Teary-eyed 96-year-old Man Writes A Song For His Late Wife, Tops Billboard Charts
It was an inconspicuous mail, being the only one sent using a giant manila envelope among those emailed entries that made it impossible not to be noticed.
It was in that fashion Fred Stobaugh sent his entry to a singer-songwriter competition despite not being one. Though the contest rules required the entrants to send their entries with a video performing their song, the 96-year old man from Illinois just decided to send a letter, not expecting for any answer whatsoever.
Stobaugh wrote a song for his wife of 75-years named Lorraine. He said, “After she died, I was just sitting in the front room one evening by myself. It just [came] to me. I kept humming it. It just seemed like it fit her.†He says the life they lived together was like a dream and that it was hard for him to accept that she’s already gone.
After writing ‘Oh, Sweet Lorraine, ‘ he saw an ad from a local paper for a singer-songwriter contest and decided to send his ode. â€I’ll just send a letter. Send it all in. Never thinking I’d get an answer or nothing’†said Stobaugh, who finds it hard to hold back tears whenever he talks about his late wife. “She gave me 75-years of her life and she was the prettiest girl ya ever saw,†he added further.
Jacob Colgan of Green Shoe Studio, the man who organized the contest said they did not expect something so touching like what Fred sent. â€It’s an online contest. People [were] supposed to upload their videos,†Colgan says. “But, we received a manila envelope. Lo and behold, it was a letter from a 96-year-old man who said, ‘I’ve written a song for my [late] wife.’ Listening to the passion behind the lyrics, it was just so heartwarming.â€
‘Oh, Sweet Lorraine
by Fred Stobaugh
‘Oh Sweet Lorraine
I wish we could do
The good times
All over again
Oh sweet Lorraine
Life only goes around
Once
But never again
Oh sweet Lorraine
I wish we could do
All the good times all over
Again
My memories will always
Linger on
Oh sweet Lorraine
The memories will
Always linger on‘In fact, on the actual envelope itself, it says “I don’t sing, I would scare people, haha!â€â€™ added Colgan. He says Lorraine was hard to ignore for the way Fred sent the letter to the contest, and it was the reason why it simply stood out at first.
Colgan then decided that they would record the song because of the emotions being felt with every word in the lyrics. “Sweet Lorraine†seems to be most meaningful for its subject matter. â€We decided we were going to do this without even meeting Fred,†says Colgan.
When Colgan called Fred Stobaugh to relay the good news, the nonagenarian couldn’t help but cry. Colgan closely collaborated with Stobaugh to give his touching dedication to his wife for seven decades the justice it needs.
Colgan said that at first, he was nervous and hesitant to let Fred hear the arrangement because he knew how much that song meant to him. But when Fred heard the song’s final refrain, ‘the memories will always linger on,’ when it finished playing, the old man was welling up with tears and just said, “It’s wonderful, just wonderful.â€
A report released by Nielsen Soundscan says the touching ode has reached 100,000 downloads sales and has hit the Billboard Hot 100 Chart at No. 42, making Fred Stobaugh the senior-most credited artist to land a spot on the Hot 100 chart’s 55-year archives.
Colgan says, “We never expected the song to hit the charts. We’re freaking out. But really, we’re honored that we’ve been able to do this for the love of Fred’s life. Most of the proceeds of ‘Lorraine’ goes to Stobaugh because he needs hearing aids and a new roof on his house, according to Jacob Colgan.
The historic and so touching song ‘Oh, Sweet Lorraine’ has had more than 3 million views in Youtube since it was posted in July 19.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDi4hBWsvkY[/youtube]
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