Why “Take It Slow”?

I wrote “Take It Slow” a little over 2 years ago. It was late at night and I was feeling a bit giggly over a crush. Having a simple crush was, at that point, very significant in how insignificant it felt. There’s much more to say about that, but the short version is that my heart had felt heavy for so long that I was relieved to find out it was still capable of a childish, innocent crush. I wrote the song, recorded a little GarageBand sketch to help me remember it, and didn’t touch the song for quote a while.

Over time, I realized how fed up I was with hearing popular lyrics like, “we’ve only got tonight,” or, “party like the world is ending,” etc. I’m not opposed to making the most of moments, but all these songs border on saying that we don’t need to plan ahead or take responsibility for our decisions. I had a deep desire to counteract these messages, and I realized eventually that I had already written what I wanted to say when I wrote “Take It Slow.”

When I first sat down and sang that song in my bedroom in Virginia, I don’t think I meant all the things I said–there wasn’t an actual man I had in mind for whom I was willing to wait a lifetime. But as I grew dissatisfied with the lyrics I was hearing on the radio, I realized how much I believed in what I’d written. Our world desperately needs to be reminded that the most valuable things in life are worth waiting for. Gardens grow slowly and their fruit is beautiful. Strong relationships take years to solidify and they are what make life sweet. Careers, skills, talents, they all develop over a lifetime. This long term pursuit of beautiful things (community, nature, meaningful careers, etc.) should be celebrated!

Though “Take It Slow” certainly does not encapsulate some distinct theme for the rest of the song on the album, I felt confident through the recording process that its message was the one I was most passionate about relaying. I hope that the lyrics will connect with listeners and remind them of the valuable things in life that they’ve waited for and patiently, tenderly cultivated. If you have any thoughts on the song or the album, please let me know how it makes you feel!