Zachary Lucky: Sometimes I Wonder (How I Got This Far) Single Premier
Zachary Lucky supposes he started touring somewhere around the age of 18 or 19 and reckons at that point in his life, it was more about “living a little bit” and “getting out of town” more than anything. Over a decade later, he’s traveled all over the world, made friends in all its corners, married, become a father, and decided it’s all become a lot more than just finding an outlet. Hailing from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, the grandson of famed Canadian singer-songwriter, Smilin’ Johnny Lucky, Zachary says his family lineage played a part in his choosing a musical path, but more importantly growing up on the prairies of Canada shaped his love of music and the songs he writes. Midwestern, his soon to be released album is a perfect reflection of a childhood spent in Saskatoon, a young adulthood spent relentlessly touring and a transition into marriage and fatherhood.
Photo Courtesy of Tom Wood
His newly released single off of this album, “Sometimes I Wonder (How I Got This Far)” tells the tale of this journey; the road starting as his escape, now carries with it a slight loathing as he contemplates having to leave his wife and daughters behind as he travels. Zachary says the song started as a happenstance meet up and spontaneous conversation with a singer-songwriter friend of his, Richard Inman. The two were traveling in opposite directions on their journeys, one headed east and the other west, when they both ended up spending the evening at a mutual friend’s house. From there it was an evening of singing and picking songs in the kitchen, staying up a little too late, and feeling a little worse for wear the next morning. That affliction led them to contemplating (and maybe complaining) about life on the road and as songwriters are prone to do, a guitar was picked up, chords were played, lyrics were added, and before he knew it a song was composed. Lucky, says the entire process took no longer than fifteen minutes and was one of those moments that just seemed to organically happen as effortlessly as having a conversation with an old friend.
Photo Courtesy of Tom Wood
From its start, “Sometimes I Wonder (How I Got This Far)” plays itself as an achingly exquisite ballad about breaking the hearts of those you love while you go to chase your everything, finding some solace in that heartbreak with the commonalities you encounter through other folks chasing their everything, and an apologetic resonance that all of us have experienced during heartbreak or (maybe) breaking someone’s heart. The fiddle sings to what my soul feels like crying to, and of course, the steel plunks itself so deep into my feels that I hurt for whomever Zachary is singing to/for. But the lyrics…oh my, the lyrics! Lucky’s soul stirring, anguish-filled voice coupled with his obvious knowledge that the road he has chosen has caused others pain is the stuff great country ballads are made of! Inman’s accompaniment and contribution provide a depth to the song that is completely unexpected but exceptional. And while both Lucky and Inman wrote the song wholly as a ponderance as to why they do what they do, it’s written so remarkably well that we can all relate our own experiences to their lyrics.
You can listen to “Sometimes I Wonder (How I Got This Far)” on its premiere this week and then hold onto your socks when you finally get to hear Zachary’s full compilation of Midwestern on its release date of October 18th.
Song Premier of “Sometimes I Wonder (How I Got This Far)”
Zachary Lucky:
New Single, “Didn’t Know That You’d Come Along,” available here: