For Annie
An original song called “For Annie” which appeared in the original rock opera The Long Goodbye which debuted in 2022 in Memphis, TN. Within the song, the narrator grapples with their own inability to reconcile or change the progression of events towards Annie’s death.
Creator Commentary
This song was written in 2017 during the weeks my Aunt Annie was in the ICU with acute liver failure. The first lyrics I wrote were “I do believe that love is never wasted.” This song eventually appeared on a 17-song studio album entitled The Long Goodbye, which was adapted into an original rock opera of the same name. In the staged version of this song, the character of Annie is passed between different versions of the narrator (Young, Wicked, and Present) and ultimately is passed into the arms of the Glam Reaper, a characterization of Death.
About the Artist
Emily Rooker is an independent, multidisciplinary artist whose practice includes songwriting, vocal performance, musical composition, theatermaking, and poetry. Rooker has songwriting, vocal performance, piano performance, and co-production credits on five studio albums, including her most recent work on The Long Goodbye, her independent original rock opera which debuted in Memphis, Tennessee to sold-out audiences after a successful $15,000 crowdfunding campaign. Rooker wrote, directed and starred in the show alongside 25+ Memphis-based creatives and paid out over $12,000 in stipends to her cast and crew. Rooker earned a Bachelor of Liberal Studies at the University of Memphis in Creative Writing and Entrepreneurship in 2023. Her music video “Don’t Come Home” earned the 2022 Indie Memphis Film Festival Hometowner Music Video 1st place Jury Prize and Best Vocalist Award at the 2022 Prague Film Festival. Rooker is the Memphis Songwriter Association’s 2022 Songwriter of the Year.
Credits
Emily Rooker – songwriter, vocals, piano, co-production
Nate Smith – guitar, bass, organ, co-production
Kenny Carlsen – drums, electronic instruments, co-production, mixing
IMAKEMADBEATS – mastering