Sometimes simple songs of love emerge during the most belligerent times. Think of tunes such as “What the World Needs Now Is Love” and “Put a Little Love in Your Heart”, and one immediately connects them to the Vietnam War era. Or go back further to earlier times, such as “As Time Goes By”, “We’ll Meet Again”, and World War II. No doubt these are just a few samples, and there are plenty more that could be highlighted, as well as other songs from other conflicts.
Country music’s Tenille Townes didn’t write the simple love song “we could use a little more” during times of war (meaning the recent confrontation in the Middle East and Venezuela), but the single’s release during a time of global conflict seems prescient. One needn’t be a Nostradamus to have predicted the hostilities. Besides, Townes doesn’t focus on international conflicts any more than the previously noted songs alluded to their combats. Their call for love and compassion applies to personal relationships, communal feelings, and the general zeitgeist.
“Love wouldn’t pick up a gun / Love wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Townes softly croons over a softly strummed acoustic guitar. It’s a simple lesson we all know. The single is from her latest full-length album, The Acrobat. The song is thoughtful and calming. It works as a necessary anodyne to the troubled times in which we live. Extreme times call for radical responses. This track’s uncompromising quietude demonstrates how loud the world has become.