CMT Blog: Archive

There's a line in Jack Ingram's song, "Seeing Stars," that really captures my attention: "Wishing on stars/Only when you see ‘em/Is like asking God for help/Only when you need it." When I conducted an interview with Ingram about his new album, Big Dreams & High Hopes, he told me that's the most important line in the song.

"The relationship with God or with Jesus or with anybody that you follow religiously -- it seems like we're all guilty of only keeping that relationship up when we're really in need," he said. "This song is admitting guilt to that. Like, ‘I know I don't talk to You enough,' or ‘I know I don't reach out enough when times are good. And now that times are bad, here I am again but I need some help.'"

Luckily, the follow-up lyric moves the story forward: "But I'm wishing anyway."

"You just go ahead and do it," Ingram says. "Religious people and people of faith will tell you that that's OK. Go ahead. Don't be afraid to ask for help."

Ingram invited his longtime friend, singer-songwriter Patty Griffin, to sing harmony. He says that he e-mailed her the song but didn't hear back for a couple days, which made him nervous. Ultimately, though, she graciously agreed to lend her voice to it.

"For me, she really does make that song. Her voice brings that element of that angelic part of what that song is about," he says. "I've always thought of her voice as heavenly and like an angel. It really does make that song complete, to have somebody like Patty really putting that element in the song."