Second Wind

Album: Hard Rain Don't Last (2001)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "This song was written at a time in my life when I was really struggling and I needed my own second wind. It's very uplifting. We tried to write it honest and it just seemed like it worked for some people." So says Darryl Worley, who co-wrote this song with frequent partner Steve Leslie. He didn't, however, expect the positive peripheral reverberations. Such as helping his mother get through a bout with cancer. "She called me up one day and she said, 'This song's got healing qualities.'" says Darryl. "She goes, 'I'm telling you, I listen to this song two or three times a day, every day, because I feel like it's helping me with my situation here.' And she said, 'I'm not saying that it kills cancer, I'm telling you that it helps put your soul in a place where you want to get better and get past whatever it is you're going through. It's just designed to give you that second wind.' My mom's a really, really spiritual person, and it caught me a little off guard, but I wasn't gonna argue with her. I wasn't gonna say, 'No, you've lost your mind, it must be the chemo,' or whatever. But I can tell you she don't have cancer anymore. She's 72 or -3 and healthy as a bear. So it's just one of those things that you just kind of go, Wow. It was only a Top 15 single, but if it affected a few people out there that way, then it was worth it." (Read more in our interview with Darryl Worley.)
  • Darryl lost both his grandfathers and an aunt to cancer, and he's working hard to fight the disease. In 2002 he organized The Darryl Worley Foundation, a non-profit which hosts fund-raising events throughout the year. His dream was realized on March 3, 2010, when ground was broken in his native Savannah, Tennessee, for the Darryl Worley Cancer Treatment Center. "No one is exempt from this disease," Worley says. "Although a cure has not yet been found, we must do what we can to treat cancer patients with the technology available to us." Learn more at darrylworleyfoundation.org.

Comments: 1

  • Louis Mendoza from El Paso Texaswhere was this video filmed? i own the gulf coast your location looks very familiar
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Adam Young of Owl City

Adam Young of Owl CitySongwriter Interviews

Is Owl City on a quest for another hit like "Fireflies?" Adam answers that question and explains the influences behind many others.

James Bond Theme Songs

James Bond Theme SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the 007 theme songs?

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy TalentSongwriter Interviews

The frontman for one of Canada's most well-known punk rock bands talks about his Eddie Vedder encounter, Billy Talent's new album, and the importance of rock and roll.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.