Very moving and romantic love song
one destiny mark rosenmei
Story behind the song
The concept for "No Other" came from a number of inspirations. First and foremost, Mel Gibson's 1995 epic, Braveheart, spawned the idea and gave the song its title. There is a scene in the movie where William and Murron marry in secret in order to avoid Longshanks' re-institution of the old custom, Prima Noctae. In his wedding vow to Murron, William says, "I will love you my whole life, you and no other." I found that simple vow so poignant that I chose to use it in its entirety as the song's bridge.
I wanted "No Other" to be the ultimate wedding song, not just another love song that's used at weddings. I deliberately wanted to avoid cliché romantic overtones by suggesting that love exists Even After Forever, as many love songs convey. After watching (and becoming a fan of) Lifetime TV's Weddings of a Lifetime (see www.lifetimetv.com) I wanted "No Other" to outdo the show's theme song.
If you listen carefully to the second verse and again in the solo, there is another deliberate attempt in the song - this time with the instrumental arrangement. You'll notice the violin arrangement is reminiscent of the De Beer's (see www.adiamondisforever.com) diamond commercials. I wanted a strong emphasis on strings as they are common in ballad/romantic applications and can be very moving. Because Braveheart took place in medieval times, there was also a mild attempt at giving the song a somewhat Baroque-style. The strings help accomplish this as well as the 16th note piano trills. Longer trills would've been ideal, however. One particular note of interest regarding the instrumental arrangement is the piano solo. That piece was written in 1990 by Adam, when he was 17. I'd always wanted to use it and I think "No Other" was a perfect fit for it. The meshing of the solo to the rest of the song seems so natural that it is hard to imagine that the two were written independent of each other.
Another obvious inspiration is Robert Browning's poem, "Rabbi Ben Ezra." The first two lines say so much: "Grow old along with me. The best is yet to be…" This is not the first song to use this poem as a source of inspiration. In fact, John Lennon wrote a wedding song entitled "Grow Old Along With Me." I think the notion of growing old with one person and knowing that it only gets better in time is really the true expression of what love is. It is a testament to our capacity even with our mortal limitations.
Lyrics
No Other
(A. Hockley/M. Rosenmeier)
You’re the sunshine in my darkest hour
You’re my strength; you give me the power
Ooh, to make it through
And it’s all because of you
And it’s only fair that you know
I love you and you alone
Make this vow with me
And through life we’ll be
As one together
Make my life complete
And I’ll love No Other
You’re a godsend; an angel in disguise
Heaven knows how much you’ve blessed my life
Oh, The rest of my days
Are indebted to you
And it’s only fair that you know
My heart’s yours and yours alone
So grow old with me
All through life we’ll be
As one together
You’re the reason I breathe
I could love No Other
I will love you my whole life
You and No Other
(Instrument Solo)
You will see – the best is yet to be!
So grow old with me
Until I die I’ll be
Faithful and true
You make my life complete
I could love No Other
No Other
(Music Fill)
You’re all I’ll ever need
You and No Other
©2001 One Destiny Music