Don Breithaupt

Songwriter and producer, Don Breithaupt and his brother, Jeff describe writing the song, I Can See Hope From Here

DON: We grew up cottaging on southern Georgian Bay, and one way or another we still get up there every summer. In 2014 I rented a place, and Ross, the third of the Breithaupt brothers, was sitting on the dock admiring the view. He could see Giants Tomb Island, a little bit of Christian Island and then, referring to a little uninhabited island in the distance, he said, “I can see Hope from here.” I said, “That’s a great song title! I’m writing it down.” And it stayed in our potential song file until Eleanor commissioned us to write something original for the album. It was perfect for
a Canada-themed project, with a title that reflects Ontario geography. Jeff and I wrote it the way we always do, as a traditional music-and-lyrics team, like Rodgers and Hart or the Gershwins.

JEFF: Unlike most of our collaborations, which start with either fully realized melody or lyrics, this song grew piece by piece: a bit of music, then lyric, then music, then more lyric. It’s a song about living through a dark night of the soul and coming into the dawn—the light. The singer yearns to sleep because she wants to go back into a dream to see the person she has lost, but by the last verse she’s able to say, “It’s been a long night, it’s been a long year, but I can see hope from here.”

DON: There’s an image in the first line of the bridge, of dreams and stars bringing light from the past. As an astronomy nerd, I love that one.