Story Behind the Song - Giving Voice to Recovery

In 2016 I found myself standing on a stage at the base of the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington D.C.. I was looking out at a large group of people who had come together to raise awareness about the opioid crisis. I'd been asked to come there to sing a song I'd written and recorded titled Where Did Beautiful Go. I too had been affected by the opioid epidemic, but nothing had prepared me for what came next.

As I looked out at the crowd, many were wearing photos of their lost loved ones taped across their chests. The birth and death dates were written in bold letters underneath the images of these cherished loved ones who had lost their lives to opioid overdose. The dates represented young people and short lives, thousands of them. It was shocking.

There were speeches from dignitaries, experts, and advocate. There were parents, spouses and family members and people who had miraculously recovered. My heart hurt as I listened, the grief and anger palpable. Not only had this audience suffered the loss of their nearest and dearest, often their children, they had also been stigmatized for the way their loved one had died.

As I took my place on the stage, I saw a large banner with hundreds if not thousands of names under a header that read “Lost But Not Forgotten”. I started to sing my song and that is when I realized something else. In the face of all that these beautiful people had endured, they were there, to fight back and get the powers that be to recognize that this crisis was responsible for a massive and tragic loss of life. That the threat was getting worse, not better. These were the people who were sounding the alarm about the opioid crisis, they had lost their loved ones, and now they were trying to save others from the same fate.

The crowd had their signs for the protest march in hand and were ready to go make some noise. I would join them. They were in our Nations Capitol to speak truth to power and demand change. I knew then and there that I had to do more.

When I came home, I met with my producer and co-writer Rick Barretta. I shared my experience with him. What became important to us in creating this song was to remember those that had been lost with dignity and to respect and honor these strong advocates who had transformed their pain into purpose.

This is that song.

Story Behind the Song - Child of Light

I started writing songs when I was thirteen. I was raised in a very small town in rural Northern California, and it was probably my solution to boredom. I don’t remember thinking about it consciously, I just did it out of the clear blue sky. I am grateful for that boredom because it helped me tap into my creativity at a young age. I honestly can’t imagine life without songwriting. Those early songs, for the most part, didn’t make it to recordings but the pain of teen-age angst was good fuel for the creative process. During the years I struggled with active addiction, I stopped writing, singing, and performing altogether. At about seven years into my recovery, I started writing songs again. And, like before, it just came out of nowhere. As I began working on the craft of songwriting, I found that I had to create the space to be creative. Sometimes that was difficult, especially while raising a family, working on my career and my recovery. It was during a “creative dry spell” that I found myself at a week-long personal growth/business event. As part of this program, we were encouraged to do this guided meditation process. There were over three thousand people at this event. I was a bit skeptical and felt like it was a bit too “woo-woo” for me, but I went along with it. That experience turned out to be one of the most profound spiritual experiences of my life and I have been meditating daily since then. It opened up my creativity to a whole new level, and I received several songs in that deep, meditative state; Child of Light was one of them. Even more profound was that I realized that we are all so much more than we are conscious of. This has forever changed the way I see myself and how I see others. Child of Light is a song that is calling us all to wake up and share the greatness and the beauty we all have inside. This world needs our light and love more than ever – This is a calling, and I am cheering you on! Enjoy,

A special thank you to my producer Rick Barretta for his contributions to this song and for capturing the essence of this song in this recording. A special thank you to Carlos Reyes and David Phillips for their amazing contributions to this song and for sharing their amazing talents! For more about my music Click Here 👉https://www.elizabethemusic.com

Story Behind the Song - Clean

This was an unusual song for me. Not in the content, but in the process.

I write most of my songs in fits and starts over a period of weeks, sometimes months and occasionally years. I usually get a big chunk of the song in one burst of inspiration and then the crafting of the rest of the song is work. I just keep playing with it, trying different images and melodies and rhyme patterns until I get more of it.

I write primarily from the guitar working from chords, so I can easily move the melody around until I get it just right. I play with the key, the structure, the rhythm endlessly, but none of this was the case with Clean.

It was October 13, 2011. I know this because it was the day I was celebrating Twenty-Five years of continuous sobriety. I sat down at the piano and from simple chords the melody and lyric in it's entirety came through me in one piece, minus the six lines from the bridge. That came a few weeks later.

I love all of my songs, they are like children in that they come through me and then go on to have a life of their own in the world. This was an easy birth! I hope you find it meaningful.

Enjoy,

A special thank you to my producer Rick Barretta for capturing the essence of this song in this recording. A special thank you to Derek Jones for the beautiful guitar work! For more about this song and others Click Here

Story Behind the Song - When Grace Rains

For the longest time I wondered, “why do some people find and accept recovery, and some do not?” Unfortunately, too many, do not. I often asked myself why? One day I ask this question out loud after learning that someone “slipped”, someone I thought was going to “make it”– I felt sad.

A wise woman I’d long admired heard me and said, “Grace rains on all of us, some of us just can’t receive it.” Wow! I realized in that moment the truth of what she was saying.

If I am busy bemoaning, complaining, and blaming, I won’t recognize the “gifts”. If I believe I am being punished because I am unworthy of love, compassion, and healing then I won’t accept the grace, the "gifts", the help, and I won’t be able to accept good things into my life.

From that day on I understood the importance of gratitude and self-compassion as well as compassion for others as a part of recovery. When we hold space for those struggling and we set the example of gratitude and self-worth we invite others to do the same.

Compassion, gratitude, and "meeting people where they are" provides an environment where Grace can be recognized and accepted.

It’s easy to find things to complain about, but that is not where Grace lives.

It takes soil, rain and fertilizer to make a garden grow, and growth is what I need to love my life.

Enjoy,

A special thank you to my producer Rick Barretta for his contributions to this song and for capturing the essence of this song in this recording. A special thank you to Derek Jones for his contributions to this song and to Rob Tracey for his amazing guitar work! For more about my music Click Here

Story Behind the Song - Thank You

From addiction to recovery - One of the most inspiring things I've been witness to in my life is the dramatic changes people go through when they come into 12 step rooms and recover from their addictions.

The transformations we witness in ourselves and each other is nothing short of a miracle. From feeling “broke and broken” and often bankrupt in every area of life we find the hope and healing that helps us creative productive and fulfilling lives. We rebuild our lives one day at a time, slowly but surely with the love and acceptance found in 12 step rooms around the world. People can and do recover, I am blessed to be one of them.

This song is about the environment that makes this transformation possible. It’s the nonjudgmental, altruistic love and acceptance, encouragement, and guidance to make that 180 degree turn possible. It is antithesis of shame. It is this “powerful spiritual medicine” that helps us heal from the deep and destructive “soul sickness of active addiction”.

I wrote this song about my personal recovery community and all the beautiful people I've met along the way. It’s for the many people in the many rooms that I've been privileged to meet. And it’s for those who are still struggling to find the courage to surrender and ask for help, this song is for you. I hope to meet you soon. Thank you.

Enjoy,