We all have our lifetime playlists. These songs are already implanted in our hearts and minds.
Though various artists and enthusiasts will try to make their own versions of these songs, as a fan, we’ll always say that nothing beats the original.
But this soulful singer may have just proven that to be a terrible misconception.
Jonathan Antoine’s rendition of “Country Roads” by John Denver has us rethinking our response.
Antoine is an English tenor who rose to stardom when he appeared on “Britain’s Got Talent” as half the duo of Jonathan and Charlotte.
Their duo came in short and only won second place in the famous competition. Although they have since separated, Antoine still managed to make his own fortune by pursuing his career as a solo artist.
The song talks about missing our loved ones and our desire to see them.
Antoine beautifully sings it and with so much emotion, giving justice to this beautiful piece of music. It is a very timely song, especially during these difficult times because of the pandemic.
This song resurfaced and regained popularity when a TikTok video showing a neighborhood in Italy singing the song outside their windows while quarantined became viral.
Most of us are on home quarantine, things are even worse for those who are abroad because they are somewhere far from their loved ones.
They couldn’t just fly and go home to their families, the pain that they feel is immeasurable.
Just like the song goes:
“All my memories gather ’round her
Miner’s lady, stranger to blue water
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye”
“Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads”
In this music video, his version of this 1971 classic song is nothing short of perfection.
On his Facebook page, Antoine talks about how the song means a lot to him, which is why he wanted to include it on his album, “Going the Distance.”
Though his version is far from the original, the message that he wants to pass onto the world is there.
The music video shows people from all walks of life, families, and professions from different fields of expertise.
From moms, dads, kids, grandparents, health professionals, medical front liners, musicians, people who work tirelessly in the food delivery industry, and many more.
It is a very emotional song.
We can all relate to it, wouldn’t you agree?
The music video also shows Antoine singing majestically in front of a crowd. We are not sure if it was taken before the pandemic, one thing is for sure though, we miss musical performances like this.
It is something that we look forward to seeing once this pandemic is over.
Songs can often be therapeutic, and this one, in particular, may help heal us emotionally.
The power of his voice radiates throughout the venue, it is solid and powerful. Antoine is like a torch, burning with so much passion and emotion.
The song alone is already beautiful, but his singing makes the message much more powerful.
And the online viewers couldn’t agree more.
One commenter wrote:
“im sorry, everytime i hear him cover a song it is incredibly unreal how much better he sings it than the original artist…and those artists are unbelievably talented…its mind blowing, this kid is truly TRULY gifted”
While this user relates it to our current situation:
“Every now and then someone wakes up your soul and inspires you to enjoy every drop of this life we are given. Covid go away we have to much to live for”
And this online viewer was just moved by his voice:
“Every time I listen to Jonathan sing this sweet song, it brings tears to my eyes. His voice is from the heavens. God bless you Jonathan Antoine.”
