Song of the Week - September 9th - Ronan by Taylor Swift

Songs have a certain way of tugging at the heart strings. A song can make us remember a particularly happy or sad moment in our lives. Sometimes, we can get so attached to a song - the lyrics, melody, its meaning - that it brings a tear to our eyes. Needless to say, my pick for Song of the Week is certain to bring one, if not a stream, of these aforementioned tears, and is sure to relate to everyone who listens in some capacity. My pick for Song of the Week is...

Ronan by Taylor Swift

Swift released this ballad on Friday night at the multi-network Stand Up to Cancer event, and the song immediately went to #1 on iTunes. It's not hard to see why. Swift was inspired to write this song after reading the blog of Maya Thompson, an Arizona mother who lost her four year old son, Ronan, in 2011 to neuroblastoma, a cancer commonly found in young children. Using words and memories from Thompson's blog, Swift wrote this heartbreaking tribute to the young victim and credited Maya as a co-writer on the song. She premiered it on Stand Up to Cancer in a moving performance that brought many in the audience and Swift herself to tears. Certainly, the song has struck a chord with audiences throughout the country. Even those who have never personally been affected by childhood cancer can't help but grieve for the Thompsons as Swift croons "Come on baby with me/We're gonna fly away from here/Out of this curtained room/And this hospital grey, we'll disappear/You were my best four years." Admittedly, the song moved this blogger to shed a tear. All of the proceeds of the song's sales with go to childhood cancer research. The song was, originally, not planned on being on the tracklist for Swift's upcoming album, Red, but sources say her label is looking to add the track at the last minute. Please take a listen to the song and purchase it on iTunes, it's a painless $1.29 that could help save a child's life.

Evan