About the Song

Joey+Rory were known for their genuine, heartfelt approach to country music, and one of their standout tracks, “That’s Important to Me,” perfectly exemplifies their ability to blend personal stories with universal themes. Released as part of their 2012 album His and Hers, this song encapsulates the simplicity and beauty of their relationship, both as musical partners and as a married couple. Written and performed with warmth and sincerity, “That’s Important to Me” speaks to the importance of finding joy in the simple things in life—those moments and values that truly matter, and that shape who we are.

In this song, Joey Feek’s sweet and pure vocals, complemented by Rory’s distinctive voice, create a sense of intimacy that draws listeners in. The lyrics are tender yet profound, reflecting the couple’s deep appreciation for life, love, and faith. The song’s central theme revolves around the idea that material wealth and worldly success are secondary to the meaningful experiences and relationships that define our lives. Whether it’s the quiet moments spent with family, the love shared between a couple, or the faith that anchors them through life’s challenges, these are the things that truly matter.

What makes “That’s Important to Me” so special is the honesty and authenticity with which Joey and Rory deliver their message. The song is not just about their personal values but resonates with anyone who holds dear the simple, meaningful aspects of life. The gentle country instrumentation, with its acoustic guitar and soft rhythm, adds to the song’s comforting and intimate feel, creating an atmosphere that is both soothing and uplifting.

For Joey and Rory, the song also served as a reminder of what was most important to them during a period of personal struggle, as Joey was battling terminal cancer at the time of the album’s release. Their unwavering faith and love for each other shone through in the song, making it even more poignant and meaningful for their fans.

“That’s Important to Me” is not just a song—it’s a heartfelt reflection on what truly matters in life, a message that continues to resonate with audiences long after Joey’s passing. It reminds us all to focus on the things that bring us true happiness, the relationships and moments that make life worth living. Joey+Rory’s legacy lives on through songs like this, filled with love, faith, and the kind of wisdom that only comes from living a life that truly matters.

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Lyrics: That’s Important To Me

Not planning our day around a TV set
Paying our bills and staying out of debt
That’s important to me
That’s important to meOpening the windows and letting in air
Holding hands when we’re saying a prayer
That’s important to me
Yeah, that’s important to meHaving somebody to share my life
Loving my husband and being a wife
And the very best mother I can be
That’s important to meTelling the truth and being real
Feeding my family a home cooked meal
That’s important to me
That’s important to mePlanting a garden and watching it grow
Keeping it country on the radio
That’s important to me
Yeah, that’s important to me

Always having you to hold
Being beside you when we grow old
And they plant us ‘neath that big old tree
That’s important to me

Always having you to hold
Being beside you when we grow old
And they plant us ‘neath that big old tree

Believing our dreams will take us somewhere
Still being ourselves if we ever get there
That’s important to me
That’s important to me

Yeah, that’s important to me
That’s important to me

That’s important to me

 

You Missed

Patsy stood in a dress she felt was a costume, fighting the producer’s demand to sing a song she genuinely disliked. The studio lights at Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts burned hot that January night in 1957. Patsy stood backstage with a heart set on performing a different ballad, holding a vision of her own career that didn’t include the uptempo swing of a song she found tedious. She wanted the emotional weight of a country tear-jerker; the producer wanted a hit. The pressure in that dressing room was palpable, a quiet collision between an artist’s stubborn intuition and the cold machinery of television producers who cared more about broadcast tempo than personal conviction. She walked out there wearing a cocktail dress instead of her usual cowgirl gear, an image she felt didn’t belong to her. As the cameras rolled, she surrendered to the arrangement. She sang those lyrics she didn’t care for, her voice cutting through the air with a clean, haunting authority that demanded the nation’s attention. By the time the final note hung in the rafters, she hadn’t just won a competition; she had fundamentally altered the trajectory of her life. The audience erupted, and Arthur Godfrey broke protocol to tell her she had secured the victory before the commercial break even arrived. Success is often a fickle companion that arrives wearing the face of a stranger. That song, the one she fought against until the very last second, cemented her name on the charts and defined the sound of her breakthrough. She stood under those bright lights, the applause washing over a woman who had finally and accidentally found the exact sound the world was waiting for.

To save his career, a Tennessee farm boy had to learn how to walk, sing, and breathe inside the glass walls of an urban professional studio. By the late 1950s, the steel guitars and cowboy boots that propelled Eddy Arnold to the top of the charts were gathering dust. The radio airwaves had shifted beneath his feet, and the hits that once felt effortless were drying up entirely. Arnold stood at a crossroads, staring down the very real possibility of packing his bags and leaving the music business for good. He was a man out of time, clinging to an image that the new American consumer no longer wanted to buy. Instead of bowing out, he began a slow, deliberate demolition of the persona that had made him a star. The rustic, down-home threads were traded for the sharp, muted formality of a tuxedo. The steel guitars were replaced by sweeping orchestral arrangements and velvet-smooth vocal deliveries designed for supper clubs rather than honky-tonks. He was not just updating his sound; he was performing an act of total reinvention, moving from the farmhouse to the high-rise with startling, cold calculation. When he recorded Make the World Go Away in 1965, the gamble achieved something profound. The song bypassed the traditional country boundaries, finding a home on the pop charts and turning his perceived failure into a second, far more lucrative life. He never went back to the plow. He sat under the studio lights, a man who had successfully traded his heritage for a tuxedo and a permanent place in the modern spotlight.