Track List
Click on a song to read more about it. All songs written by Vashti Summervill and produced by Sophie Price.
Gratitudes
Brooke Faulk – You really were the catalyst that started all of this. When you invited me to participate in Sisters in Song writing, I didn’t really know I could write. Thank you for helping push me out of my comfort zone with all the love and grace that is you!
Kelly Lynae – You supported me so much through that first batch of songs for SIS. Thank you.
Pat Daley – You are another Sister in Songwriting. A kind word can change everything. You probably don’t know this but when you agreed to play on I’m Not Asking For Much at that strange airport gig and you told me it was a really good song, you gave me the courage to keep writing.
Evelyn – Thank you for creating the salons as a space for female songwriters to safely incubate their work. Thank you to all the ladies of the salon. Spending creative time with you is a gift.
Carrie Hoff – You are like the mom of the entire Boise music community. Thank you for always being so kind and supportive to me. Thank you for all you do for our community. I adore you!
Ever Kipp at Tiny Human – Thank you for agreeing to be my publicist and for teaching me so much.
Marsha and Nancy – Music brought us together and the two of you have been a constant source of inspiration, encouragement and support both on my musical journey and in life. I love you both so much!
Karen and Kari – You are my chosen sisters. I could not do this life without you. Thank you for your support on this endeavor and in EVERYTHING. I love you!
Mom and Dad – Thank you for showing up to every performance I have had, for paying for piano lessons early on and for being the best parents a girl could ask for. The strength, grit, compassion and love that you pour into all that you do has taught me so much. I love you to the moon and back!
Nancylee – You are the best mother-in-law I could have hoped for. Thank you for your support and encouragement over the years. You guided me on my journey as a music educator in profound ways and all of that helped shape this. I am so grateful. I love you.
Tahirih Cahill (Brad, Jevan and Lakai) – First of all, your design helped give this project the look it needed. You are a creative genius. But more importantly, I am so blessed to have you as my sister. A new baby sister coming into your life when you are in junior high is a magical event. I was in the room when you were born and one of the first to hold you. I so enjoy how our relationship keeps evolving. I love you and your heart And…you married well. Brad Cahill, you are one of a kind and I absolutely adore you. My sweet nephews show up at events are are always there to offer me love and support. They inspire me. I am so grateful for your entire family.
Sasha (Ben, Amaia and Ali) – I love you. There is a depth of understanding between us that I can share with no one else. Our early years together were quite a ride. Thank you for being such a loving and supportive sister. You also married well. I am so grateful to have Ben in my life. I am incredibly grateful for my sweet nieces and their love and support.
Ken and Todd (Carolyn, Logan, Kylie, and Austin) – How lucky am I that our lives merged all those years ago. It was so much fun to suddenly have brothers. I love you and your families so very much. I wish I got to see you more.
Tyler, Jenn, Dylan, Ethan, Nick, and Kenzie – I am so grateful we are family. I love you.
Paula – Thank you for all of your love, support and counsel over the years. I am so grateful. See you the second Ted Lasso season 3 drops. I love you.
Sophie Price – Wow! What can I say. I am so grateful and overwhelmed by your creativity. You are the best producer a girl could ask for. I still can’t believe I found you. This wouldn’t have been possible without your magic dust. Thank you for saying “yes.” I am in awe of you. A million thank you’s are not enough.
Marina, Dean, Jerome, Paul, RL, Ben and Sam – Thank you for agreeing to play on my album. Your genius brought my songs to life in ways that I could not have imagined.
Christina Carlson – You make photo shoots so fun and not so stressy. You are an incredible talent and a dear friend. Thank you for helping me get the look of the album right.
Steve Fulton – Thank you for all the ways you have gently encouraged, supported and advised me over the years.
Jonny May – You changed my musical life. I am incredibly grateful for the time I was blessed to study with you. Thank you for being my teacher.
June Babies – Lane, Petra and Mike – Our project continues to be a blast. Thank you for being such incredible humans and for helping me test drive my songs.
Basil – When I met you was when I first wanted to write a song. I have been in awe of you since day one. You are one of my greatest teachers. Thank you for always challenging me to find new ways of looking at things. I love your heart, the way you think about things, your wit and all the uniqueness you bring to this world. The world needs more people like you. I love you more than you can possibly know.
Azlyn – You have brought so much love and joy into my life. Your amazing sense of humor has been there since you were a baby. You are a bright light in this world and I am so blessed to be on this journey with you. You have also been one of my greatest teachers. Our journey together really inspired the title track for this album. I love you more than you can possibly know.
