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Singer-songwriter Ben Musser and VENTS are teaming up for the premiere of his new single, “Keep My Babies Safe,” a song that pertains to the events that unfolded in Minneapolis and the emotional toll they’ve taken on communities across the country. It’s a grim reality that, unfortunately, seems to grow more troubling with each passing week.
Musser draws heavily from the tradition of Baptist church choirs, using layered, communal vocals that feel designed to soothe and uplift even as the subject matter remains heavy. The song itself was written during a deeply personal moment: Musser composed it while waiting for his wife to go into labor.
“My wife went to bed and I went to my studio and had a bit of a breakdown,” Musser says. “I’m not a very religious person, but I got down on my knees and started to pray. I shed some tears and turned it into this song. Now it resonates with the sadness and angst our country is feeling. Who are we as a community? Every day when my kids go to school I fear they won’t come back alive, or they’ll see something no person — and certainly no child — should be exposed to.”
“Keep My Babies Safe” also turns into something of a family collaboration. Musser’s father and sister, Mathews, join him on background vocals, along with his new bandmate Walker Young, giving the track the kind of collective, choir-like presence that directly ties into its musical inspirations.
Producer Scott Mathews helped shape those vocal arrangements, even reminiscing about his past work with The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson while crafting the layered sound that defines the song.
Ben comments “Keep My Babies Safe” is a tune that is one part prayer and one part a calling to come together over something we can all agree on; we want our loved ones to remain safe. In a time when gun violence is ever-present, war is unfolding, and even our own government is attacking the very citizens it is tasked to protect, the idea behind this song becomes more and more relevant as our safety sadly becomes less reliable.
The chorus refrain is something everyone can sing and get behind, no matter our differences. It is a highpoint on the album to have my father, Bill Musser, my sister, Meg Chamberlin, and musical collaborator, Walker Young, singing harmony with me on these choruses to uplift the song and give it that sense of community. For the back half of the song, I looked to my co-producer Scott Mathews to help arrange vocal parts outside of the melody and his work with The Beach Boys came in handy. Scott helped come up with call-and-response vocals and counter-melodies that create a moving, choir-like culmination, and joined in on the bass vocals, as well. What began as a prayer before my wife went into labor with our second child will hopefully become a simple refrain we can all sing together.
You know it’s time we must stand strong
strong
day after day
that evil keeps coming our way
so I sing
Please lord keep my babies safe
