Often times, Nashville goes to great lengths to sell you on how ‘real’ an artist is. Sometimes they’re not quite as genuine as they are advertised to be…but then again, sometimes they really are.
When you see husband & wife duo Joey+Rory, you don’t need to be told that what they have is genuine. Just listen to their music or listen to them talk and you can tell that what they have is the real deal…not just as a musical duo, but as a couple. The deep connection they have doesn’t just shine through their music, it’s the reason their music shines.
Which is why their newest album, aptly titled Album Number Two, wasn’t born from the success of their 2008 debut. It’s actually the result of a night in Nashville ten years ago, when a gorgeously gifted singer named Joey walked into an ‘In The Round’ songwriters performance. Between finding her seat and the end of the show, she felt drawn to the man onstage simply through his songs. While she wasn’t able to meet him that night, she did two years later and over a cup of coffee, she told the songwriting single-dad exactly how she felt. A few short months later, she wasn’t just a singer named Joey anymore. She was Mrs. Rory Feek.
For the next 5 years, Joey and Rory lived a simple but glorious life reveling in their roles as husband & wife on the farm where they reside in Pottsville, TN. Joey fell right into place as Mom to Rory’s two daughters as she continued her quest for a solo career, eventually recording an album for Sony that was never released. Rory continued to build his status as a hit songwriter punching out chart-topping songs like Blake Shelton’s “Some Beach,” Clay Walker’s “The Chain of Love,” and most recently Easton Corbin’s #1 hit “A Little More Country Than That” along with cuts by Kenny Chesney, Randy Travis, Collin Raye, Reba and many others.
But in 2008, their quiet life changed after they reluctantly auditioned for a reality TV show, CMT’s Can You Duet Season I, at the urging of a co-writer.
“There was not an ounce of me that thought ‘Here is this beautiful woman and great singer in Joey, but throwing in her 42-year-old, overall-wearing husband will be the magic combination,’” Rory says with a laugh. But it was magic. Joey+Rory became fan favorites ultimately finishing 3rd and landing a record deal with Vanguard / Sugar Hill Records.
Their debut album The Life Of A Song quickly spawned a Top 30 hit with “Cheater Cheater” and in the blink of an eye, the duo was everywhere…touring coast-to-coast and overseas. Their success with radio/video airplay and album sales propelled them into several nominations for both industry and fan-voted awards, including winning the 2010 ACM Award for Top New Vocal Duo.
The quick success was not something the couple anticipated, as they hadn’t thought of their life together as extraordinarily compelling. Fans across the country thought differently. “The response to the first album has been amazing,” reflects Joey, “Now, I can’t wait for them to hear our new record.”
Album Number Two is built in much the same manner as The Life Of A Song not because it was a successful formula, but because those are the kind of songs these two like to hear. According to Rory, while he has had success writing songs for other artists, teaming up with Joey has allowed him the freedom to become a different kind of songwriter. At the same time, the pairing has unleashed Joey’s full potential as a singer as well.
“As a songwriter you have to imagine being somebody different every time you write a song, but the magic of being an artist is you get to be you, to write what you want to say…and I have never had the chance to do that before. I’m not sure Joey ever got to be herself either because there were always teams of people telling her how to dress, not to sing about this and so on. There is none of that anymore. We are 100% ourselves here.”
That freedom is paying off in spades for them. Rory is quick to point out that most of the decisions are led by Joey. In his eyes, “This is her dream,” he says, “I just get the best seat in the house to watch it happen!” As much as they are a duo both onstage and in life, he’s happy to be the man standing just outside the spotlight so that the world can focus on his songbird of a wife.
Led primarily by Joey’s honey-laden vocals, Album Number Two covers all the bases from their signature tongue-in-cheek style of the title cut to “That’s Important To Me,” a song that encapsulates the down-to-earth values that define Joey+Rory both as a couple and a duo alike. There are songs about love (“Born To Be Your Woman”), about cheating (“God Help My Man”), and about faith (“Where Jesus Is”). Songs about cowboys (“All You Need Is Me”), horses (“The Horse Nobody Could Ride”), and about fame (“Farm To Fame”). Most striking however, is the album’s lead single, a working man’s anthem and a tip of the hat to country music fans and concert-goers, “This Song’s For You” featuring the Zac Brown Band that Rory wrote on a tour bus with Zac Brown.
Not all of the songs on Album Number Two are newly written, which ironically is another product of having been turned loose of any inhibitions or corporate direction. A prime example is “My Ol’ Man,” a song resurrected from Rory’s files that is so powerful it punches you in the heart with little more than bare-knuckle lyrics and a lush piano.
Through a mixture of traditional country flavor and new millennium marketing, including corporate sponsorships, reality TV and a national ad campaign with Overstock.com, Joey+Rory have built an impressive fan base and won CMA & ACM nominations and awards their own way.
“TV exposure is unique,” notes Joey. “Not only do people hear our voices, they get to look into our eyes and see who we really are, on a deeper level. A lot of our fan base comes from people who seem to relate to our story and how we interact.
“It’s such a blessing to get to play music and travel and see things we’ve never been able to see before. But the highlight of it all is being able to do it together.”
