Beautifully raw and achingly tender, Fortunate Ones’ new song “Anchor” is a warm, harmonious cover of love and connection, camaraderie and togetherness.

Stream: “Anchor” – Fortunes

“Anchor” is a four-minute lifespan – a reflection on what was, what is, and what will be.

“INot so long ago you pushed the door open and came back from the coldsing the Fortunate Ones of Newfoundland on their moving new song. “We were time killers then, now we sit here wondering where that time went.” Life is long and time can be cruel, but love is the gift that keeps on giving, through thick and thin, sickness and health, good and bad, rich and poor. Beautifully raw and achingly tender, “Anchor” is a warm, harmonious blanket of love and connection, camaraderie and togetherness. Bridging the sweet and the bittersweet, it’s an ode to being there for each other, forever and ever.

Not so long ago you made it
the door and came from the cold
We were time killers back then
Now we’re sitting here wondering where all that time went
We were young enough not to care
I was drunk at the sound of you walking up the stairs

I think we should plant seeds
and finally start cultivating this family tree
Little sun and love you will see
We’ll fill these halls with the sweetest of leaves
A part of you and then a part of me
It’s a place where I think we should be

Atwood Magazine is proud to present “Anchor”, the final single from Fortunate Ones’ third studio album, It was you and me (released June 3, 2022 via Sonic Records). Juno-nominated and Canadian Folk Music Award-winning duo Catherine Allan and Andrew James O’Brien, Fortunate Ones, make music that warms the heart and moves the soul. In seven years, two studio albums (2015 Happiness and 2018 Hold on tight) and an EP (2016’s Everything will be alright), Fortunate Ones enchanted and inspired with vulnerable songwriting, catchy melodies and an enchanting blend of folk rock and folk pop sounds.

It was you and me will be the duo’s first album in over four years and deals with themes of loss, grief, life and primordial love. The disc’s soothing lead single “Day to Day” affirmed all of these themes when it was released last month, with a story of “learn to find my way, take responsibility for the mistakes I’ve made», and find «everyday meaning.“The narrator’s partner is a presence throughout the story, and while they may not be the primary focus of this particular song, their existence is nonetheless intrinsic to the song’s premise and the world the Fortunes create in their vivid storytelling lyrics.

By contrast, “Anchor” tackles notions of love and partnership head-on in a soft, intimate outpouring of poetic warmth and wonder. Allan and O’Brien pour out their hearts in a beautifully moving chorus:

love is a river
it will run
Time is a sea that drowns everyone
I can’t swim baby, you’re the line
I’ll be the anchor now, all in good time

“‘Anchor’ is a four-minute life – a reflection on what was, what is and what will be,” recount the Fortunate. Atwood magazine. ‘It’s a serious and assured statement that, through it all, we have always had each other and we always will.’You and me sailing the sea / You and me sailing / This is where we should be / I know you can see.’”

If memory starts to fade and all of our history starts to slip away
Take a picture of a moment out of your mind when I was still making you laugh
It breaks my heart that our time has to pass
But if this ship sinks then tie me to the mast

love is a river
it will run
Time is a sea that drowns everyone
I can’t swim baby, you’re the line
I’ll be the anchor now, all in good time

Recorded live at the English Harbor Arts Center in Newfoundland, Fortunate Ones’ “Anchor” video gives audiences a better understanding of the bond these two share. Sitting just feet apart with only their instruments and recording gear between them, Catherine Allan and Andrew James O’Brien bring their love to life, gazing into each other’s eyes and singing softly, tenderly, the life they already share together, and the one that awaits us. “Love is a river, it will flow“, they say. “Time is a sea that drowns everyone. I can’t swim honey, you’re the line, I’ll be the anchor now, all in good time…“

Time will tell how many weddings and couples claim this tune as their own. With so much vulnerability and raw connection on full display, “Anchor” is perhaps the sweetest love song released this year. Stream Fortunate Ones’ new single exclusively on Atwood magazine.

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Stream: “Anchor” – Fortunes

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