by Those of us of a certain age are probably familiar with this song. While written by a friend, it was performed by Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders in the mid-1980s. It is a little uncharacteristic of their style in that era, but it is something special.
It didn’t hit me hard though until I heard it on the radio about a decade later, after my mom died of breast cancer. I listened to it and cried and listened to it more and cried more. And while the lyrics have been interpreted different ways, I think most women who’ve lost their mothers – or a mother figure – will understand it as truly, a “hymn” to her.
I saw Chrissie Hynde perform last night for the first time. Boy, she’s still got all the raw energy and voice she had then. She commended the audience for being so great despite “how old” we all were ha ha! But then she took off her guitar and walked to the front of the stage and said she was slipping in a song they don’t usually do in concerts, but she wanted to honor a woman she admired who had recently died. And she sang the song. And when she came to the chorus, I, predictably, let the tears roll down my cheeks as I’m sure many others did.
And she will always carry on
Something is lost
But something is found
They will keep on speaking her name
Some things change
Some stay the same
My mom died in 1995, and since that time I’ve felt the loss of too many other very dear and amazing women to breast cancer. When I hear that song now, I think not only of my mom, but of Linda and Pat and Georgia and Gail. And of young women, like Kim and Pilar. I think it’s important to keep speaking their names, because our mission is ongoing. Let’s honor the memory of all the women we’ve loved and lost – especially during this, our 30th anniversary.
Take a listen. Who would you like to honor? Whose name do you want to keep speaking?
I hope you’ll join us on August 23 as we celebrate our accomplishments, honor the women we’ve lost and the survivors among us who always carry on.