Fred Stobaugh, of Peoria, Illinois, couldn’t resist himself when he saw an advertisement in the paper that Green Shoe Studios was holding a songwriting contest through YouTube. He immediately though of his wife, who had recently pass on, and wanted to write a love song in her honor. Stobaugh said the lyrics came to him one evening at home. “I kept humming it and saying it,” he said. “It just fit her.”
“Oh sweet, Lorraine, I wish we could do all the good times over again,” the song starts. “Oh sweet, Lorraine. Life only goes around once but never again.”
Although Fred was unable to play an instrument nor sing, he went ahead and simply mailed in his lyrics into the contest. When Green Shoe Studios saw his song along with his story, they were so captivated that they decided to record the song for him. They wanted to help bring his lyrics to life and the end result was beautiful. Fred had this to say about his inspiration:
“That was a wonderful 75 years. I often think I was dreaming or something, but it was real,” Stobaugh said. Lorraine died on April 26 — two months to the day before the couple’s 74th wedding anniversary. “I really really miss her,” he said. “It just don’t seem right. Like a dream.”
This is such a powerful and touching story. In this day and age, where divorce is no longer the exception but rather the norm, 75 years together is astounding. It is an ode to to true love, and Fred’s iteration of that experience is gorgeous. Real talk for a moment. The vast majority of people that frequent this website cannot fathom seventy five years of time. The passion, feeling, backstory and humanity that Fred pours into these lyrics tug at your heartstrings in ways much different than electronic music. It makes you reflect on what music means to so many people, regardless of what genre they listen to, their background, or where in the world they are from. It is a medium unlike any other in its ability to evoke emotion and news of this nature always serves to remind us of that. Is this song groundbreaking? No. But the message behind it is staggering. Braces yourselves for some tear shedding, you may want to grab a tissues before you press play. Please support Fred Stobaugh by purchasing his song “Oh, Sweet Lorraine” on iTunes.
