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Marry Me Once

by Kristen Rae Bowden

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about

Kristen Rae Bowden is a piano-centric singer-songwriter armed with salty-sweet vocals and an inherent feel for the profound. Her new indie-folk single “Marry Me Once” is a silky ballad of self-acceptance and personal independence. Over the majestic tones of a grand piano she sings to us with vulnerable defiance: “you’re not gonna marry me once / just to say it’s forever / that’s not how forever happens to be.” “Marry Me Once” was inspired by an ironic turn of the tides. Kristen explains, “In my early twenties I thought I wanted to get married for love. In reality, it was because I was afraid of the unknown. I wanted something to be all figured out. Back then, thankfully, no one asked. I grew up and learned to love myself, me alone. Suddenly men wanted to seal the deal with me on paper, but I no longer wish to figure out my forever, today. I want to freely choose and be chosen, and that must happen every day, maybe every hour, whether you marry your lover or not.” Sonically “Marry Me Once” shines with warm, earthy authenticity, evoking mental images of fresh air and rolling waves. The lively vocal melody, layered velvet harmonies, and smooth guitar will draw you into an intimate natural world, where Kristen’s confessional lyrics may remind you: know thyself. There is only one person you have to live with forever, and that person is you.

lyrics

You don’t have to marry me once
Just to get me to notice
It’s not like you wanted it to be
You don’t have to carry me far
Just to get me to see who you are
My feet are for walking and it makes me feel free

It’s taken a long road
To feel like I can stand alone
And when I carry a heavy load
All I think about is going home
And I know you mean it
But what can I say
I’m afraid of being needed
And of losing my own way

So you’re not going to marry me once
Just to say it’s forever
That’s not how forever happens to be
You’re not gonna carry me across
Some imaginary water
‘Cause that sea that you’re seeing I simply don’t see

I know I’m conflicted
But at least I know what I can do
I’m in the wave swimming with it
And you gotta swim on your own too
Here I am for the first time
A captain all my own
So in love with my own mind
And it feels like going home

I used to want someone to marry me once
Just to get me to notice
It’s not like I wanted it to be
I would’ve wanted you to carry me across
Some imaginary water
But back then no one offered, such sweet irony

And it’s taken a long road
To feel like I can stand alone
And when I carry a heavy load
All I can think about is going home
And I know you mean it
But what can I say
I’m afraid of being needed
And of losing my own way

So you’re not gonna marry me once
Just to say it’s forever

credits

released April 25, 2023
"Marry Me Once"
Music and Lyrics by Kristen Rae Bowden

Kristen Rae Bowden: Vocals, Piano
Joe Lawlor: Guitars
Tevis Marshall: Organ
Nate Brown: Drums
Dane Alderson: Bass

Recorded at Haunted Hollow Studio in Charlottesville, VA
Engineered by Rob Evans
Additional Engineering by Kristen Rae Bowden and Joe Lawlor
Mixed by Wayne Pooley
Mastered by Dave Collins

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Kristen Rae Bowden Charlottesville, Virginia

The right kind of friction creates glorious sparks. Coursing within the heart and mind of singer-songwriter Kristen Rae Bowden is a beautiful turmoil of tenderness and willfulness. It’s a paradoxical sentiment also evident in her artistic sensibilities. In her upcoming debut, Language and Mirrors, she fluidly, and authentically, inhabits earthy Americana and majestic orchestral rock. ... more

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