Dearly Beloved

Album: released as a single (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is a tribute to Kiesza's late friend Alice, who died in 2015 following a battle with leukaemia. The white electric guitar that the singer plays in the music video also honors her fallen pal.

    "When my best friend Alice passed away nearly a year and a half ago, her white electric guitar was passed along to me," Kiesza said. "In her memory and because I love her so much, I promised myself that I would not let it sit in its case collecting dust. I was going to play the hell out of it, just as she would have done. So that's what I'm doing."

    Adam Agati, a professional guitarist and Alice's boyfriend, taught Kiesza how to play electric for the song and the rest of the album.
  • Alicia Lemke, better known as Alice and the Glass Lake, was Kiesza's best friend. Her death coincided with the Calgary native still supporting her 2014 debut Sound of a Woman and thoughts of coming up with a follow-up had to be set aside for a while.

    "Basically, she passed away as I was beginning to write my next album," Kiesza, told Billboard magazine, "and it was really a challenge to get back into writing again, through this immense tragedy and the weight of the grief I was feeling. That's why it took me a little bit longer to get back, to get my music out. I didn't want all my music to be sad. I had to let myself heal for a bit."

    She recorded this song while Lemke's father was visiting her in the studio.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Women Who Rock

Women Who RockSong Writing

Evelyn McDonnell, editor of the book Women Who Rock, on why the Supremes are just as important as Bob Dylan.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Tony Banks of Genesis

Tony Banks of GenesisSongwriter Interviews

Genesis' key-man re-examines his solo career and the early days of music video.

Shawn Mullins

Shawn MullinsSongwriter Interviews

"Lullaby" singer Shawn Mullins on "Beautiful Wreck," beating the Devil, and his writing credit on the Zac Brown Band song "Toes."

Songs About Movies

Songs About MoviesSong Writing

Iron Maiden, Adele, Toto, Eminem and Earth, Wind & Fire are just some of the artists with songs directly inspired by movies - and not always good ones.

Yacht Rock!

Yacht Rock!Song Writing

A scholarly analysis of yacht rock favorites ("Steal Away," "Baker Street"...) with a member of the leading YR cover band.