#FlashbackFriday featuring a story behind the song "For The Both Of Us" by songwriter Andy Albert

Dan + Shay have collaborated with their friend and songwriter Andy Albert on their third, fourth, and fifth albums. He was a co-writer on "Bigger Houses" and "Island Time" from their self-titled project, to name a couple of songs. One of the ballads that he wrote with Dan Smyers and Jordan Reynolds (who the guys write songs with frequently) was "For The Both Of Us" from the duos "Bigger Houses" project. 

#FlashbackFriday to when Albert took to his Instagram account (@andrewalbert) on September 8, 2023 when the song was released to tell his part of the story about the day when he asked his now wife's father to have her hand in marriage.

"I remember the day at two rivers dog park I asked @emilyalbert's dad Cliff for his blessing," Albert began the Instagram post caption. "I was so beyond nervous...we usually only walked 2 or so laps around the park before heading home. It took me til the 4th lap to work up the nerve to ask him. I remember every emotion and anticipation leading up to that moment. I figured it's such a rite of passage, it deserved its own song."

I remember having tears in my eyes the first few times I heard this song. Dan + Shay's pure vocals, the simple production, and the heartfelt, real lyrics got to me and still all do to this day. While I have never been married, so many people in my life are, including my parents, sister, relatives, and close friends. I became attached to the song, as I have attended many of their weddings and heard many of their proposal stories from over the years and was able to relate in that respect.

Stay tuned for future pieces that will include Albert's Instagram post commentary on some of the other songs he has written with the duo in the past. I respect Dan + Shay as songwriters and all of the other incredible people they have penned tunes with over the last decade, including veterans like Chris DeStefano and Liz Rose, and newer ones (who have been writing songs in Nashville for the last decade) like (Andy) Albert and (Jordan) Reynolds. These songwriters also have told stories behind the songs they penned in their Instagram posts that I will feature as well on my blog in the coming months. 

When I get to read some of the background on a song's meaning from the songwriters themselves, it makes me appreciate the whole entity that much more!

Screenshot courtesy of @andrewalbert's September 8, 2023 Instagram post

Reference: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw7jkT_uylv/