Right Here

The third song Doug Wilde will play on is “Right Here,” an anthem to the power of the moment that I wrote as a wedding gift to our dear friend (and newly graduated naturopathic doctor!) Heather MacRae.

I had wanted to write a song for Heather, but didn’t want to force it. Weeks passed, and as the wedding approached, nothing was coming to me, so I put it out of my mind. After lunch on the day of the wedding, I was washing dishes and suddenly the song came to me. I wiped plates and scribbled words, and when the dishes were done, so was the song. Jane and I practiced it while we drove to the festivities and sang it to Heather and Chris that afternoon.

I didn’t expect to play it again, but being a very singalongable little tune, I pulled it out at a few jams and people really loved it. To make the message more universal, I changed the word “you” to “we,” and now it’s a regular part of my repertoire.

I usually play it as a type of secular hymn, with a very sparse guitar accompaniment, and often Jane and Jesse will add piano and upright bass. I have always imagined that it might have a more black gospel feel, but wasn’t sure how to accomplish this.

At our arrangement meeting, I asked Doug to see if he could play in that style, and Holy Hannah! He blew me away with what he created. It was what I had been feeling but hadn’t been able to realize. The southern piano style made me sing more soulfully, and it was so powerful that I decided to nix the bass and guitar and let the song stand on its own with just piano and vocals.

Even though “At Home” follows the ethic of minimalist instrumentation, it is also shaping up as a recording with significant sonic variation, and the arrangement of “Right Here” will be a big part of that.

Right Here

© 2005 Sam Turton

We travelled long

We travelled far

To be right here

Where we are

Reach out a hand

No need to fear

‘Cause all we need

Is right here

All we need, all we need

All we need is right here

All we need, all we need

All we need is right here

The night was dark

But the day is bright

Together we

Can lift our eyes

To all we love

And we hold dear

‘Cause all we need

Is right here

All we need, all we need

All we need is right here

All we need, all we need

All we need is right here

All we need, all we need

All we need is right here