s hard not to feel a little sense of wonder.
For her part, Perley is excited to be able to share this tune with the world, especially after everything that’s gone down since March 2020. With its empowering message of strength and hope, she’s looking forward to seeing how the song continues to grow and amass meaning once it gets in her listeners’ hands. “There’s a mystery to songwriting,” she said. “To me, I always find that my songs act like dreams… I find meaning and messages in them later. They are always changing throughout my life.”
Listen to Angela Perley’s new single “Here For You” below:
