Much as I love traditional, country love songs, here’s a little segue to give voice to fathers’ love.
A Doting Dad in “I Loved Her First”
The Clip
Nicole Cortez – a sign language interpreter posted the above video on YouTube and was an instant hit among netizens. Much delighted and proud of her dad, she didn’t mind sharing their special moment to the World Wide Web. (And we’re glad she did!)
Watching through, you can see how much the daughter meant to the father. His facial expressions explicitly expressed every line of the song. That, on top of his superb performance of sign language.
Ms. Cortez wrote in the caption that it took his dad a year to learn to sing the song. He did not need to give a speech during the wedding reception. That year-long of mastering sign language is in itself a testament to the depth of his love. Tell me, is there anything to top that gesture? The sweetest and one of its kind!
The Ballad
“I Loved Her First” was a chart-topper in 2006 by country music band Heartland. It held much power and intensity that it perfectly addresses the sentiments of most fathers seeing their daughters all grown up. Hence, it re-appeared on the Billboard chart in 2015.
This narrative of a man torn in giving away his daughter for marriage became an instant tear-jerker to all listening dads. Same goes for their daughters. Every day, they’ve awakened at the love of their dads. Now married, they’ll wake up in the embrace of their husbands. Still, there are things that marriage can simply not replace. And the pure and unconditional love of a father is one.
While Heartland’s star did not shine further in the country music industry, their debut single, “I Loved Her First” was destined to stay.
Tags
Father, gospel, Life, Love