Nothing inspires a deep house clean like the impending visit of a new flame. For Sally & George’s Joel Timmons (“George”), such a visit inspired not only some serious floor scrubbing, but also a new song, “Love Is Gonna Live.” He wrote the verses while sweeping his floor and finished the song with the love interest herself, ex-Della Mae bassist Shelby Means (a.k.a. “Sally”) for a song that is equal parts Buck Owens (“Love’s Gonna Live Here”) and Johnny and June.
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“I was living in an old house on James Island, South Carolina when Shelby and I first started dating,” Timmons says. “With both of us working in full time touring bands (Sol Driven Train and Della Mae) there were considerable logistics involved in getting us together. She was flying into Charleston for a springtime visit, and the house was definitely in bachelor pad mode. The melody came to me as I was sweeping and mopping up the kitchen. As I scrubbed away the grime from the bathroom sink, I realized I was also purifying and preparing my heart for a new visitor. When she got to town, I played her an early version of the song underneath the live oak tree in the yard. She liked it, but felt liked it needed a bridge. Together, we fine-tuned the lyrics and wrote the bridge. I didn’t live in that house too much longer, but love lives in this heart again!”
The duo’s debut album Tip My Heart is out February 10. Listen to “Love Is Gonna Live” below.
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