“Dearly Beloved” by Daughtry
Finally, we get to the title track of Dearly Beloved – a project that has proven relatively-challenging to interpret. The main obstacle faced in this endeavor has been trying to ascertain whether the primary addressee in respective songs is a romantic interest of the singer or someone more akin to one of his mutually-noncompliant brethren. And so it is, also, with this track, even though it definitely leans more towards the romantic side.
For instance, the first verse, when Chris makes a statement like ‘we tend to hurt the ones we love most’ in connection to his relationship with the addressee, that definitely reads as if the two of them have a much closer association than just kindred spirits, if you will. Also, Chris alludes to “not… letting go” of this relationship. This further conjures up images of it being a romance, albeit, as put forth earlier, a challenged one.
And while we’re on the subject of relationship maintenance, such actually seems to be the thesis sentiment of this piece. Simply put, the vocalist and addressee are apparently remaining resilient in their union despite, in the process, being up against the world.
But it is also that same concept of being against the world that gives this song a more general applicability. Indeed as we have pointed out before, there is a permeating anti-establishment subtheme present throughout Dearly Beloved (the album). And in this case, it is even more pronounced than the most of the other tracks.
For instance, the final line of the second verse, even if primarily symbolic, is especially graphic in terms of illustrating what this couple has gone through. And it may not be specified that their “scars” were inflicted by the world at large. But that definitely seems to be the impression, given the grand scheme of the lyrics.
So at this point, our interpretation of the album reads as so. Chris Daughtry is speaking to romance, and he is also speaking to choosing to live a, shall we say counter-cultural lifestyle. And the way these two concepts connect, theoretically or at least as far as this title track is concerned, would be something like the former being adversely affected by the latter.
My “Dearly Beloved”
In all, the reason the addressee would be his “dearly beloved” is not only due to the vocalist’s amorous feelings for her. But also, such an assertion would also reflect the fact that she’s been with him through thick and thin – with ‘survival’ in fact proving demanding in their case – and vice versa.
In Summary
The narrator of this piece highly values the relationship he has with the addressee. And this apparently due to both of them having walked through the fire together.
Credits
“Dearly Beloved” was written by Chris Daughtry in collaboration with songwriters Mark Holman and Brian Craddock. The song appears on Daughtry’s 2021 album of the same name.
“Dearly Beloved” has two producers, namely:
- Marti Fredericksen
- Scott Stevens
Both Marti and Scott also earned credits for the production of the whole album.
When was “Dearly Beloved” released?
Daughtry released this piece on 17th of September in the year 2021. It was released on the same day as the album, on which it appears.
And the aforementioned album is the 6th studio album of the group. This album, which is composed of 13 tracks, received the support of only two official singles. The first, “World on Fire”, came out in August of 2020. The second, “Heavy Is the Crown”, was issued in March of 2021.