Chad – Music brought us together so many years ago. We have been partners on this wild ride for a long time now. You have stood by my side with so much grace through the miracles, the mundane and the dark moments. I am grateful for it all. I can’t imagine doing life without you as my partner. You inspire me as a musician and as a human being. You are a man of incredible integrity and compassion. You still make me laugh. Thank you for all the ways you love me. I love you
Inside the Songs
Ordinary Love
To me this is a song is inviting us to return to simpler times. To intentionally take some time to turn off the overwhelming noise of the world and find joy in the simple things; a card game with a loved one, a sunset, watching a hummingbird, a glass of tea on the front porch. It is also an invitation to examine the ways our thoughts imprison us and just call them what they are most of the time; just thoughts, not facts.
Vocals – Vashti Summervill
Producer – Sophie Price
Piano – Marina Albero
Electric Bass – Dean Schmidt
Trumpet – Jerome Smith
Drums – Ben Smith
Early morning, milk and honey,
Late night tonic, stars above,
Minds are fickle drifting creatures
Bring me back to ordinary love.
Ordinary love, ordinary days
A return to old-fashioned ordinary ways.
Troubles of my mind,
Time to rise above and
Find my way back to ordinary love.
Ordinary love.
Ordinary love.
There are times life serves me lemons.
Many a-day, I feel bad.
Still a day that tastes this bitter
Is another day that I have had.
Ordinary love, ordinary days
A return to old-fashioned ordinary ways.
Troubles of my mind,
Time to rise above and
Find my way back to ordinary love.
Ordinary love.
Ordinary love.
Early morning, milk and honey,
Late night tonic, stars above,
Minds are fickle drifting creatures
Bring me back to ordinary love.
Ordinary love
Wild Full Moon
“Wild Full Moon” is a cheeky tune about the mysterious and fickle ways life unfolds and how confusing it can be. It’s a commentary on the whiplash we can all get from how quickly things can change. We know that change is inevitable but act so surprised when it hits us. Sometimes, in the midst of this mystery, it is human nature to want to find a cause so we might as well “blame it on the wild full moon.”
I love how this song came together in the final mix. Jerome Smith’s trombone part compliments my lyrics so nicely and seems to personify this mischievous moon with whimsical mastery.
Vocals – Vashti Summervill
Producer – Sophie Price
Piano – Marina Albero
Bass – Paul Gabrielson
Trombone – Jerome Smith
Drums – Ben Smith
Stars gonna rise, fortunes will fall.
Circling around magic eight-ball.
Rose petals drop right after the bloom.
Gonna blame it on the wild full moon.
Monday a breeze, Tuesday a gale.
Friday on top, Sunday a fail.
Rhyme with no reason when March turns to June.
Gonna blame it on the wild full moon.
Wild full moon, stop messing with me.
Grinning behind the old oak tree.
Wild full moon, what’s it gonna be?
I hear you saying “C’est la vie.”
“C’est la vie.”
Wild full moon.
Dazed and bewitched, rise in the west.
Quick sleight of hand, gambit of chess.
Wind swept away that sweet red balloon.
Gonna blame it on the wild full moon.
Caught in your glow, my weary heart.
New lunar phase, try to outsmart.
Gimme, gimme a gem, a fool’s honeymoon.
Gonna blame it on the wild full moon.
Wild full moon, stop messing with me.
Grinning behind the old oak tree.
Wild full moon, what’s it gonna be?
I hear you saying “C’est la vie.”
“C’est la vie.”
Wild full moon.
Wild full moon.
Wild full moon.
Choo Choo on Down the Line
I sat down one day and just wanted to try my hand at adding vocals to a 12-bar blues and this is what came out. As I began writing it, I started thinking about all the political discourse and how bad it has gotten. Modern politics does not seem to be about what is going to be best for the collective good. It’s about each side having to be “right” and “win” at all costs. With this approach, no one is winning.
I try really hard not to dehumanize anyone because I believe that is part of the greater problem and causing the lack of civility and downright cruelty we see. I have heard a couple of stories on how much different politicians used to be when they actually lived in DC. Of course this was a time when congress was even less diverse than it is today. There certainly weren’t very many women. I imagine the wives of politicians served in the community together, on PTA’s and other community organizations. Kids of politicians from both sides of the aisle played on sports teams, did school plays, and were in marching bands and orchestras together. It was much harder to dehumanize someone who was not in your political party when your lives were so intertwined in the same community.
The dehumanizing is so rampant now and those with the megaphones have given permission for the worst of each of us to come out. So, I guess in this song, I am asking politics as we know it to please “choo choo on down the line.” There has to be a better way.
