Adam Melchor and Mt. Joy deliver a timeless, soul-baring folk anthem in “Room on Your Shoulder,” blending tender lyricism, warm harmonies, and achingly emotive vocals into a heartfelt ode to friendship, vulnerability, and the quiet strength of human connection. A modern classic, the lead single off Melchor’s highly anticipated third studio album ‘The Diary of Living’ is a stirring reminder that even in life’s heaviest moments, there’s always room for compassion, grace, and hope.
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“Room on Your Shoulder” – Adam Melchor & Mt. Joy
Just as Bob Dylan did with “Blowin’ in the Wind”; just as Joni Mitchell did with “Both Sides Now”; just as Tracy Chapman did with “Fast Car”; and just as Noah Kahan did with “Stick Season”; Adam Melchor has now done with “Room on Your Shoulder” – contributing his own timeless, heartfelt, and achingly beautiful entry to the great American folk tradition: A modern classic, steeped in tenderness and vulnerability, destined to endure, resonate, and be passed down from generation to generation.
I thought of going out,
now I just wanna stay in
I saw you leaving town with your friends
I thought I’d know by now
if you and me were meant
And if you thought about
giving this a go again
Is there room on your shoulder?
Released January 10th via R&R / Good Boy Records and featuring Mt. Joy’s Matt Quinn and Sam Cooper, “Room on Your Shoulder” is Adam Melchor’s love letter to enduring friendship: An outstretched hand, a candid confession, and an honest plea for help and emotional support, all wrapped into one soul-baring, sweetly stirring serenade. The lead single off his forthcoming third studio album The Diary of Living (out May 2nd) finds the New Jersey-bred, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter reaching deep into his emotional core, offering up a moment of raw, human connection. Melchor blends poetic lyricism with a warm, acoustic intimacy as he sings of being there for someone in their darkest hour — and of needing that same grace in return. With Matt Quinn’s delicate harmonies and Noah Conrad’s textured production, “Room on Your Shoulder” becomes more than a song: It’s a safe space, a sanctuary, and a testament to the quiet strength found in simply showing up for one another.
Proof that the best things take time, Melchor reveals that this song has been seven years in the making – having started when he was on tour with Mt. Joy back in 2018. “‘Room on Your Shoulder’ is a song about friendship, longevity, and the true testament of the creative process – and it finally got finished this past year when I was recording The Diary of Living,” he smiles.
“This song meant so much to me and so much to us that it really took a long time to get the production right. When I finally showed it to Noah Conrad, the producer of the album, he really knew what to do with it and stripped it back to its most basic form, which is basically just how it sounded the day we wrote it. Mt. Joy is one of the first bands that ever let me open for them on tour, and it really led to me loving the road life so much. So, this song is a really, really great reminder of how long good things can take.”
Tryna to save your colors
while the walls are caving in
Feels like growing gardens from cement
I’m just left to wonder
if you had some love to lend
And if you thought
about giving this a go again
Is there room on your shoulder?
Is there room on your shoulder?
I don’t know how to get there,
but I know what I want
Is there room on your shoulder?
Both intimately personal and universally enduring, “Room on Your Shoulder” captures both the brutal lows and euphoric highs of our shared human condition.
Thematically, Melchor and Mt. Joy reckon with feelings of heartache, nostalgia, grief, and yearning, exploring familiar pangs of loneliness and longing, and how we so naturally turn to our loved ones in our darkest moments. It also captures the warmth of having those folks nearby, and what it means on a visceral level to have that kind of deep love and emotional light in our lives. Melchor’s gentle lilt meets Matt Quinn’s raspier grit in a delicate harmony that feels like a conversation between old friends – bruised but not broken, vulnerable yet full of love.
“It has taken many twists and turns, but the entire time the song still remained near and dear to our hearts,” Melchor tells Atwood Magazine. “This song is meant to be a song about forgiveness and a future past the pain you feel in the present. It also turned out to be an ode to camaraderie and friendship, and how the chapters of our lives do not have to define the chapters ahead.”
“The lyrics in the bridge are, ‘you were always by my side from LA to NJ,’ and both of these places have given me the rest of the world. I love NJ, I love LA, and I love the community that it’s given me.”
I find it hard to fall asleep when no one out here gets mе
‘Cause you were always by my sidе from L.A. to New Jersey
And if you thought about giving this a go again
If you thought about giving this a go again
The latest addition to the pantheon of classic folk songs, “Room on Your Shoulder” aches inside and out in the sweetest and warmest of ways.
It’s breathtaking summation of the human experience; the kind of song that reminds us we’re not alone — that even in our heaviest moments, there’s always room for connection, compassion, and hope. Next time you need someone, all you need to do is ask, “Is there room on your shoulder?”
Is there room on your shoulder?
Is there room on your shoulder?
I don’t know how to get there,
but I know what I want
Is there room on your shoulder?
Is there room on your shoulder?
Tell me what you need
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:: stream/purchase Room on Your Shoulder here ::
:: stream/purchase The Diary of Living here ::
:: connect with Adam Melchor here ::
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“Room on Your Shoulder” – Adam Melchor & Mt. Joy
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© Caro Knapp
© Caro Knapp
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