Playlist 004: sending my love
This week’s playlist is inspired by Mother’s Day, a holiday different for everyone this year as we likely aren’t able to celebrate in our normal fashion—together.
Though distance divides us today, my choices were inspired by the moments we hold the women in our lives close; when we remember their sacrifices & the impact they had on our lives. When we miss them, thank them, pray for them to get better. I’m the only child of a single mother, and was also heavily influenced in childhood by my grandmother and my aunts; so I have a deep relationship with my Mom and the holiday itself.
Growing up, I spent many nights in the car driving home with my mom after a church service or time with family—and while we didn't listen to these specific songs on our journeys home, this music reminds of our conversations, and serves as a thank you for all the moments we shared, belting our gospel favorites in Soprano/Tenor harmony until I inevitably fell asleep about 20 minutes from our front door. These are the moments that I know will stick with me forever.
My favorite moment in this playlist is quick, but deserves a bit of backstory: “S. McGregor (interlude)” from Solange’s 2018 album When I Get Home, features two snippets from the Vivian Ayers poem “On Status”. This week I learned on Twitter (Shoutout @Strong Black Lead) that not only was Vivian the mother of entertainment industry icons Phylicia Rashad & Debbie Allen, but the green light to use the audio of Phylicia’s recitation was given to Solange by Debbie, a close personal friend of Tina Knowles (mother of Solange & Beyoncé). Whew—Black women are just unstoppable, aren’t they?
Ayers’ poem follows the speaker as they leave home in search of a “better” life, only to realize there’s no place where they are more loved, or more understood, than with those they consider to be family.
“Boarded a train, kissed all goodbye” …
“And now my heart knows no delight”
The interlude leads into one of my favorite songs, “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano” by Sampha—a tribute he wrote to the piano he used to play in his mother’s home, written after he moved back home to care for her. She passed away from cancer a few months later.
It’s an unfortunate truth that a loving & accepting family unit is not everyone’s reality; and not everyone has a mother to celebrate today. But I do hope we can take this moment to realize that once we do find those people who openly invite us into their hearts, those with whom we can be our true selves, we would be wise to hold on to them tightly.
The collection ends in celebration of my gospel roots, and with a sermonic solo from the Queen (and mother herself) Aretha Franklin, singing a classic from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Carousel. This track from her 1972 masterpiece Amazing Grace serves as a welcome reminder to us all that no matter where we are in this journey, we’ll never walk alone.
Wesley Taylor is a portrait and lifestyle photographer who enjoys capturing what it felt like to be there.