Grief has inspired countless songs by countless artists, but the experience of losing a child is always a theme that touches our deepest feelings.
Such is the case with “Who Knows Why,” a powerful new and value-seeking ballad from country music legends Jeffrey Steele and Steve Dorff, who both suffered the tragedy of losing their sons too soon.
“Who Knows Why” is an attempt to deal with grief over time, to learn to let go but not forget. The song stands out for its simplicity, using a solo voice, piano and strings to ask timeless questions about life and loss. In conclusion, as the title suggests, we must accept the fact that there are no answers.
A member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and also recognized as “Poet and Prophet” by the Country Music Hall of Fame, Jeffrey Steele had numerous hit singles, many of which expressed conservative concerns about the state of America. year. Steele co-wrote Aaron Lewis’s #1 country single, “Am I the Only One,” as well as John Rich’s latest hit, “Progress,” to reach #1 on the iTunes Country Music Chart. After Rich promoted the single on former President Donald Trump’s platform Truth Social.
Steele knew and worked with Songwriters Hall of Fame Steve Dorff before their individual tragedies for decades. Steele’s son, Alex LeVasseur, died in an ATV accident in 2007 when he was just 13 years old. Dorff’s son, songwriter Andrew Dorff, died while on vacation on his 40th birthday in 2017.
“I don’t think we’re ever going to write a song about our kids, but we came up with the title by chance,” Steele said in a recent interview with the publication. People magazine.
“We started throwing darts at each other lyrically,” he added. “The queues are scattered. You write a lot of songs and this is just one of those moments when he talks to himself.”
said Dorf People how the song comes together naturally during songwriting meetings.
“Of course we turned the conversation to Andrew and Alex and the fact that we were both in this disgusting club where no parents should be,” Dorff said. “We talked about it and then we shrugged, “Who knows why?” Bing, the song kind of wrote itself.”
“We’re not planning anything,” he said.
The songwriters wrote “Who Knows Why” more than two years ago, with no intention of offering it to recording artists. People. Hopes of someday making it in concert came true at City Winery in Nashville earlier this year.
The public’s enthusiastic response inspired them to collaborate with a cameraman to create a music video of family photos. “He did a great job combining the feel of the song with the lyrics and how the song works with the kids,” says Dorff.
Steele and his family set up a memorial fund for his son to encourage students by providing incentives and mentors in the skateboarding son Alex loves.
“At some point, we’re all going to face a lot of things,” Steele said. People. “I think you should try to take what’s destroying you and have someone else help them.”
Steele’s extensive work includes “Walk Toward the Fire,” the tenth anniversary single he co-wrote with Breitbart’s John Kahn and dedicated to Andrew Breitbart.
Earlier this year, he published his book, “I’m an American,” to Breitbart News, describing his frustration with the country’s current state of administration.
The 2021 single “Afghanistan” was inspired by the disastrous departure of the Biden administration that left thousands of US civilians and their allies behind enemy lines and killed 13 US military personnel.
Source: Breitbart
