Video Spotlight: Loch Lomond by Peter Hollens

Ah, the music video. I have long believed in the power of the music video. I can't even tell you how many artists I discovered through their music videos. It is my love of said videos that inspired me to create this blog in the first place. Well, there's been a plethora of great new videos posted over the last few months and some older ones that I've just recently come across. As such, I've been feeling a need to spread the word about them. Hopefully in the process of doing so, you'll find some new artists to love. Or perhaps get reconnected with a former favorite. Either way, if you see something you enjoy, please hop on board and share it with your family and friends. It really is one of the best ways to support the singers you enjoy.

What with all of the wonderful videos that have come out as of late, I have quite a lot to choose from and there's brand new videos coming out all the time. Meaning that there's many, many video spotlights to come. It should have been tough to pick the one that would kick things off, but it wasn't. Not in the slightest. You see, once I watched this video I knew I had to share it. We'll get into why momentarily. But upon sharing it, two very cool things happened as a result. Things that I knew I had to share. So time to get to it. The artist? Peter Hollens. The video? "Loch Lomond".

First, a spoiler alert: there's a whole lot of Hollens to come. Both Peter and his wife, Evynne, release wonderful videos on the regular. I've only known of them for about a year or so - I discovered Peter first, through his collaboration of "19 You + Me" with Home Free. From then it was just a matter of time before I would come across one of his videos with Evynne. Which naturally led to watching her videos as well. I've come to think a lot of this couple. Aside from having beautiful singing voices, they come across as incredibly genuine and kind people. They're all about positivity and love and those are two things we need a lot more of these days. Plus they both put some much of themselves into their performances and that makes watching them all the more enjoyable. So yeah, you can expect a lot of them in the future.

Today it's all about Peter's lovely version of the traditional Scottish folk song "Loch Lomond". It is a song about loss, sadness and perhaps some hope in there as well. Now Loch Lomond is the name of a real place. It is the largest loch (lake) in Scotland and is apparently a place a lot of people want to visit upon going to Scotland. Looking at pictures, it's easy to see why. It's beautiful. I was curious about the backstory of the song and come to find out, there's multiple interpretations. Many think that it's connected to the Jacobite Uprising of 1745. It is said that Scots believe than when a Scot dies, their soul travels to Scotland before passing on into the afterlife. Represented by the "low road" in the song. The "high road" referring to the land of the living. Some think it's a song about soldiers, others believe it's about lovers.

Whichever way you choose to look at it, it's ultimately a song about two people who have been separated by death. Never again to meet on the bonny (beautiful) banks of Loch Lomond. But hints that at some point the person left behind will stop grieving. It's a beautiful song with a beautiful arrangement by Tom Anderson. The video itself was done by the fabulous people of FifGen Films. I'm so glad that Peter chose to do it - his voice suits it pretty perfectly, in my opinion.

Check it out:

Now for the two very cool things.

Cool thing #1. My paternal grandfather was Scottish. He was actually born in South Africa to Scottish parents on October 3rd, 1899, but grew up in Aberdeen. He fought in World War I (yes, I) as a teenager in the British Army as part of Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment). He was a clansmen; a clan chief at that. He immigrated to the United States sometime in the 1920s.

Upon sharing this video to Facebook, I saw that my dad had shared it to his page. Come to find out, my Grandpa Charlie used to sing "Loch Lomond" to himself when he was working in his shop or doing chores. Apparently watching this video brought back all kinds of memories for my dad. Most of which he hadn't thought of in who knows how long. As Eric Church sings in "Springsteen", "funny how a melody sounds like a memory". This is one of the reasons why I love music as much as I do. It has ways of magically transporting you to another place and time.

Cool thing #2. I didn't know my Grandpa Charlie. Or more accurately, I don't remember him as he passed away when I was very young. It makes me sad that I don't remember anything about him. His last name is my own, but he's always been a kind of mystery to me. You know what though? The first time I watched "Loch Lomond", I was too struck by the loveliness of the song to truly give the lyrics the attention they deserve. This is one you really need to listen to in order to get the full impact, ye ken? It's gone from being a treat to to ears to a tugging of the heart. I feel this song more than I hear it, if you get my meaning. I'm usually singing along when I play it now.

This song obviously meant something to my Grandpa. It's been over 20 years since he passed. I never imagined that I could develop any kind of connection to him after all this time. I was wrong. I first watched the video because I'm such a fan of Peter's work. I'd actually somehow never heard this song before. Little did I know that it would forge a connection to the Grandpa that I don't remember. Given the nature of the song, I find it fitting. This is quite a gift that Peter has unwittingly given me and perhaps others as well. For that, I am very grateful. The power of music at work right here. It truly is a beautiful thing.

If you enjoyed this video and want to keep up with Peter, you can find him at the following places:

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