Waiting on June

Album: The Highway (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In our interview with Holly Williams, she said that this was the song she was most proud of on her third album The Highway.

    The song is about Holly's grandparents, but not her famous one, Hank Williams Sr. Rather, this song is about her grandparents on her mother's side, telling the story from the perspective of her grandfather. Holly's grandmother, June Bacon White, died in 2009, and the song's lyrics are an accurate portrayal of her life. "Even the order of the children work out in the lyric," says Holly. "The cook, everything. So that's the song that is really hard for me to get through when I sing it live. Usually people come up to me crying. It wrecks the family emotionally. But it's such a sweet memory to me of my childhood and what my grandparents left. So that's definitely my most proud songwriting moment, I think probably ever."
  • The song features backing harmonies from Gwyneth Paltrow, who though better known as an actress has also had a measure of success as a singer. She had a country hit with the title track from the Country Strong soundtrack and her cover of Cee-Lo Green's "Forget You," which she performed on Fox TV's Glee, reached #11 on the Hot 100.
  • This song was signed, sealed, and just about delivered when Holly decided she wanted to rework it. She told us: "What happened with that song is I kept singing it acoustic. Gwyneth Paltrow's a good friend of mine. We were at her house this summer. My husband and her and I were sitting around, and we sang it together. And we were like, We have got to cut it like this. It has not been cut right. We've got to do this. Just acoustic, raw."

    Paltrow's husband, Chris Martin of Coldplay, also encouraged her to do the stripped-down version of the song. They ended up recording the new version in Los Angeles, and then flying back to Nashville to do more work on the album. Holly says the her husband (and musical collaborator, Chris Coleman), "lost 15 pounds" during the ordeal, as Holly became very particular about the song, eventually ending up with a version stripped to just vocals and two guitars.
  • The song's music video combines real images of Williams' grandparents, along with her singing. "We compiled tons of old family footage to disperse throughout this video that was shot as a live performance," she said. "It meant so much to me to make this video."

Comments: 1

  • Charlie’s Fantasm from HellThe twist is that June was Charlie’s wife before the war. It’s sick, but true.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"They're Playing My Song

Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.

Subversive Songs Used To Sell

Subversive Songs Used To SellSong Writing

Songs about drugs, revolution and greed that have been used in commercials for sneakers, jeans, fast food, cruises and cars.

Chris Squire of Yes

Chris Squire of YesSongwriter Interviews

One of the most dynamic bass player/songwriters of his time, Chris is the only member of Yes who has been with the band since they formed in 1968.

Janis Ian

Janis IanSongwriter Interviews

One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

The outlaw country icon talks about the spiritual element of his songwriting and his Bob Dylan mention.

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.