We have come to treat love as something. The days when men wrote poems and ballads for their fought duels for their honor are gone. Today feelings often fit into an emoji and a short “I love you.” In this context the single “For You” and the story of its creation feel touching and tender to me. Because Dave Nordstrom, of simply saying “I love you “ wrote a romantic ballad. Dave kept it for fifteen years before showing it to the world. His name is Dave Nordstrom and he performs under the name Chet Nordy.
Fifteen years ago Dave wrote a composition as a gift for his bride-to-be. For their wedding. It was chamber-like, intimate, sounding more like a letter than a track for a wide audience. Today a decade and a half later the personal wedding song has received an interpretation. More energetic, electric and rock-driven but it has not lost the main thing: the sincere feeling it all began with. It is pleasant that the remake does not destroy the essence of the original. Reveals it more fully. The guitar parts are memorable and confident. The chorus is catchy. You want to sing along. At the end a beautiful and very successful move: the song returns to the acoustic guitar as if bringing the story full circle and reminding the listener where it all started. This contrast between drive and acoustic tenderness shows Daves musical range.
The story of the recording itself echoes the content of the song. Hailing from Freeland, Michigan Dave built his studio, Nordy Studios in the basement of his house turning a limited space into a full-fledged creative workshop. On “For You ” Dave wrote the music and lyrics performed all the parts and took on the main recording duties entrusting the vocals to Josh Palino. Palinos emotional confessional delivery transforms Daves story into a universal statement that is easy to relate to.
For Chet Nordy, this release is a personal milestone: the song helped him become a better musician and producer. The relaunch of “For You” preserved the family story and reignited his passion for creating music. We’ll be waiting to see what other stories that basement in Freeland has in store for us.
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