Backstory
I believe I was working on “Ring Around the Rosie” when the idea came to me: what if I wrote a country-western swing song heavily influenced by Celtic dance music?
I started watching and listening to Celtic social dancing. What struck me was how familiar some of it felt. The music had its own sound and the dances had their own traditions, but the way people came together to move and enjoy the music didn't seem so far removed from the country dancing I knew in the United States. I liked the thought that two traditions could share that kind of energy.
So I started writing lyrics, periodically testing them against different Celtic tunes adapted to a country-western sound. I'd listen to how the words sat with the music, make changes, and try again. I wanted to keep the character of Celtic dance music while giving the song the drive and feel of country-western swing.
This one took months. I spent a great deal of time listening to different versions and refining the lyrics and music. It wasn't a song I could rush, and I kept working at it until the combination felt right.
Eventually, “Celtic Country Dancing” blossomed into something I find really beautiful: a multicultural dance song that brings the two influences together. I started with a musical experiment, but what stayed with me was the connection I had noticed in the dancing itself. Different traditions, but a familiar joy in coming together and moving to the music.
