There is one Alan Jackson song that will always get me in my feels. It's one of his most recent songs, and it was written for his late mother.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The country legend's mom died in January 2017. The hardest part of anyone's life is loving a loved one, let alone losing your mother. For her funeral, Alan Jackson wrote her a song, "Where Her Heart Has Always Been." It's a simple and beautiful song, one that was written with the weight of his soul.
It's incredibly personal too, for it wasn't made for a studio release. The track was just made for the funeral, although it would get cut in his 2021 album, Where Have You Gone.
The song itself opens with an old recording of his mother reading from the Bible. From then, the song describes a serene image of the Lord reaching down to whisk her away to a better place.
I can't hear "Where Her Heart Has Always Been" without feeling all solemn. Although it's a hopeful piece, it's one built on a foundation of grief.
When recently listening to "Real As I Believe" by Ned LeDoux, I was brought back to that place of solace and sadness. These tearjerker country songs really know how to hit you in the feels.
Alan Jackson Talks About His Tribute To His Mother
Following the death of his mother and then his son-in-law, Alan Jackson really didn't want to make new music for a while. Although he would ultimately make another album in 2021, it took some years to recover following their departures.
In a press release, Alan Jackson spoke about the song "Where Her Heart Has Always Been."
Speaking on using his mother's voice in the song, he said, "That was sweet. Towards the last few years, she had a scratchy voice."
"But she was just such a sweet woman, a sweet, sweet lady, so we had to have that on here."
It was one of his sisters who found the recording. Although the song was already finished, he got his team to add in the recording. And I'm so glad they did.
