Andrew and Catherine grew up on opposite sides of the island of Newfoundland – Mount Pearl and Corner Brook respectively. It was in St. John’s where the pair met and began to sing together. One night in 2010, Andrew heard Catherine sing harmony with her brother at a private gathering in downtown St John’s. He had to sing with her. The next day he got up the nerve, left her a note, she acquiesced, and within 48 hours they were singing together on stage. While it was a road from that evening to the formation of Fortunate Ones in 2013, their beginnings are in keeping with one of the core messages they carry. That sometimes the most important decision you can make is to just say YES.
From a musical family, the Allan home was a constant eclectic flow of instruments, singing and the stereo. Catherine studied classical piano, taught herself guitar in secret, and discovered the accordion by chance when her brother brought one home over Christmas in 2011. Musical exploration was the norm. After moving to St. John’s, Catherine’s induction to the East Coast music scene was rapid – performing with Andrew, recording and touring extensively with JUNO award-winning songwriter Amelia Curran, and appearing at festivals with Curran and East Coast songwriter Don Brownrigg.
Andrew James O’Brien launched his music career with a well-received solo album Songs for Searchers (2011) – nominated for Best Pop Recording at the 2012 East Coast Music Awards. He toured heavily in Canada and the UK, opening for artists such as Sharon Shannon and Paul Brady. Catherine accompanied him. It was on a UK tour that they realized the direction their collaboration was taking. The appreciation shown by UK audiences bolstered the pair’s sense of purpose. Their music began to evolve to represent both of their sensibilities, skills and sounds.
Plain and simple, they consider themselves fortunate to pursue their dreams. Their name reflects shared experience with audiences. It is about connecting people of all kinds, to make strangers friends, to elicit feelings of joy, hope, sadness, and contemplation – and the spirit that we are all in this together.
Produced by multi-ECMA winner Daniel Ledwell, THE BLISS was recorded at Lake Echo in Nova Scotia during the winter of 2014, and features guest appearances by East Coast favorites Jenn Grant, Don Brownrigg, and Kinley Dowling. The Bliss was released on JUNO award winning songwriter Rose Cousins’ record label Old Farm Pony Records on February 10, 2015.
Carry On
Fortunate Ones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You woke with a heart but it got lost along the way
It's been a cold night
Darkness brought you to your knees
Now you're crawling toward the light
The light
You gotta carry on
Carry on
Carry on
It's been a long year
Feeling so small you wish that you could disappear
Something's gotta give
You swore you'd own your mistakes
Now you wonder if you did
If you did
These dark days will end
Every corner you're backed into will have a bend
Cause in this long life
For every wrong that you done, there must surely be a right
A right
The lyrics of Fortunate Ones's song Carry On have a simple yet powerful message of resilience and hope. The opening lines of the song convey a sense of fatigue and defeat, describing a day where the singer has lost their way and their heart along with it. The following lines describe the darkness that has engulfed them and how it has brought them to their knees. However, the chorus reassures the listener to keep going, to carry on, even in the face of great difficulty.
The second verse of the song speaks to a more extended period of struggle, describing a difficult year where the singer has felt small and insignificant. They have made mistakes and now question whether they have taken ownership of them. Once again, the chorus serves as an affirmation, urging the listener to keep pushing forward and have faith that things will get better.
The outro of the song leaves the listener with a comforting thought, that in this long life, every wrong will have a right. This message of hope and faith in the universe's ability to balance things out is highly relevant to times of stress and turmoil.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been a hard day
The day has been very difficult for you
You woke with a heart but it got lost along the way
You started with enthusiasm but lost your way amidst the difficulties
It's been a cold night
The night has been lonely and difficult for you
Darkness brought you to your knees
You felt overwhelmed by the darkness and felt defeated
Now you're crawling toward the light
You're slowly trying to overcome the difficulties and move towards hope
The light
Hope or positivity
You gotta carry on
You need to keep moving forward despite the difficulties
Carry on
A reminder to continue persevering
It's been a long year
The past year has been difficult and challenging for you
Feeling so small you wish that you could disappear
You feel powerless and insignificant, and wish you could escape the situation
Something's gotta give
You need something to change or improve, to get out of the difficult situation
You swore you'd own your mistakes
You promised yourself to take responsibility for your mistakes
Now you wonder if you did
You're questioning yourself whether you truly took responsibility for your mistakes
If you did
A rhetorical question highlighting the uncertainty of whether you truly took responsibility
These dark days will end
The difficult times will eventually pass
Every corner you're backed into will have a bend
Every difficult situation has a way out or a solution
Cause in this long life
Because life is long and unpredictable
For every wrong that you done, there must surely be a right
There is always an opportunity to make things right and to learn from mistakes
A right
An opportunity to make things better
Contributed by Alaina A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@marklane3691
Had the privilege of enjoying the Fortunate Ones last night live... WOW! Absolutely amazing musical chemistry and talent. Andrew and Cathy were AWESOME!! You don't want to miss this up and coming duo. They are amazing!
@seaperrymusic
Wow this tunes gives me shivers. Love the harmonies. Much love from SEA PERRY
@mistongreenhill5074
The horns make this song extra special. Great shows at the Winnipeg Folk Festival this past weekend guys, thanks for coming!! Picked up the new album...beautiful.
@davidfuchs01
I feel like I was a fortunate one, as I was able to see these folks in Lowell last summer when they toured with GBS. Just amazing music. looking forward to the new CD. I think I have listened to "Songs For Searchers" a zillion times. Thank you Alan Doyle for suggesting this on twitter.
@yskitterss
Beautiful! You will reach the stars and beyond!
@clairec2304
Just lovely, lovely... thanks for sharing. You were spectacular on that perfect night in Lowell last summer! Cheers xoxox
@Tursh2
love, Love, LOVE!
@heathersmith-shave8358
Love this song... soulful... beautiful...thank you!
@jimhoward2831
one of my favorite albums and love this song means so much to me. Looking forward to the next album.
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@DuhComputerGuy
wow! made the hairs on my neck stand up... amazing.