Today's Song: JOBIE’s “All for One,” a Somber Lesson on Loving & Love Lost

A dreamy, lush meditation on burgeoning love marked by careful hesitance, JOBIE’s song “All for One” is an intensely vulnerable slow burn that will leave listeners vying for their one and only.

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Stream: “All for You” – JOBIE

As the saying goes: “All good things must come to an end.” It seems that in this life, joy is fleeting, coming into our lives for brief periods of time, only to depart when we least expect it, leaving us with fragmented memories of what once was. Singer/songwriter, Josie Arthur — known by her stage name, JOBIE — adeptly captures this plight in her newest single, “All for One,” a track full to the brim with deep introspection and wistful reverie.

All for One - JOBIE — All for One – JOBIE

Maybe I just like the idea of loving you
She’s sitting on the counter with her cowboy boots
Looking lonely, feeling only a hint of dread
With a red beam, that is gleaming from her head

My baby doll, my one for all
My golden sun, my all for one
My all for one

I made you out of silk and now you’re standing here
Standing like a bird of heron blue
And I see you in the shadows of my hallways
And I feel you in the way I move, I’ve been dreaming
And I’m needin’ a gentle bed
Can I lay here, with my right ear against your chest

Independently released on March 25, 2022, “All for One” marks JOBIE’s fourth single release. Toying around with guitar compositions and writing songs for plays at Shakespeare camp in 2019 turned into a full fledged musical passion for the 20-year-old, and she has determinedly pursued it ever since. JOBIE has spent much of her time as an early artist gigging wherever she can, alternating between front porches in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia and house show basements in Boston, Massachusetts, where she attends Emerson College as a Theatre and Performance major.

As a DIY artist of sorts, JOBIE has self-produced her entire discography in the basement of her childhood home. “All for One” began as a collection of lyrics haphazardly logged in her phone’s notes app following sporadic sparks of inspiration. After ruminating on the song since the summer of 2021, JOBIE gradually excavated and pieced together her outpouring of words into the fully fleshed out track of hazy contemplation that listeners hear today. In “All for One,” JOBIE has taken off the rose colored glasses that many wear when it comes to love, capturing the highs and lows that come hand in hand with relationships.

Previous releases “Half Way,” “Scorpio” and “Simple Man” feature vengeful and biting lyrics directed toward those who had wronged the singer/songwriter. And while her discography has always been marked by stark emotional vulnerability, she takes the road less traveled in this track. JOBIE forgoes her usual spite to instead fan the flame of a blossoming romance and warm up to the feeling of euphoric bliss — all the while remaining wary of being burned.

New love is a fragile thing.

This is emphasized within the track by stripped down guitar tremolo and JOBIE’s signature glowy, warm and whispery vocals. The singer/songwriter’s natural knack for creating almost trance-inducing tunes helps to purvey her fascination and deeply introspective exploration of love.

She begins the track by softly reflecting, “Maybe I just like the idea of loving you.” To JOBIE, it seems safer to let the fantasy of a possible romance remain, rather than letting her daydreams become shattered by stark reality. Finding the person you have always dreamed of being with often comes accompanied by a mixture of excitement and soul-encompassing anxiety. Even with her nerves, the singer/songwriter expresses pure disbelief and jubilation at the perfect person standing right in front of her, exclaiming, “I made you out of silk and now you’re standing here/Standing like a bird of heron blue.”

She tenderly sings, “I met you in the garden halls of Babylon and I kissed you, and I had you, now you’re gone.” JOBIE is not angry or spiteful because of this loss, only melancholy. Her lyrics are highly specific and overflowing with intimate prose as she sifts through memory after memory, “She’s sitting on the counter with her cowboy boots,” helplessly reminiscing on the good times. She begs her lover, “Can I lay here, with my right ear against your chest,” wanting to savor the present moment before the inevitable end of the relationship arrives.

My baby doll, my one for all
My golden sun, my all for one

I met you in the garden halls of Babylon
And I kissed you, and I had you,
Now you’re gone

My baby doll
My one for all
My golden sun, my all for one
My all for one

JOBIE’s “All for One” is concrete proof that sometimes the love we experienced for a brief time is worth all of the pain that follows in its wake. And while we infrequently come out of love unscathed, those memories and experiences shape the people we are today. “All for One” might have been born from a place of heartbreak and longing, but the end result is a soothing melody that tells us to savor the time we have with our loved ones.

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