"I'm A Soldier" - Story Behind the Song
With Remembrance Day coming up shortly we are once again turning our attention to thoughts of our military service men and women both past and present and their dedication and sacrifice for our safety and freedom here in Canada.
We recorded "I'm A Soldier at Brad Prosko Production in the spring of 2008 and at a time when Canadian soldiers were fighting against terrorism in Afghanistan and in the wake of the 9/11 attack in the United States.At that time it was the very first time in my life that our Canadian soldiers were actually involved in a "war" as opposed to the peace keeping missions we had taken on over the years. This was different. It seemed much more "real" to me and soldiers were in harms way and some had even lost their lives in the conflict. It made me feel extremely patriotic and I wanted to show that patriotism by writing about it.
Although I have never been a soldier or involved in the military in any way, I wanted to try to put myself in the shoes (or boots) of a soldier who is away from home fighting for their country. So we see this soldier as someone who is missing their family back at home, extremely dedicated to their job and their fellow soldiers and of course their love for their country and work. They know how important it really is; A “Soldier” through and through.
One of the things that I really love about our recording of this song is the marching soldiers and the sound of their boots on the ground and the call of the leader of the troop. I really thought this was a great way to open the song and set the tone for what's to come. We tried to keep the energy strong throughout the song in an attempt to capture the heart and soul, strength and dedication of this soldier and as well the intensity of a battlefield. If you listen to the end of the song you will hear me almost screaming out “I'm a soldier” under the music in the outro. This was Brad's idea to again try to heighten the intensity and emotion of the song. Of course we did this part at the end of the day because when I got done singing it my vocal chords were basically shot! Lol
I really have absolutely no idea of what it takes to be a soldier. I'm pretty sure I'm no where near tough enough, strong enough or mentally capable to handle that job. But I am truly thankful that there are men and women out there who are. I've always hoped that we captured something that they can relate to in this song; Something to be proud of because we are sure proud of them!
Listen to "I'm A Soldier" on Spotify here...