The song title to Alias Wayne’s new single, “Love One Another,” is most likely inspired by John 13:34 in the New Testament, where Jesus states: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” For Alias Wayne, love is an action word, and not just a mere feeling. With the words to this song, expressions of love are sought out in everyday life, and it’s a gentle, moving musical wish.
It begins quietly with acoustic guitar, keyboards and vocals. Lyrics start with, “I can see a place/Where all the children walk on water/I can see a place where all the fathers love their children.” With these words, a scene is set where the kind of love Jesus spoke about is put directly into practice. Perhaps this ‘place’ is heaven, as one hardly expects to see children of the Earth literally walking on water. Then again, it could be a visualization of a supernatural, exciting new future. Nevertheless, the Bible also talks about walking on water, so this may be another Biblical lyrical reference. A place can also be viewed where fathers love their children. Sure, most fathers already love their children. However, this song suggests an even deeper love than what is normally expressed in our present-day family units.
The music is mainly acoustic and folk-ish, but the vibe is decidedly gospel-y. It sounds the way gospel music might sound, if sung around a campfire: Informal, but equally sincere. Its title also sounds much like a gospel song.
Heaven is also alluded to with the next verse when we hear, “I can see a place/Where all the animals laugh together.” Alias Wayne then sings about the lion and the lamb hanging out with each other. This circumstance is also written about when heaven is pictured in the Bible. It’s also a tip of the hat to the animal kingdom. Animals are quickly disappearing from our contemporary society, so this may be Alias Wayne’s way of singing about animal preservation. Humans must love each other, yes, but they should also love animals. He also imagines a world “where the trees sing,” which spotlights the environment. Let’s not forget about having love for the Earth, this song suggests.
The song’s next verse speaks to those with physical handicaps. Once again, Alias Wayne causes us to consider heaven, as this is where the Bible promises we’ll all have new bodies. In a sense, the song comes off like Staple Singers’ “I’ll Take You There (part two),” as it also imagines a little heaven on Earth. However, the Staple Singers’ familiar song is also a Civil Rights era protest piece, as they sing about a place where no “smiling faces” are “lying to the races.” Both songs, however, incorporate a belief in the power of love to change human behavior from bad to good.
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It sounds so simple, but humans fail again and again to truly love each other. We need this reminder, though, because when we love one another, we humans are at our very best. This is a beautiful, timely song.
-Dan MacIntosh