Vocals – Vashti Summervill
Producer – Sophie Price
Piano – Marina Albero
Bass – Paul Gabrielson
Electric Guitar – RL Heyer
Drums – Ben Smith
I’m walkin’ away I’m done with your moonshine.
I’m walkin’ away I’m done with your moonshine.
Take your trainload of trouble and choo choo on down the line.
Your lying ways, you never did have my back.
Your lying ways, you never did have my back.
Take your trainload of trouble and choo choo on down the track.
Your six-shooter mouth, there’s no time to reload.
Your six-shooter mouth, there’s no time to reload.
Take your trainload of trouble and choo choo on down the road.
I’m walkin’ away I’m done with your moonshine.
I’m walkin’ away I’m done with your moonshine.
Take your trainload of trouble and choo choo on down the line.
Take your trainload of trouble and choo choo on down the line.
Take your trainload of trouble and choo choo on down the line.
I’m Not Asking for Much
I have always been drawn to the old standards of the 30’s and 40’s and the stellar songwriters and vocalists who brought them to life. This song was written as a nod to that era. It also goes along with the sentiment of “Ordinary Love” and delighting in some of the simpler things in life.
Vocals – Vashti Summervill
Producer – Sophie Price
Piano – Marina Albero
Bass – Paul Gabrielson
Trombone – Jerome Smith
Drums – Ben Smith
A little sun and a splash of wine,
Move through the days on Sunday time,
A kiss on the cheek and I’m feeling fine,
I’m not asking for much.
A field of daisies, a gentle rain,
Someone to love and a bit of fame,
Wake up tomorrow, more of the same,
I’m not asking for much.
It’s just a hop and a skip to make smile.
It’s not a marathon, it’s just one short mile.
A breeze on the porch, not a tropical isle,
It’s the simply life, that’s my style.
A house on the hill, a bite of cake.
A whole lot of real and nothing fake.
My own brass band, for goodness sake!
I’m not asking for much.
It’s just a hop and a skip to make smile.
It’s not a marathon, it’s just one short mile.
A breeze on the porch, not a tropical isle,
It’s the simply life, that’s my style.
A house on the hill, a bite of cake.
A whole lot of real and nothing fake.
My own brass band, for goodness sake!
I’m not asking for much.
I’m not asking for much.
I’m not asking for much.”
Put My Love in a Picture
This is the title track and one of the most personal songs on the album to me. It is about getting tangled with teenage daughters. For anyone who has parented teens, you know how easy it is to get stuck in power struggles, to say the wrong thing, to make a million mistakes. Yes, they can be incredibly annoying but I sure struggle to get it right too. This song is my hope that my kids will remember the best of me. That through all the hurts and struggles they can still feel my deep love.
Vocals – Vashti Summervill
Producer – Sophie Price
Piano – Marina Albero
Electric Bass – Dean Schmidt
Electric Guitar – RL Heyer
Drums – Ben Smith
Meet me with softness. Meet me with rage.
Just say you’ll meet me at end of day.
Take all of my mess-ups, my mixed-up words.
Give me a second chance, maybe a third.
Put my love in a picture when hurts leave you blind.
Put my love in a picture. Hearts mend with time.
Put my love in a picture. Remember me kind.
Put my love in a picture in a frame of mind.
I know you’re leaving. That’s how this goes.
Time stops for no one. Hearts open and close.
Take all my good wishes. All my best ways.
Sometimes we’ll get it right, just not today.
Put my love in a picture when hurts leave you blind.
Put my love in a picture. Hearts mend with time.
Put my love in a picture. Remember me kind.
Put my love in a picture in a frame of mind.
Let the World Take a Trip
“In a society that profits from your self-doubt, liking yourself is a rebellious act.” -Caroline Caldwell
It seems like I am always chasing something. Just one more thing or achievement and I will find happiness. I’m a big to-do list maker and find great satisfaction crossing things off. But for every thing I cross off, five more appear. This songs was my note to self to knock it off sometimes. To just sit and be. A reminder that I am enough and that my life is enough just as it is and I don’t constantly need for things to be different. The complete opposite of the messages we get from social media influencers and advertisers.
Vocals – Vashti Summervill
Producer – Sophie Price
Guitar – RL Heyer
Saxophone – Sam Landsman
Let the world take a trip around the next bend.
Let the sun rise and set, leave all the loose ends.
Let my hand rest in yours on a boat lost in blue.
I wanna sit and let time pass with you.
Call me crazy, call me lazy,
Say she’s lost her shine.
Call me broke and a joke,
She’s falling behind.
