This is a song with a more poignant story than many we have run on Americana UK, ‘You’re Gonna Wanna Remember This‘ is the lead single from Mark Erelli’s forthcoming LP, ‘Lay Your Darkness Down’, due out on February 3rd via Soundly Music. Erelli co-wrote the epic track with his “musical big sister,” GRAMMY-winning artist Lori McKenna. It draws on a life-changing event which started with a small “odd” occurrence – in the summer of 2020, Erelli was performing an outdoor show in New Hampshire when something strange happened as he recounts “I looked down and couldn’t see my fingers on the guitar. I’m literally about to go into the downbeat for the solo, and, as you can imagine, it didn’t go great. It was embarrassing. I came offstage thinking, ‘Note to self: Check the lighting next time.’” Things went from embarrassing to life threatening when driving home one night through a Boston tunnel, he lost sight of the road. After a trip to the ophthalmologist, Erelli was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (“RP”), a degenerative eye disease that causes progressive loss of night and peripheral vision, and can lead to complete blindness.
After his terrifying diagnosis, Erelli began to wonder – does diminished eyesight decrease one’s insight? What does it mean to be ‘fully seen,’ by oneself and by others? And that is the thought explored within the song.
