Songs get stuck in our heads. The catchy music that we hum along with, sing, and know word for word. But have you ever wondered who came up with the songs? The award-winning documentary It All Begins with a Song: The Story of the Nashville Songwriter tells the stories of the talented people behind your favorite songs and one that is not related too often. Thanks to TriCoast Entertainment, Nerds and Beyond was fortunate to have the opportunity to screen this fantastic documentary film.
Nashville, Tennessee. When you hear this city name, you cannot help but think of country music and music in general. It tends to be the epicenter where all musicians go to hone their craft like a rite of passage. From the iconic Bluebird Café to the Grand Ole Opry, it is a city that supports and creates beautiful music. Many big names in music have started or performed there at one point in their careers, from Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny cash, all the way to Taylor Swift.
It was interesting to get a glimpse at how they write, put a song together, go to write, and even see a writing session. It was also interesting to hear their stories about submitting work and waiting to hear if they are selected. It opened my eyes to a whole new level of music appreciation.
My favorite moment in the documentary is when they tell the story behind the touching song “I Drive Your Truck,” sung by Lee Brice. It was written by Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, and Jimmy Yeary. The song is based on the story of Paul Monti, who lost his son in Afghanistan. You hear this father talk about the last time he spoke to his son before the soldiers came to his home, and then to deal with the grief of losing his son. To cope, he started to drive his truck to feel close to his son. The writers of the song and Monti have never met until this documentary. Alexander and Harrington go to Monti’s house, where they meet and embrace for the first time. Shortly after that, we are treated to a raw and emotional acoustic version of the song and the writers seeing Monti’s son’s truck. None of them had dry eyes. Neither did I. This song has always meant a lot to me, and to hear the story behind it and to meet Monti and listen to him talk about his son was heartbreaking and moving. You can watch the music video for “I Drive Your Truck” sung by Lee Brice below.
Throughout the film, you hear and see from some talented writers and musicians in a series of interviews, anecdotes, performances, and stories of success and failures. Some of the people in the film directed by Chusy (Shrink Rap) include Rodney Crowell, Brad Paisley, Alison Mosshart, Kacey Musgraves, Claude Kelly, Ben Folds, Brandy Clark, Luke Bryan, Garth Brooks, Bill Anderson, Jonathan Cain, and many others.
TriCoast Entertainment has released this documentary on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, FlixFling, and Vimeo on Demand. You can get all the feels and watch the preview below!