My Valentine to you: Everytime We Say Goodbye

Dusk was near and the recording session was almost over. I was very pregnant with my 2nd child, recently laid off from my job, and thus very happy to have been hired for the session. One song remained. The producer called me out of the booth, his wife offered me some snacks, and he asked me to listen to a version of Everytime We Say Goodbye. He pulled a record from a shelf, slipped it out of the jacket and put it on a turntable. I sat in the all-white room, shag rug under my feet, as the last rays of sun shafted through, dusty orange warmth on us all. The sweetest voice emanated from the speakers, so relaxed, no oversinging. I can’t recall if it was Abbie Lincoln or someone else. The music fell gently over us as we absorbed it in silence. The record scratched to a finish. I breathed deep, got up and went back to the vocal booth, and sang this in a take.

Happy Valentine’s Day!