Lori McKenna

The song on the blog here right now is "FIREFLIES" sung by Faith Hill. But Hill didnt pen the tune, it was housewife and mother of 6, Lori McKenna. She would write songs in her kitchen while her children napped.

Oprah propelled McKenna into fame when she featured the housewife on her TV show last year.

Faith Hill first discovered her songs and immediately said she wanted to see every song Lori had written. Faith fell in love with several songs including Fireflies and now the two are friends.

McKenna is noted for writing songs about loneliness and personal struggle. (She lost her mother at a very young age.)

This song, however, is a magical song about childhood dreams and possibility. Says McKenna, "It's a happy song, can you believe it?" She was around 28 or 29 when she wrote this song while watching her 3 oldest children one day.

"I don't specifically remember what sparked it, just thinking about when you are a kid you just feel like everything's possible. I always say to people, 'Kids almost know more than we do.' You know, they're smarter than we are in so many ways. We learn so many things as we get older that just take away from this natural thing that kids have.

And I remember just thinking about that and remembering when I was a kid I felt like when I got older I was gonna be able to do whatever I dreamed I would do. And it just wasn't an option that it wouldn't work out. And then I think I was just thinking, 'Why am I like that and a lot of people aren't?'

So somebody must have taught me to have these big dreams, and somebody must have instilled something in me, I don't really know. Because actually, one of my brothers called me up one day and he said, 'How come you were taught to dream and I wasn't?' And it probably comes down to my husband and I, we're just so opposite. I am the dreamer and he is the practical, responsible, level-headed one.

Almost like he's the pessimist, I'm the optimist. And I was just thinking, I'd rather have my kids grow up and be like me than be pessimistic. Of course you need a little bit of both, obviously."

Faith Hill has become a good friend to Lori, recording a number of the writer's songs. This song, however, was special, because of what it meant to Lori's family. She says, "It's funny, because in the long run, really, that song has provided exactly what I think my original intention was - what sparked the song was I want my kids to grow up and be dreamers, like I am, and feel like anything's achievable, anything's possible.

I LOVE HER! And her music! I wish I could photograph her someday! That would be a dream for me!

Heres more of the article. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=7617

and Heres Loris Bloghttp://www.lorimckenna.com/lori-mckenna-blog