Song of the Day: 'A Wedding in Connecticut' by Ron Pope

“A Wedding in Connecticut” is one of many soulful tunes off of Ron Pope’s 2012 album “Atlanta”. Atlanta is a very eloquent, smooth album with rich melodies and piano angst. It’s a really pleasant listen. So I would encourage you to check it out as a whole.

Ron Pope first came to prominence after his internet breakout hit “A Drop in the Ocean” and after being played last year on the CW’s "The Vampire Diaries" its profile only increased and justifiably so. Pope’s impeccable songwriting and tender lyricism put him on another level. There are two really great songs that stand out on this album though, “Everything” and “A Wedding in Connecticut”.

“A Wedding in Connecticut” sets itself apart from anything else on the album. Pope succeeds most when he does what he does best, telling stories. In a writing style that is more reminiscent of a country song than a piano soft rock ballad, he tells the story of three different people. Each are going through a rough patch in their lives, ones they are struggling to overcome and losses they are trying to reconcile. There is something for everyone in this song.

The young woman whose dreams are dimming in the streets of the big city, the mother-of-the-bride who is struggling to celebrate her daughter’s wedding day while, mending her broken heart after the loss of her husband and finally a welder who loses his job and wonders what will become of his family.

It all sounds pretty depressing and yet this song didn’t leave me feeling that way. It was a sad subject matter that left you feeling uplifted because each person finds the same solution to their grief, love.

Seldom do we see any songs like this anymore and that is a shame. Billy Joel had massive success telling the stories of people, perhaps most famously in his song “Piano Man”. I’ve heard a lot of artists say that the stories they tell from the first person perspective in their songs are actually that of their friends, and acquaintances, and they personalize the narrative for their songs.

It is nice to hear the singer in the position the listeners are in, the outside looking in. Pope makes these people very dimensional and I’d be curious to hear who inspired these stories in this song and how they’re doing. He makes them tangible and that is really impressive.