Wynonna Judd has just released her latest album; it came out last Friday, and it is, she says, the most personal album of her career. For example, this single, which is about the complicated love, loss, and longing that remains after her mother’s passing. At its heart, Hear Me Now is a conversation she can no longer have—wondering what Naomi would think of the woman she is today and whether, given another chance, they might still find their way back to harmony. As Wynonna explains: “This song represents where I’m at right now; it’s me looking around at what’s still here, what’s gone, and what I’m still carrying with me. There are little snapshots and references in these lyrics that probably won’t make sense to anybody but me, and I love that. They’re pieces of my life. So much of my story is wrapped up in my mother, and I still wonder what she would think if she could hear me now. Would she roll her eyes? Would she be surprised? Would she harmonize? Writing this with Sam Beam gave me a place to put those questions, because losing someone doesn’t mean the conversation ends. I still talk to Mom. I still hear her. And every once in a while, when I’m singing, I wonder if she’s listening.”
For this song, Wynonna collaborated with Sam Beam of Iron & Wine, and he says of the experience, “She was really open and vulnerable with the stories she shared. I was surprised at how determined she was about trying something new, and she talked a lot about how much Joni Mitchell’s music meant to her. I wanted to give her something in that vein. A great collaborator.”
