The Civil Wars: I’ve Got This Friend
About the song:
Album: Poison & Wine
Released: 2011
Writing Credits: Joy Williams and John Paul White
Label: Sensibility
Length: 3:23
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The story: this lyrical song sets up a blind-date scenario about a couple who each have a friend hiding away a broken heart who they’d like to see meet.
My thoughts: I was introduced to this duo through one of its members – Joy Williams. She was a young seventeen-year-old when she first burst onto the music scene in the Christian world with a light pop sound. Since then, she recorded three awesome albums but eventually “disappeared” with exception to a few EP’s. Now I have learned what she has been doing. She is one-half of The Civil Wars. On their debut album, nearly all their songs are musically sound. This is nearly the only one though that is upbeat.
The music has some “dark” beats, but it starts out really lighthearted and pleasing. On this track, the pair sounds great. I LOVE the vocal arrangement and the lyrics are charming with an old-fashioned pull. The song tells a pretty story and is something that many people will relate too. The songwriters weave a beautiful scenario that is wonderfully realized. The song doesn’t tell a complete narrative in the sense that a resolution is reached, but it doesn’t matter because otherwise it is upbeat with simple lyrics that spins a neat little story.
the lyrics:
I’ve got this friend, I don’t think you know him. I’ve got this friend, I don’t think you know her …if the right one came along… it’d be such a shame if they never meet: she sounds lovely, he sounds right out of a dream…
