by Peter Banker

Band Website: https://www.wendydarlingandthelostboy.org/

I like this song for a lot of reasons and the message, I’m certain, is up for grabs, but I see it, at least now, as a song about the contract we make to one another, as friends, as family, as lovers to keep on–not to fade.  It’s a melancholy tune, true, but also a vibrant call to confront those who are fading–in any sense–to make them remember how much they are loved, how much they mean and how you miss them when they fade.  These are not easy conversations, of course, but we all know when we are fading and sometimes we just want someone to notice….to help us get back on track.  The lyric, “Don’t Fade” is drawn out, a plea to come back, and it’s followed by another one “Don’t fade on me,” which, in my view, is the real truth–that we need each other…and sometimes desperately.

Another reason I like the song is because I get to put my guitar down and listen to Wendy play so beautifully on the tune.  Sometimes it is she who brings me back to the music when I begin to fade and to sit next to her, to sing alongside her playing is one of my greatest joys.  We keep each other honest in this pursuit and, while we are not sure where it is leading, we know we are fully alive when we are doing the work required to be the best we can be.