Many people have been moved and touched by the response to the Clap For Our Carers which saw hundreds of thousands of people around the country showing their appreciation for the NHS staff and key workers. In response to this show of solidarity, Dean Owens has written a new song called Hope (also our Song of the Day) which you can watch below. In his own words:
Last Wednesday (25 Mar) I was very moved by the nation’s round of applause for the NHS and frontline workers who are working so hard to protect us during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Afterwards, I stepped in from the street, picked up my guitar and wrote Hope in about twenty minutes.
On Friday night (27 Mar) I played my first ever online solo show (live-streamed by Channel 7A) from my home and at the last minute, I decided to give the song an outing. I got an amazing response from the people who were watching online. One of these people was Tom Collison who plays in my band The Southerners.
The reason I was playing this online show in the first place was because my tour with The Southerners to promote my new ‘Best Of’ album – The Man From Leith (reviewed here) – has been postponed due to the current situation. Tom decided that even though he couldn’t be with me for the gig he would add some of his talents remotely, at his home in London. What you hear is the results of this long-distance collaboration. My vocal and acoustic guitar is from the original online solo show. Everything else is Tom.
It’s been a really interesting and fun experience making new music this way. It’s a little rough around the edges and in no way perfect, but it certainly captures the spirit of the moment and hopefully, people will see it for what it is – A wee homemade song of hope.
Dean Owens
31 Mar 2020
You can Order Dean’s new album via Eel Pie Records
Find out more about Clap for our Carers:
https://clapforourcarers.co.uk/
photo by Neilson Hubbard