Song for My Father

Album: Shine On (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Many of the tracks on her 2014 album Shine On were inspired by the death of Sarah McLachlan's adoptive dad, Jack, who succumbed to cancer in December of 2010. The singer also had to deal with the divorce from her husband Ashwin Sood, after 11 years of marriage and the upheaval of switching labels (McLachan released Shine On on Verve after decades at Arista). The resulting songs are personal and contemplative, as she moves into the second half of her life battered and bruised but with hope. She told Jam! Music: "You don't get to this age unscathed. We've all been through a whole lot at this point in our lives and it's a bit of a turning point where you get to look at the rest of your life and see how it will play out. What have I done up until now? How am I going to make the rest of my life look? It's a real pivotal time, and it certainly has been with mine these last five years."

    "I wanted to try to emulate that in the music," McLachlan added. "My dad's death had a profound impact in my life. It took a couple of years to find out what that meant to me, and what he meant to me."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)Songwriter Interviews

Chad tells tales from his time as drummer for Nirvana, and talks about his group Before Cars.

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song Titles

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song TitlesMusic Quiz

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have some rather unusual song titles - see if you can spot the real ones.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

Which Songs are About Drugs?

Which Songs are About Drugs?Fact or Fiction

"25 or 6 to 4" to "Semi-Charmed Life" - see if you can spot the songs that are really about drugs.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.

Sam Hollander

Sam HollanderSongwriter Interviews

The hitmaking songwriter/producer Sam Hollander with stories about songs for Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, Train, Pentatonix, and Fitz And The Tantrums.