Call me cute, call me yours,
It’s what I plan to do.
I wanna sit and let time pass with you.
Let the bling and the cha-ching go right on by.
Let the pretty people give us that look.
Let’s not pretend all this won’t end.
Get while the gettin’ is good.
Let the world take a trip around the next bend.
Let the sun rise and set, leave all the loose ends.
Let my hand rest in yours on a boat lost in blue.
I wanna sit and let time pass with you.
Let the bling and the cha-ching go right on by.
Let the pretty people give us that look.
Let’s not pretend all this won’t end.
Get while the gettin’ is good.
Let the world take a trip around the next bend.
Let the sun rise and set, leave all the loose ends.
Let my hand rest in yours on a boat lost in blue.
I wanna sit and let time pass with you.
Halfway Heart
This song is the opposite of “Let The World Take A Trip.” It is about doing. It is about going in with your entire self. It’s not about being perfect. It is about showing up up, giving it your all, learning from your mistakes, rinse and repeat.
Vocals – Vashti Summervill
Producer – Sophie Price
Piano – Marina Albero
Electric Guitar – RL Heyer
Bass – Paul Gabrielson
Trumpet – Jerome Smith
Drums – Ben Smith
Halfway to Rome isn’t Rome.
Halfway to home’s not your home sweet home.
Halfway to the finish is a real good start.
Don’t go in with a halfway heart.
Shoes with a knot aren’t tied.
Walking the aisle’s not a wife but a bride.
Won’t get too far west without a horse and cart.
Don’t go in with a halfway heart.
Wine without cheese.
Trees with no breeze.
Gotta give your all, not just part.
Crimson no clover.
Red with no rover.
Don’t go in with a halfway heart.
“Ah” without “choo’s” not a sneeze.
Flowers don’t bloom without birds and bees.
Paint without a painter is no work of art.
Don’t go in with a halfway heart.
Sugar no spice isn’t nice.
Jack without Jill can’t climb that hill.
Thread without a needle, things will fall apart.
Don’t go in with a halfway heart.
Wine without cheese.
Trees with no breeze.
Gotta give your all, not just part.
Crimson no clover.
Red with no rover.
Don’t go in with a halfway heart.
Dance in the Rain
This song speaks to the paradoxes in life and the changing nature of everything. To me, it is this idea that even in the midst of unspeakable tragedy, so much beauty and mystery still exist. And adding more Bossa Nova vibes to the world certainly can’t hurt anything.
Vocals – Vashti Summervill
Producer – Sophie Price
Piano – Marina Albero
Bass – Paul Gabrielson
Saxophone – Sam Landsman
Drums – Ben Smith
Stormy days are rolling in.
We could sink or we could swim.
Seasons change and so do we.
Dance in the rain with me.
Fickle winds blow off and on.
I was right and I was wrong.
Milky Way still lights the sea.
Dance in the rain with me.
Music whispers all the things we cannot say.
Cities lost in dreams, the band plays on.
Though the thunder roars, we still swing and sway.
Oh, dance in the rain with me.
Years are short the nights are long.
Moon still sings her sweet blue song.
Place your hand upon my cheek.
Dance in the rain with me.
Music whispers all the things we cannot say.
Cities lost in dreams, the band plays on.
Thought the thunder roars, we still swing and sway.
Oh, dance in the rain with me.
Oh, dance in the rain with me.
Oh, dance in the rain with me.
’Til the End of Time
I wrote this to sound like a 1940’s ballad – a nod to a different era of lyrics and melody. It is meant to be a timeless sentiment that could apply to all sorts of goodbyes.
The luscious chord structure and imagery focus on the beautiful imprints we leave with one another and gratitude for the gift of time together.
This song is loosely based on a poem written in 1910 (“Death is Nothing at All” by Henry Scott Holland) that was in a funeral program of a friend who died by suicide. It was at a time when several people we knew were dying by suicide and other untimely deaths. It was my way of remembering the beautiful parts of relationships and living and adding something that feels hopeful and uplifting during a times of sadness.
Vocals – Vashti Summervill
Producer – Sophie Price
Piano – Marina Albero
Bass – Paul Gabrielson
Saxophone – Sam Landsman
Drums – Ben Smith
You’ve gone away but nothing has passed?
Let’s smile our old smiles and laugh our old laughs.
I’ll speak your name and you whisper mine.
You and me ’til the end of time.
Hold no regrets and I’ll let go too.
I’ll be my best me, you’ll be your best you.
You’ll dry my tears when I cry my cries.
You and me ‘til the end of time.
Don’t worry ‘bout me, cause I’m doing fine.
