Based off of the sheer amount of love I’ve shown for One Republic and Sara Bareilles over the past few years (it’s a little excessive, I know), it should come as no surprise to you that one of my all-time favorite songs is a collaboration between the two.  What should come as a surprise is the fact that I have yet to feature it on HauteThought.  Quite frankly, I’m shocked and disappointed by my irrational behavior.  It was selfish and I deprived you of something great.  I apologize for keeping this to myself and I hope you can find it in your heart of hearts to forgive me.  Please?

Enough self loathing.

“Come Home” finds a way to be beautiful in more ways than one.  Clearly Tedder and Bareilles don’t need my support as proof that their voices are perfection.  Their awards, careers and dedicated fans are a testament to that.  But it’s the pairing that has me swooning.  “Come Home” was a favorite of mine on One Republic’s Dreaming Out Loud album, long before the duet version.  In fact, I was given the opportunity to tell Ryan Tedder that a few years ago and it’s an experience I’ll never forget.  I also commended him on borrowing parts from John Lennon’s “Imagine.”  We laughed and then he played it on the piano.  And then I passed out. (Not really, but I easily could’ve.)

The pairing of Tedder and Bareilles shines during the harmony on the bridge.  I have goosebumps as I write this and, at the very minimum, this could be the 200^th time I’ve heard this song.  Sometimes simplicity is striking, and in this case, that’s exactly what it is.  The harmony isn’t anything groundbreaking, but the way their voices melt into each other is what makes it perfect.

The most complex part of “Come Home” is the lyric portion.  The words express a difficult emotion, one where the individual is aware of both the fantasy view and realistic view of a situation.  With a simple piano chord progression and strings behind it, everything is properly highlighted and the instrumentation still isn’t forgotten.

Something tells me this will remain a favorite for a long, long time.

Ps: No laughing, these are old photos.

Pps: I apologize for the janky video…there doesn’t appear to be an “official” one.

See? Back: Brent Kutzle (cellist) Front: Natali, Ryan Tedder, me, Jenny

It’s normal to do this.