“I Will Remember You” by Sarah McLachlan
Although it’s often associated with romantic loss, Sarah McLachlan’s “I Will Remember You” has been used in movies, TV shows and memorials to honor those who have died, offering comfort to those left behind.
Written for the soundtrack of the 1995 film “The Brothers McMullen,” McLachlan’s moving, heartfelt ballad still resonates with listeners experiencing the loss of a loved one, living or dead. The venerated song actually began as an instrumental written by Seamus Egan, which appeared on his album “A Week in January.” McLachlan and her co-writer Dave Merenda added lyrics and modified the melody for her version. She ultimately won a Grammy for the best pop vocal on the live version released in 1990.
The degree to which the song has been embraced as an ode to those who have passed was exemplified by her performance of “I Will Remember You” during the “In Memoriam” slide show at the 61st Primetime Emmy Wards in 2009.
A large part of the song’s appeal is that it grabs the listener with the opening line, “I will remember you,” which McLachlan manages to deliver with both fondness and sadness.
The verse that follows invites listeners to remember their own sweet memories of the person they’ve lost:
Remember the good times that we had?
I let them slip away from us when things got bad
How clearly I first saw you smilin’ in the sun
Wanna feel your warmth upon me
I wanna be the one
The next verse is likely the section that touches the bereaved the most, because it expresses a universal response to the pain, disruption and angst of losing someone.
I’m so tired, but I can’t sleep
Standin’ on the edge of something much too deep
It’s funny how we feel so much, but we cannot say a word
We are screaming inside, oh, we can’t be heard
The chorus speaks to listeners who believe that their loved one’s soul passes on and retain its connection to them:
And I will remember you
Will you remember me?
And in the bridge, there is the acknowledgement of the deceased’s positive impact on the grieving person’s life:
Where once there was a darkness
A deep and endless night
You gave me everything you had, oh, you gave me life
The musical journey that McLachlan takes us on in “I Will Remember You,” supported by a beautiful melody, touches the raw emotions felt by grieving listeners, making it an enduring source of comfort for those suffering the loss of someone they love.
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