Alan Jackson released an emotion-filled tune that he co-penned with his 31-year-old daughter, Mattie Jackson Selecman.
The country icon and Country Music Hall of Famer released a new song called “Racing The Dark,” which was co-written alongside his daughter, Mattie, on Tuesday (Nov. 16) in conjunction with the release of Mattie’s first book, Lemons On Friday (via Thomas Nelson/W Publishing Group).
“I’m really surprised how well she was able to handle all that. I know I couldn’t have done what she’s done,” Jackson said in a press release. “One day she came to me with this piece of paper and said, ‘I wrote this song…the lyrics,’ and asked me to put it to music. So, I wrote the melody for it, and it turned out to be a very sweet song.”
Earlier this morning, during an interview with TODAY’s Hoda & Jenna, Mattie opened up about how the song came about.
“That was such an accident on my part, I’m certainly not a musician, but the lyrics just came to me one day coming up on the two-year anniversary of Ben’s death and Dad, obviously with the talent he has. I said ‘you know, could you put a melody with this?’” Mattie told the TODAY show hosts. “Thinking all the while if this is awful, is he going to tell me? But he did, and he invited me into the whole production process, and it was just such a beautiful surprise. It’s such a gift for me.”
The singer’s daughter continued to share that recording the song felt like a healing gift for their “family as a whole.”
Watch Mattie’s full interview with Hoda & Jenna below.
Listen to the emotion-filled tune below.
“It’s a beautiful song. And it’s well-written, lyrically,” Jackson added. “She told a little more of her story in it…so I’m anxious for my fans to get to hear this.” “Racing the Dark” is streaming now; a special lyric video can be viewed HERE or above.
In addition to the song, Lemons on Friday also features a foreword by Alan and his wife Denise Jackson, a New York Times best-selling author herself. The inspiring book will share Mattie’s journey of facing the most heartbreaking loss of her life – the sudden and tragic passing of her husband Ben from a traumatic brain injury just 11 months into their marriage.
“My greatest hope in sharing my grief and story with the world is that anyone who is struggling, regardless the circumstances, will be reminded that no heartbreak or loss is unredeemable; that by confidently clinging to hope, we can truly heal,” Selecman said.
Jackson and his wife Denise detail their perspective of Mattie’s love story, the pain she faced, and the renewed hope they see in her.
“Racing the Dark” marks the first songwriting collaboration by Jackson and his oldest daughter, but she – and her sisters – have been the inspiration behind several of his songs. His most recent album, Where Have You Gone (released in May) featured two songs written for his daughters’ weddings, including “You’ll Always Be My Baby” and “I Do.” Mattie and her siblings also came to life in such classics as “Drive (for Daddy Gene),” “Remember When” and the fan-favorite hit, “Job Description.”
Lemons On Friday is out now and is available for purchase now HERE.
