The 3rd Track on Lee DeWyze’s new album “Oil & Water” is “Stone”.
****this post will just be Mare and myself, as Danielle was unavailable this week***
I have done a couple posts on this song in the past as well as art, so I am pretty much going to revisit that post and discuss the AMAZING video Lee had made for this song. Tell me this song does not give you goosebumps? Tell me this video is not amazing and represents the song perfectly….
See the video here:
Lee is a phenomenal storyteller, his lyrics draw you in and make you relate to what he is saying. The thing that makes it so amazing is the way it is written and put together… you can interpret “Stone” in different ways and no matter which way you decide to hear it… it is just as powerful. To me, this song could be about someone giving up, coming to terms with something and submitting with what will be, or overcoming an internal issue…. But either way… the drumroll in the distance makes you feel like it’s done with integrity. That might not make sense to you, but in my head it makes perfect sense. It’s a beautiful song whether you hear it as triumphant or melancholy …. That being said, the casting for that video was brilliant and spot on!
As for the art , I had created this art after first hearing the song live. My visual went directly to Lee sitting by the river with his thought laying heavy on his mind, throwing that stone:
Now, we’ve talked about the circle of inspiration when it comes to Lee’s music, art…writing…covers, etc.
Here is a prime example of that, which is actually perfect timing as I am currently in a creative funk.
To quote my original post, : With Lee being my muse; 99.9% of my art is a collaborative effort. Obviously he & I don't actually work together...but he creates stories that inspire me to bring them to life....that's collaborating, right? I hate to word it this way, but it is true, I NEED his music to create. I honestly have no desire to create art without it.
There are times when he is too busy or wants to just chill and can't keep up on social media. I don't blame him, but selfishly I must say...those times hit me hard. I mean, he IS my sole source for inspiration so when I hear nothing... I get unmotivated and uninspired. I do wish I didn't need him in order to create...but sadly, I do. That has to speak volumes to just how powerful his music is…. It takes an amazing songwriter to have that power over people……” Mare knows this about me , I get really down when I cannot create, so after listening to Stone one day, she pictured a “continuation” of the song and wrote a response to it. It was brilliant. As she was writing this “response” she pictured me laying down stream by the river waiting for that inspiration he threw into the river to reach me. (the art is made to look like both scene were ripped and placed together, so technical I guess I was across the river)
I love it with all my heart, I drew that exact scene and then THIS was born:
“Downstream in the silence feeling lost & alone, Hand brushing the water with nothing to hold. Blank canvas before her awaiting a stone”
This is EXACTLY how I feel… it is brilliant.
The Power of music amazes me and makes me happy.
Here is Mare’s view:
In Stone, I think what started off as a song about a career turned into a song about life in general…. again, that’s brilliant songwriting. For me, there could be an underlying tone of sadness, but it mostly makes me think about life and choosing to live it. Hope and acceptance. Each one of us has a stone… our life. Time is like a river, always moving ahead. Within that river, dynamics change all the time. We all have a choice…. to hold on to our stones, always waiting for the right moment to cast it while the river keeps passing us by… or throwing it in the river and actually living. It’s a decision we all have to make. Things happen and sometimes people get “stuck” on that rivers edge. To throw your stone, you have to let go of the past, things that may haunt you, fears and/or regrets you may have…. accept them, be at peace with them.. and throw your Stone. “Lay my body down”….. to me, that’s what this song is about…. I accept what was, what is and what will be, and no matter what, it will all be ok. It’s a release in a way, and in that release, there is acceptance….hope…. and life.
Of all the songs on Oil & Water, the lyrics to Stone are some of the most visual for me. With that said, the music behind the lyrics seem to be one of, if not THE most important on this album and is almost visual on its own. Building from soft acoustic to harmonies and drums, the music itself tells a story for me in Stone. That’s where I see someone going from walking and thinking, trying to decide…. to making that decision, marching to the river and finally casting that Stone. The official video for Stone is actually brilliant by the way… but is also where I’d rather have people completley interpret it in their own way.
For Jenns art…. I remember this day specifically. The creative life isn’t an easy one. There is a NEED to create something you feel, and not just anything will do…. Because as an artist (of any kind), what you create HAS to come from your heart to mean anything. Creating is an outlet and release for the artist (there’s that word again….) and it’s not easy because sometimes everything you feel gets stuck. Inspiration is required, it’s NEEDED for an honest creation that lets the artist feel and release… and it doesn’t just come from anywhere, or when you want it to. The music and everything that surrounds it are what inspire her…. and that inspiration doesn’t come from thoughts, but from her heart… from a feeling. She can’t force it and sometimes, she just has to wait for that feeling to come… and needing that release, it can be hard to wait. The art shows that…. she’s waiting for that inspiration to flow down to her… but for it to get to her, Lee has to cast his stone…. -Mare
We hope you enjoyed this post!!!! stay tuned for " Learn to Fall"
Have a great weekend!!!!
-Jenn