With Album Number Two tucked firmly under their arms, Joey+Rory are headed out with the same intent they had the first time around.
“Our plan is the same as it’s always been - to show up, do what we do and hope that magic will happen,” says Rory. “As hard as we work, we ultimately know that God’s plans are a lot bigger and better than we can make ourselves. Just having the chance to record and release ALBUM NUMBER TWO is proof of that!”
If I Needed You
Joey + Rory Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Would you come to me
Would you come to me
For to ease my pain
If you needed me
I would come to you
I would swim the seas
For to ease your pain
Oh the night's forlorn
And the morning's born
And the morning shines
With the lights of love
You will miss sunrise
If you close your eyes
And that would break
My heart in two
If I needed you
Would you come to me
Would you come to me
For to ease my pain
If you needed me
I would come to you
I would swim the seas
For to ease your pain
Baby's with me now
Since I showed him how
To lay his hand
Therin mine
Who could ill agree
He's a sight to see
And a treasure for
The poor to find
If I needed you
Would you come to me
Would you come to me
For to ease my pain
If you needed me
I would come to you
I would swim the seas
For to ease your pain
The Joey + Rory song, "If I Needed You" is a touching expression of the depth of love that exists between two people who would do anything to ease the pain of their loved one. The lyrics speak of two individuals who have a reciprocal relationship in which they promise to be there for each other through thick and thin. The first verse talks about how the singer would come to their loved one's rescue in a heartbeat if they called out for help to ease their pain. It then transitions to the second verse, where the singer asks the same of their loved one.
The chorus repeats this sentiment, highlighting the unconditional nature of their love for each other. They would swim the seas to bring comfort to their significant other, emphasizing that distance or hardship would not stop them from aiding the other when needed. The third verse emphasizes the bond between the two individuals, as they are now raising a child together. The singer describes how they taught their partner how to hold their hand and how they are a sight to see - a treasure for even the poorest to find.
Overall, the song emphasizes the depth of love and compassion that exists between two people when they care about each other deeply - a powerful message about the strength of human connections.
Line by Line Meaning
If I needed you
Asking if the person would be there for the singer if they ever needed them
Would you come to me
Requesting if the person would physically be there with the singer if they ever required them
Would you come to me
Repeating the previous line to emphasize the urgency and importance of the request
For to ease my pain
Clarifying the reason why the artist is requesting the person to come - to alleviate their suffering
If you needed me
Extending the offer to be there for the person if they ever require the artist
I would come to you
Reaffirming the previous line and assuring the person of the singer's dependability if needed
I would swim the seas
An exaggerated imagery used to describe the extent to which the singer would go to reach the person and help them
For to ease your pain
Restating the reason why the artist is willing to go to such great lengths - to alleviate the person's suffering
Oh the night's forlorn
Describing the sadness and loneliness that is felt during the night
And the morning's born
Referring to the start of a new day
And the morning shines
Describing the beauty and hope that the new day brings
With the lights of love
Attributing the source of the morning's beauty and hope to love
You will miss sunrise
Implying that if the person closes their eyes, they will miss out on the beauty and hope that a new day brings
If you close your eyes
Directing the previous line to the person and warning them not to close their eyes so they can enjoy the morning's beauty
And that would break
Threatening that missing out on the sunrise will cause the singer's heart to break
My heart in two
Clarifying the extent to which the artist will be upset if the person misses the sunrise
Baby's with me now
Announcing that the artist's baby is currently with them
Since I showed him how
Explaining that the singer taught the baby something useful or new that helped them both
To lay his hand
Describing what the baby learned - how to place his hand in the singer's
Therin mine
Further explaining how the baby now knows how to hold hands with the artist
Who could ill agree
Asking rhetorically who wouldn't be able to acknowledge the preciousness of a baby learning to hold hands
He's a sight to see
Affirming that the baby is adorable or cute
And a treasure for
Describing how the baby is valuable or precious
The poor to find
Suggesting that the baby is so precious that even the poor would see his value and treasure him
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TOWNES VAN ZANDT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kelly P
Such a beautiful, tearful song! Sending prayers of peace and comfort!
David George5861@gmail.
Hello kelly,how are you doing today?
Donnajayne Brown
I am speechless...so very touched with the love between Joey and Rory and their battle with cervical cancer. They have shown great strength and faith, love and devotion but mostly her steadfast love in life, belief in God and her Amazing Grave has touched my heart deeply. Prayers, love and all things good I wish for Joey and her family. Everyone cheer for their Grammy nominated song, "If I needed You"... a final gift for Joey.
heids418
Congrats Joey and Rory on your well deserved Grammy nomination. Your beautiful family and faith are truly inspirational.
Pedro Aquino
UM CASAL EXEMPLO DE AMOR MÚTUO (NÃO FALO INGLÊS, MAS ENTENDO A LINGUAGEM DO CORAÇÃO)
Francisca Megias galindo
Te entiendo perfectamente
Shelby Hurt
I absolutely love these guys!! 💗 beautiful song as they all are !! 💖
Darrell Lambert
Love you both so much one day I'll find a love like your s darell
MrUrworstnitemare
The voice of an Angel
S.R. Hurst
This song gives me such strength as do many of your hymns. God's got this.