Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Cheryl Waters, host of the Midday Show on KEXP, is "One Song" by Archie Roach, from the 2022 album My Songs: 1989 – 2021 on Bloodlines.
Indigenous Australian singer-songwriter, activist, and author Archie Roach exited this mortal coil on July 30th of this year, leaving behind a legacy of powerful blues tunes telling the story of his painful personal history as well as those of the Aboriginal community. In his 66 years on the planet, 30 of them releasing music, he acquired numerous awards and accolades, including multiple ARIAs (Australia’s version of the Grammy’s), an International Human Rights Achievement award, and a hall of fame induction at the 2020 ARIAs.
Shortly before his death, in February of 2022, Roach released the 44-tack anthology album My Songs: 1989 – 2021 which included a new song titled “One Song.” The softly-strummed six-minute song is sparse yet compelling, with Roach singing of a collective connection and the acknowledgment of and privilege to all come from one place. “Remember well what we have told you /And don't forget where you come from,” Roach warmly suggests. “Mother Earth will always hold you /And you are born of just one song.”
Today, Dec. 15, 2022, a state funeral was held for Roach in Australia. Read more about that here.
Watch Archie Roach play the song live for Triple J’s Like a Version below.
