Jim and Sam’s “Doctor Please” shines a light on human fragility in a beautiful folk song about life, death, and everything in-between.
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We are all mortal; ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Yet most of our time is not spent dwelling on our numbered days; rather, it’s spent working, learning, laughing, playing: Focused on today and tomorrow, rather than “the distant future.” Out of sight, out of mind – until, of course, there’s no escaping the inevitable, and “the distant future” hits us square in the face. Jim and Sam’s “Doctor Please” shines a light on our human fragility in a beautiful, haunting folk song about life, death, and everything in-between.
I don’t believe in heaven
How am I gonna get through this
Brother lend me light
When they hand me darkness
Tell us something good Doctor please
Tell us something good Doctor lie
Has it all been a waste
Down on our knees
Tell us something good Doctor please
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the music video for “Doctor Please,” taken from Jim and Sam’s forthcoming sophomore EP, their first with Nettwerk Music Group. Married and residing in Los Angeles, the singer/songwriter duo of Samantha Yonack and Jim Hanft tell distinctly human tales through sweet, harmony-fueled folk songs. They do more with less, telling relatable stories and highlighting powerful emotions with simple, yet moving musical arrangements.
So while there’s no easy way to hear bad news, “Doctor Please” brings us together in the shared fact that we all have to deal with sad, difficult realities in our lives. “I don’t believe in heaven, How am I gonna get through this?” Hanft sings solemnly in the song’s opening. We immediately feel his pain, along with the tremendous weight of his burden.
Sister when you’re praying
Could you pray for me
‘Cause I don’t know that song
Those chords or that key
Tell us something good Doctor please
Tell us something good Doctor lie
Has it all been a waste
Down on our knees
Tell us something good Doctor please
“The song is based on my first experience with waiting for news from the doctor,” Hanft tells Atwood Magazine. “My father was in a tragic accident and was in a coma for several weeks until he passed away. While spending endless days in the waiting room with my family and other families going through similar things, I began to see how fragile we all are. When I brought the beginnings of ‘Doctor Please’ to Sam, she immediately connected to it through her own experiences and we finished the song.”
Jim and Sam’s music video adds a breath of light to an otherwise dark, heart-strained tale. “The video is inspired by moments we had on our Anywhere Everyday tour (which spanned November 2016-2017), where we played one show every day for a whole year. One of the most rewarding parts of the tour was born out of the necessity to perform daily and how that often led us to unique audiences in places that truly needed the music. Our friend, Kyle Weber came up with the treatment and directed the video, and Mike Zwahlen, another friend, filmed it. It was a family affair for a very personal song. We thought it really captured the magic of these moments but also kept intact the weight of the lyrics. Dressing as clowns is a metaphor for the game face you have to put on as a performer when it’s show time, but also how that commitment can be carried into everyday life, from the moment you wake up.”
I wish it were simple
I didn’t wear his watch
Mother can you hear me
Do my words get lost
Tell us something good Doctor, please
Tell us something good Doctor lie
Has it all been a waste
Down on our knees
Tell us something good Doctor please
Both the song and music video for “Doctor Please” are clearly rooted in areas of deep meaning to Jim and Sam, yet their value applies as much to each audience member as well. Heavy, heartfelt and full of bittersweet sentiment, “Doctor Please” provokes us to consider our own health and happiness, as well as that of those we love. How do we deal with conflict? Are we living to the best and fullest extent that our bodies and minds allow?
Embracing difficult life moments with grace, “Doctor Please” is breathtaking and beautiful. Stream Jim and Sam’s latest exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and look out for more from this fantastic duo as they work toward their sophomore EP, anticipated later 2018!
Watch: “Doctor Please” – Jim and Sam
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