Ordinary Life

#		Title	Length
1		Life is a Road	4:02	Play
2		Just What I Need	3:58	Play
3		Talk to Me	3:36	Play
4		So Long, Never Goodbye	4:16	Play
5		Jumped	4:07	Play
6		Our Kind of Story	3:56	Play
7		Nobody Knows Your Name	3:06	Play
8		River of Love	4:30	Play
9		The Voice of Experience	4:12	Play
10		I Remember You	3:37	Play
			39:20

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Description

EILEEN HEMPHILL-HALEY

She was born down south, lives out west, and has a mind that wanders to wherever a good story lines up with a strong melody.

The fourth daughter of a career Army officer and Irish-American housewife, Eileen Hemphill-Haley was raised in an environment of constant change, moving from one town to another, being inadvertently immersed in different American subcultures with every new assignment. It was a life that helped her develop a keen sense of observation about the world around her, as well as a basic appreciation for everyday people, and the diverse ways Americans live out their lives. And being raised in a large family surrounded by women, she learned the value of speaking up and not being afraid to express original views. With guitar in hand, she has managed to take expression to a new level, and make it an art all her own.

As a writer, EH-H tends to focus on the inevitable effects of human nature, how personalities repel, enhance or enliven one another -- what she calls "the reactor fuel of relationships." She then belts out her views in a musical style best described as "story-oriented folk rock." What does that mean? It means characters in action in her songs, making themselves seen and heard in the imagination.

Listeners agree that the lyrics and melodies of EH-H's songs are equally compelling, and that the lovely combination of hook and wit is so inviting that it naturally makes people want to sing along. Although the alternate tunings may make the songs a challenge to figure out on guitar, they are no less a hoot to sing along with at home, in the car, or wherever her CDs may be playing. A major theme in her music is the woman as hero, a person who either rises above or does not permit herself to be a victim. But this is sung in the voice of a feminist who clearly loves men. "Thanks to some incredibly wonderful men in my life, including my husband, son, and close friends, you can certainly detect the respect I feel for most men in my songs. But as a writer I also strive to be a voice for the women and children in our society who have had to suffer the worst of the lot, and have been denied a voice of their own."

In truth, the secret to Eileen Hemphill-Haley's songwriting is that there ARE no real secrets. "I want my songs to be interesting and original," she says, "not obscure. Songs are a form of literature; short stories or prose set to music. Nobody wants to finish reading a story, and then have to wonder what in the world it was about. I want my listeners to understand my message, and feel involved. Otherwise, what's the point of playing for an audience?" It's not that metaphors never appear in her writing, however. "Oh yeah," she says, "Love the metaphor. Just got no use for mystery."

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Insights to the songs:

LIFE IS A ROAD
The idea for this song took shape during a day trip in northern California. I traveled that day with my husband, our young son, and a good friend from back east, on his first visit to the area. From our home we headed out first to Petrolia and the beautiful "Lost Coast," on a road so winding that we never knew what we'd see around each bend. It got me thinking about the unknown, about how even when you don't know what is front of you, you have no choice but to move forward and meet it anyway. On that day we were pleasantly surprised with one gorgeous view after another; if only life was always like that. We then traveled inland from the coast into a forest of towering, ancient redwood trees. When you see the redwoods, it's impossible not to think about time, since they are so noble and so incredibly old. As we drove through the trees I found myself becoming more and more pensive, thinking about each of the people I was riding with. There was my husband, Mark, whom I've known for so long; our son, a cute little kid with his whole life ahead of him; our friend, a cancer survivor, basically embarking on a rare second chance at life. It occurred to me that life is a journey, and a timeline, and you can go anywhere you like except back. And the way to make it all work out is to remember that your destination isn't somewhere you'll eventually get to, but everything you do and every life you touch along the way.

JUST WHAT I NEED
Relationships are very big things that are entirely dependent on a bunch of little things to make them work. The original inspiration for this song came when some friends made the happy announcement that they were getting married. It occurred to me that happy couples are the ones who bring out the best in each other, and make a point to pay attention to each other's needs every day. It takes the right person to inspire you, and provide the things that matter.

TALK TO ME
This is a heart-felt request to someone who doesn't care to talk about his feelings, even though it's the one thing that might heal his world. For some people the prospect of talking things out seems too daunting, too risky. It's a pervasive and frustrating situation for a lot of couples and families.

SO LONG, NEVER GOODBYE
For my grandparents, it was tempting fate to use the phrase "goodbye" when something less final would do. They were quite a couple, married for more than 60 years. In all the years I knew them, I never once heard them say "goodbye" to one another. They always said "so long" instead. It was this endearing little superstitious thing they always did, right down to the last days of their lives.

JUMPED
This is a look at a couple with completely different versions of how they first met and fell and love. "You've got it all wrong," she says. "It wasn't just happenstance, I knew exactly what I was doing. I knew you were the one. I didn't fall for you, I jumped!"

OUR KIND OF STORY
Anybody who's been involved in real-life love knows it's no fairy tale, but that doesn't mean it isn't great. Of course, real-life relationships aren't always easy. There's a reason for that "for better or worse" clause, after all. But as long as you find yourself in a situation where you're happy more often than not, and with someone who looks good to you in any given situation, you can bask in the joys of the real deal, and scoff at all those tabloid personalities who wouldn't know real love if it bit them on the ass. As for Cinderella, she would have caused a whole lot less trouble if she had just taken a moment to stop, pick up her shoe, and say "look baby, this is the real me. Wanna make a go of it?" If the prince had said no, it wasn't going to work out anyway, now was it?

NOBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME
This is a curious little study in psychology. Here is a person who strives to attain a mysterious persona while simultaneously doing all kinds of little things to guarantee she'll get noticed. But when everyone starts to get used to her, and stop paying so much attention, she tires of the game and moves on.

RIVER OF LOVE
This is a story inspired by the star-crossed lovers in Isabelle Allende's novel House of the Spirits. In my version of the story, however, the characters are a couple of young sweethearts in a rural southern town, meeting down by a slow, muddy river. The problems are just the same though -- whether in a class-divided South American country or a bigoted American south -- when family and culture slice through the lives of two people in love. But in the end it doesn't matter what people try to tell them, because they simply know better.

THE VOICE OF EXPERIENCE
Sometimes the last thing you want is for your little inner voice to speak up and straighten you out. There are times, in fact, when the truth hurts too much -- even coming from yourself.

I REMEMBER YOU
As an artist, I tend to focus on the lives of everyday people, and the kinds of experiences that many of us can understand. In my life, I notice everyday heroes everywhere I go, and to me, our teachers are some of the biggest heroes of all. "I Remember You" is a dedication to Albert Dell Mahood, a man who was a mentor to me and many other people over the years. Dell was the epitome of a great teacher: creative, funny, dedicated and caring. Although I specifically wrote this about him, I also consider it an anthem for wonderful teachers everywhere.