"You Love to Sing" by Copeland, Tuesday, July 3, 2021

From their heaviest record, In Motion, the band's 2005 sophomore release, Copeland released songs that bore some similarities to mid-to-late '90s rock. The sound of In Motion is a natural progression from their first album Beneath Medicine Tree. However, Copeland's sound changed drastically after In Motion. Starting with a bonus EP recorded prior to but released with their third album, Eat, Sleep, Repeat, exclusively at Best Buy, the band reworked three of their songs from In Motion, slowing them down and using a string section rather than guitars. The three songs from this release would be included on the band's B Sides record, Dressed Up & In Line. The band would continue to experiment instruments, synthesizers, and non-traditional rock arrangements. 

NOT BECAUSE YOU LOVE THE SONG, BECAUSE YOU LOVE TO SING. Between the two versions of "You Love to Sing" the original is my favorite. It's a great road trip song on a great road trip album. With grungy guitars, piano-driven tracks with guitar accompaniment, the musical-theater/Sound of Music-sounding "Kite," to bright sounding guitar solos, the band uses musical variety to keep listeners engaged, even on the slow songs. In Motion and Beneath Medicine Tree are perhaps the most concretely spiritual albums. On In Motion, the band deals with grace on "No One Really Wins," with acceptance on "Choose the One Who Loves You More," with unconditional love on "Love Is a Fast Song," and with God on "You Have My Attention." The subject of  the penultimate song,"You Love to Sing," though is the love of music itself. While, the singer wishes that the live of singing the songs he loves were more profitable and that he could buy his love more things, he's content with the joy of creating art. After a music journey of stylistic changes, the instrumental section is a bit hypnotic in the car--not to cause an accident, but to keep the driver ultra-focused.  

I NEVER HAVE ANY TIME TO PLAY. IT ALWAYS SEEMS TO SLIP AWAY. When Allan was 13 his mother signed him up for guitar lessons with Mrs. Porter. She came highly recommended from friends at church. She taught lessons in her house, a few miles outside of Mern in a two-story house on the basement floor. Mrs. Porter was a short lady with jet black hair in her mid-fifties. She talked with a New England accent, saying that she, like Allan, had moved south when she was young. After a few months, Allan began to show progress, practicing more and more each day. In April every year, Mrs. Porter held a recital for her students. Allan would play the hymn "Just As I Am" on solo guitar, a complicated arrangement that involved playing chords and lead guitar at the same time. Before the recital, there was a dress rehearsal. When Allan arrived at Zion First Baptist Church, he saw just how many students Mrs. Porter taught. Many of them were elementary kids. They were placed first in the program. Mrs. Porter taught many instruments from "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" on the piano, to "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore" on the trumpet, to "Hot Crossed Buns" on the violin. The middle school kids were next, mostly piano and guitar students with a few banjo, mandolin, violin or fiddle pieces. But Allan noticed that he was placed where students started to sound good--mostly late middle school students, a couple of high achieving elementary school students and high school students. At the end of the program, Mrs. Porter's top students performed. One red-haired pianist about his age played a medley of songs recognizable from old movies in a piece titled "The Grand Ballroom." Another student played an impressive Spanish sounding classical guitar piece. One girl played the harp. The next evening, however, another one of Mrs. Porter's top students closed the show with a mini-concert. Wearing a black Stetson, tight Indigo Levis, a flannel shirt straight out of a Kenny Chesney music video, and singing in an accent manufactured in Nashville, Kaleb Mason performed five songs that night, each time playing a different instrument. Mrs. Porter accompanied the older teen on piano for two of the songs. Allan had never seen his music teacher ever smile as she did that evening. "That Kaleb kid. Who does he think he is? We wanted to go home," Allan's mom said in the car. "That whole country music thing? Please!" But Allan sat silently in the back seat, loosing his tie,  thinking about how much he would have to work to achieve his dream.

Original:

Slow Version:

 

Read “You Love to Sing” by Copeland on Genius