You’re out of my sight, not out of my mind.
Time is just time. It’s not our end.
Just down the road, we’ll meet again.
We’ll dream our dreams, we’ll walk our old walks.
We’ll sing our old songs and talk some new talks.
Blow me a kiss and you can catch mine.
You and me ’til the end of time.
Don’t worry ‘bout me, cause I’m doing fine.
You’re out of my sight, not out of my mind.
Time is just time. It’s not our end.
Just down the road, we’ll meet again.
We’ll dream our dreams, we’ll walk our old walks.
We’ll sing our old songs and talk some new talks.
Blow me a kiss and you can catch mine.
You and me ’til the end of time.
You and me ’til the end of time.
You and me ’til the end of time.
Worrisome Ways
This song is another reminder to myself to continue to work to break free from the prison of my own head. It’s amazing how the mind continually scans for anything negative it can grab onto. It then writes a catstrophizing inner novel and we find ourselves anxious and upset. As Mark Twain said, “Some of the worst things in my life never even happened.” Worrisome ways – buh, bye (it’s a goal anyways).
Vocals – Vashti Summervill
Producer – Sophie Price
Piano – Marina Albero
Bass – Paul Gabrielson
Saxophone – Sam Landsman
Trombone – Jerome Smith
Trumpet – Jerome Smith
Drums – Ben Smith
There’s a time to reap, a time to sow,
A time to hold on, a time to let go
A time to dig in, a time to fly,
A time to let your worrisome ways go by.
A time to love, no time to hate,
A time to be blah, A time to be great,
A time to laugh, a time to cry,
A time to let your worrisome ways go by.
So long! Adios! Cheerio!
Worrisome ways, bye bye.
Good day! Fare thee well. Au revoir.
Worrisome ways, bye bye.
There’s a time to shush, a time to shout,
A time to be sure, a time to doubt,
A time to give up, a time to try.
A time to let your worrisome ways go by.
A time to tell, a time to show,
A time to be meek, a time to crow,
A time to ignore, a time to reply.
A time to let your worrisome ways go by.
So long! Adios! Cheerio!
Worrisome ways, bye bye.
Good day! Fare thee well. Au revoir.
Worrisome ways, bye bye.
Worrisome ways, bye bye.
Worrisome ways, bye bye.
Perfect French Day
Another sweet Bossa vibe that my producer, the amazing Sophie Price, and I chose to arrange with just guitar. This song is like a painting in the form of music. I tried to paint a picture about a magical time my family spent in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, a quaint village in southern France.
There is a reference to Nostradamus, who was born here.
There is also a reference to Van Gogh. He spent 12 months in the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum, just on the outskirts of this village. From here, he painted many of his most famous works, including The Starry Night. It is still a working psychiatric facility but parts of it have been converted to a museum. There is a gift store where patient’s art is sold.
Throughout the village, as you walk towards the asylum (it was also once a monastery), there are replications of letters on plaques exchanged between Van Gogh and his family speaking about his paintings and his mental health struggles.
Learning about Van Gogh’s struggles at that point in my life was very profound. It was just after scary and sad time when our family was healing from a loved one’s mental health struggles. These struggles were the catalyst for the work I began in mental health.
It sounds like the time in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence was heavy. It wasn’t. It was magical and healing. The air, the food, the streets, all of it. This song tries to capture a little bit of the magic of this special place.
Vocals – Vashti Summervill
Producer – Sophie Price
Guitar – RL Heyer
It’s a Gypsy guitar, it’s a market square,
It’s Van Gogh’s trees, it’s you with me there,
It’s a lingering lunch in a sleepy cafe,
It’s olives and love, it’s rosé all day.
A walk in the park, it’s a two hour nap.
Lavender fields, a steamy nightcap,
It’s a beam of the moon I’ve saved in a bottle for you.
Roaming along streets of stone, I could grow old with you.
Nostradamus could see you with me, doing what lovers do.
Must we leave? I don’t want his to end.
May I have another dance?
We’re just a rainbow away from the most perfect day
In a village in the South of France.
It’s the roll of the hills, it’s the call of a train,
A painted sunset, the whisper of rain,
It’s a beam of the moon I’ve saved in a bottle for you.
Roaming along streets of stone, I could grow old with you.
Nostradamus could see you with me, doing what lovers do.
Must we leave? I don’t want his to end.
May I have another dance?
We’re just a rainbow away from the most perfect day
In a village in the South of France.
It’s the roll of the hills, it’s the call of a train,
A painted sunset, the whisper of rain,
It’s a beam of the moon I’ve saved in a bottle for you.