malinda
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New song sneak peek (also a movie??)
🕑 Added 2024-05-25 20:33:08 +0000 UTCHello my beautiful patrons,
I'm just now coming out of a VERY focused week. We wrote, produced and mixed this song in 5 days. We're still putting finishing touches on it, including a slight lyric change at the end.
This song is called "Lucky." It's a love song at it's core, but fundamentally it is about two women, Kathleen Lynn and Madeline Ffrench-Mullen. These were women who fought in the Irish Civilian Army in the Easter Rising of 1916. After they were imprisoned and deported they found their way back together and lived out the rest of their lives together. There are several examples of female couples living in plain sight (many of them members of the Irish Civilian Army and engaged in revolutionary activism) during this time period. It seemed natural that unmarried, childless, working women would need to support each other as they were so far on the outskirts of normal early 20th century Irish society. Recent scholarship of the last 5 years reveals that there was more to these relationships than just companionship and support. The lyrics in this song are taken from moments in Kathleen Lynn's journals.
I've been fascinated by these stories for a while, and amazed by how new the scholarship was. And one night last year I went down the deepest research rabbit hole ever and came out with a movie treatment. I am excited to start shopping it around to production companies this summer as there is already a lot of excitement for it. The movie truly wrote itself from first and second hand accounts only. These are some of the most remarkable women I've ever encountered, and I am so passionate about continuing to tell their story, and to tell it right.
For me, this song is a love song about the sacred mundanity of the Queer experience. I loved imaging the normality of two women growing old together, paying their bills, tending the garden. Our existence is a quiet revolution that has always existed, and it continues to inspire me.
Enjoy, loves xx
MKR
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Lyrics:
Turn in the low light to face me
Bodies still wet from the creek
Hair falling thick on my pillow
Curls in my palm black as ink
Holding my breath in this moment
The weight of it honest and true
Cause darling I’ve never been lucky
But somehow I’ve made it to you
Another year nearing at midnight
The bangs and the cheers in the smoke
A new world for us, dear, is dawning
With all the good days that we’re owed
You smile and you say come and kiss me
You’re gripping my hands as they shake
For the first time I count myself lucky
To live out a dream while I wake
You’ll be the one I call lover
And I’ll be the one at your side
We’ll make our meals in the evening
And pay the old landlord on time
Now walk with me out in the garden
Turn your face to the sun
Oh, Could you believe we’re so lucky
To live like we’ve already won
When the trees have gone bare in the winter
And the ink in your curls has run grey
I'll smile and I'll say come and kiss me
Soft as the end of the day
Cause somehow we made it out sweetly
Sure as sun and snow
They say life is long if you’re lucky
And darling I'd say we would know
They say life is long if you’re lucky
My darling, I'd say we would know
Comments
Mary Frisch
One of my favorite songs from my favorite singer! Keep singing 🎶
Ivy Brynn Becker
Something happened, so I will just say it again. The host of Sounds Fake But Okay (Sarah) is a scriptwriter who works in Hollywood. I don't know if you want to see if she can help you, but that is somebody who might be able to at least work out the script, maybe? If she can't help, at least you make a new friend! I hope things work out because that will be SO COOL!
Ivy Brynn Becker
There is a host of the podcast Sounds Fake But Okay who is a script writer working in
Jonathan Isip
As an archivist I’m always delighted to see archives being used to inspire creative works! Love the lightheartedness of the song, hope the movie idea succeeds
Robin Holdaway
babe wake up, new sapphic anthem just dropped
Christer Lind
What a beautiful song. I like the irish sounding music. Good luck with the movie and song.
Sophi
This made me smile 😊
Roy Walker
Beautiful! I need say no more......
iris moraal
I love this! The theme/background reminds me of Gentleman Jack by O'Hooley and Tidow (written based on a diary from a queer English woman in the 1830s), but the style of the music is (of course) entirely your own. Great to hear more stories of queer women in the past!
Jamie Ramirez
This is a beautiful love story
Klea
Omg, I LOVE LOVE LOVE that you wrote a song about this!!! Also the song is truly amazing and I am overwhelmed by emotions ❤️
Sarah Olson
Wow, I am in love with this song. Reading your story about the meaning behind it and then listening to the lyrics, I'm hit with so many emotions. I love the fact that this song is just about life - two women loving one another and growing old together. There's something about listening to a song about the mundane fact of life that is so relatable. It's like "Yes, this is a part of what I want out of life. To find someone, grow old together, and appreciate all of the simple moments." Also, the title of the song is perfect. "Lucky" - that for sure describes how one feels when they meet someone important, especially the love of their life. Also, I know this is a love song, but I can also relate that word to friendship. You can just live life together, create memories, and appreciate all of the things it has to offer. I think about how lucky I am to have amazing friends and people in my life a lot. We've created so many amazing memories that I can look back on and smile. There's a lot to look forward to as well. The fact that this might be a movie is very exciting! I loved your last one and was hoping that you would want to do it again. This story and this song would be perfect and important to see as we need to continue to have more representation in the media. Additionally, coming from you and the team you put together, I know that there is going to be so much love, hard work, and dedication put into it to create an amazing movie. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help make it a reality! Finally, to be able to experience this live at a concert with you and everyone singing together, is going to be very special. I cannot wait! Thanks as always Malinda for putting meaningful music into this world ❤️
Paul Means
(tip my hat and give a smile)
Tfixer
I believe that story, and so many others like it, needs to be told.
Tfixer
You bring years to this old hetero guys eyes. That is truly beautiful: the words, the music, and your voice. Now I'd like to SEE you sing this to add a fourth dimension to the beauty. May fortune favor your venture
Saar Moshiashvili
We're truly lucky to experience this story through your creations ❤️
Niala Sophie
Malinda you have got to stop making me sob on random Saturdays. I love this and I love being a woman loving women and although I can only hope for a love like this to enter my life, I still love life as a queer woman. I really hope the movie gets made and you get to tell the story in long form - with this you have proven that you will absolutely do it justice! Thank you
K. R. Green
Cannot wait to see this story come to light, and a beautiful song as always. We queers stick together, and I do think we find sacredness in the simple things when we can love freely 💚
Paul Biener
Love it! Good luck on the movie production. I hope it hets made into a major motion picture. I’m so tired of sequels and remakes of old tv shows. This I will run to see. Lots of love. 💕
Kristen Estes
Goodness this is so beautiful and delicate and full of finding glimmers in the mundane parts of life, please release it soon. I’m imagining a movie now and am so close to tears it’s amazing. I love the stories that celebrate the everyday moments of love and partnership
