Skip to Content

Story Behind the Song: Brittany Kingery, “Rhythm of My Love”

Share With Your Friends!

Brittany Kingery wowed us all at the Trop Rock Music Association Awards last year, winning Female Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year and the Horizon Award. She and Rob Hill tell about the first song they wrote as a songwriting team and how “Rhythm of My Love” is a metaphor for her life of music and adventure.

Brittany Kingery

“Rhythm of My Love” was not the first song Rob Hill and I finished as a songwriting team – that was “Dream in Blue” – but I think it was the first one we started. And maybe that’s why it might be the most truly autobiographical song I’ve written so far.

It was a long writing process, in part because it was the first song I really attempted to write, and for Rob one of his first attempts at co-writing. The song actually started out being called “Southern Strategy”, mostly about just being in the sun and being burned out on winters and rain.

I got no hard feelings for the people or the seasons / I know they mean no harm but I just couldn’t find a reason to remain / No reason to keep standing in the rain / It took a hop down to this tropic town to bring me back to life / And a reggae beat to move my feet and make me realize / I want to sing in the sun

But the song started becoming about more than just a geographical escape and really more about living the life I’d been dreaming of, and realizing that it had been my music and my trips to Mexico that had inspired me to take the metaphorical leap. I think we all have that inner voice that points us toward happiness, but we start being conditioned early in life to tune that voice out, because that voice is CRAZY! But at least for me, once I started listening to the voice, it became clear that the only thing that was crazy was NOT listening to it sooner!

A voice is singing from the inside / That if only I would listen / Maybe I could find the harmony and the rhythm I’d been missing all this time

So the two things I’ve been hearing from that inner voice since I was a teen were that I wanted to sing and that I wanted to see the world, especially the parts of the world that are warm and sunny! So the chorus became:

I want to sing in the sun / Wanna belt out a tune at the top of my lungs / I’m gonna sing in the sun / Til every single body’s swaying and dancing to the rhythm of my love

As simple and straight forward as that lyric reads, it says a lot more to me than “this is what I want to do”. The “top of my lungs” line says if I am going to do this, I am going to give it everything I have and do it with passion. And the last line, to me, is a recognition it might take some time before everyone’s up dancing, that some patience and perseverance are going to be part of this adventure. And that’s definitely been the case, but through every obstacle and challenge I’ve faced, this song has reminded me that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing, where I’m supposed to be doing it, and that everything is going to be ok. And that’s where the bridge lyric comes in.

It’s funny how some people fear a future / With so many things that could go right /No need to worry about tomorrow / With all the love that’s here tonight

Rob and I felt like that was the line that summed up the main theme of the song. It’s kind of a Marley-esque “Every little thing is going to be all right” message. I think the universe is kind to people who move in the direction of their dreams and follow their hearts. It’s so easy for fear and worry to get in the way of that. It’s very tempting to play things “safe” because of all the unexpected things that could go wrong. But there are also unexpected things that could go right, and I decided I would never find out what they were if I didn’t start taking some risks. And I’m still taking risks. I’m not even a little bit rich, and if success in music were measured by bank balances, I’ve got a long way to go. But if it’s measured by wonderful moments and goose bumps and friendships, I think I’ve found the harmony and the rhythm I’d been missing!

Listen to Brittany Kingery sing from her heart in this snippet of “Rhythm of My Love.”

You love it, right? Download your own copy of Brittany Kingery’s “Rhythm of My Love:”
iTunes: Rhythm of My Love
Amazon: Rhythm of My Love

I live in Port Aransas, Texas and love all things Parrot Head and Trop Rock. I enjoy interviewing Trop Rock artists, attending events and always look forward to seeing Trop Rock friends from around the nation! Author of the Trop Rock lyric infused cozy mystery book "Schooled for Murder." Check out my website at www.CindyMuir.com

Share With Your Friends!