Music Friday: 'Emeralds From Mountains Thrust Towards the Sky' in 1998's 'I’ll Be'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fantastic songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, Edwin McCain employs a key "emerald" reference in his timeless hit, "I’ll Be" — a tune that was selected by one-million-plus Dr. Phil viewers in 2005 as the best wedding song ever written.

The romantic gemstone metaphor is in the very first verse of the memorable 1998 tune: “The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful / Stop me and steal my breath / And emeralds from mountains thrust towards the sky / Never revealing their depth.”

Emeralds, in this case, embody the characteristics of his girlfriend: precious, beautiful, majestic, mysterious and sublime.

While most listeners would bet the farm that McCain intended “I’ll Be” to be a heartwarming love song, the 53-year-old singer-songwriter revealed that it was actually written as a prayer in a moment of personal and professional desperation. He was going through a rough breakup with his girlfriend while struggling with the unwieldy demands of his record label.

“It was kind of a Hail Mary prayer for me, personally,” he told songfacts.com. “The idea was that maybe if I write my future, it’ll come true.” He told the music website that, despite the misinterpretation of “I’ll Be,” he is very pleased that his song has become a favorite wedding song and he’s always proud to play it in concert.

“I’m not associated with the ’90s,” he said. “I’m associated with weddings. So it never ends. It’s timeless.”

McCain also revealed his inspiration for the song's repeating phrase, "cryin’ shoulder," and its final line, "The greatest fan of your life."

He explained to hudsonandemily.com, “There was a girl I dated who was on her way to being an actress and it was one of those things where it was never going to last, but I remember I used to always tell her I’d be her greatest fan."

He continued, "That and I overheard a drunk guy at a bar fumble over his words about being a 'shoulder to cry on' or 'crying shoulder' and I remember writing it down on a bar napkin because that phrase sort of hit me the right way, and I went home and wrote it all down, and there you go.”

“I’ll Be,” which was released as the first single from McCain’s second album, Misguided Roses, rose to #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and stands as McCain’s biggest hit.

Born in Charleston, SC, McCain toured with Hootie and the Blowfish in the early 1990s and eventually signed with his tourmates' label, Atlantic Records. McCain has released 11 albums and continues to perform live, with dates already scheduled through September 2024.

Check out the official video of McCain singing “I’ll Be.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“I’ll Be”
Written and performed by Edwin McCain.

The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful
Stop me and steal my breath
And emeralds from mountains thrust towards the sky
Never revealing their depth

And tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I’ll be captivated, I’ll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above

And I’ll be your cryin’ shoulder
I’ll be love suicide
And I’ll be better when I’m older
I’ll be the greatest fan of your life

And rain falls angry on the tin roof
As we lie awake in my bed
And you’re my survival, you’re my living proof
My love is alive, and not dead

And tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I’ll be captivated, I’ll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above

And I’ll be your cryin’ shoulder
I’ll be love suicide
And I’ll be better when I’m older
I’ll be the greatest fan of your life.

And I dropped out, I burned up, I fought my way back from the dead
I tuned in, I turned on, remembered the thing that you said

And I’ll be your cryin’ shoulder
I’ll be love suicide
And I’ll be better when I’m older
I’ll be the greatest fan of your life

And I’ll be your cryin’ shoulder
I’ll be love suicide
And I’ll be better when I’m older
I’ll be the greatest fan of your life
The greatest fan of your life.

Credit: Screen capture via Youtube.com.

Demi Lovato Shares Intimate Shot of Her New Pear-Shaped Engagement Ring

Singer-songwriter-actress Demi Lovato and her new fiancé Jordan “Jutes” Lutes have been sharing social media pics of their holiday-season engagement, and Lovato's stunning new pear-shaped diamond engagement ring has become a news story in itself.

While some "experts" have estimated the carat weight of the diamond at 4.5 to 5 carats, with a value of $150,000 to $200,000, others believe it's as large as 8 or 9 carats with a price tag of up to $760,000.

Nevertheless, what we do know for sure is that the natural diamond ring is set with five prongs in a cathedral solitaire setting on an unadorned yellow gold band. This design draws all of the attention to the large center stone..

The 32-year-old Lutes, who is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter, popped the question privately in Los Angeles a week ago Saturday and reportedly celebrated the engagement with members of both families the next day at Craig's, one of their favorite West Hollywood eateries.

“I’m still speechless," the "Confident" singer, 31, captioned a series of engagement pics on Instagram. "…last night was the best night of my life and I can’t believe I get to marry the love of my life @jutesmusic.”

The next day, Lovato shared an intimate closeup of her hand caressing the shoulder of her napping boyfriend while the impressive ring glistens in the foreground. Her caption read, "4 candles for forever," a reference to the four Sundays of Advent and the symbols of hope, peace, joy and love.

On Christmas Day, Lutes shared multiple photos of his first American Christmas, which included an adorable pic of the couple in matching hooded pajamas.

Commenting on the post, Lovato joked, "I’m still not over your uno championship reign. I’ll let you have it because it’s Christmas. Jkjk I loooooooove you and this was the best Christmas ever… getting to spend it with you has been a dream come true. Now can we pleeeease watch some love island together?"

Pagesix.com reported that the ring design was the result of a collaboration between the couple and Teresa Panico of the Material Good boutique, located in the Soho district of New York City. Lovato and Lutes reportedly "fell in love" with the pear-shaped diamond and the design came to life two weeks later.

In addition to collaborating on the ring design, Lovato and Lutes also co-wrote the former Disney star's song, "Substance," back in January of 2022. That was when they met, and they subsequently worked professionally and became good friends before taking the relationship to the next level in August of 2022.

“He was just so focused on the music,” Lovato said during a LadyGang podcast. “So we were friends for a while and then told each other how we felt.”

Credits: Ring photo via Instagram / ddlovato. Couple photo via Instagram / jutesmusic.

Artificial Intelligence Helps Unite Airline Passengers With Lost Jewelry, Watches

With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), holiday travelers who have lost their jewelry at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and 11 other major air hubs across the US have a much better chance of getting it back.

During an average year at DFW, for example, more than 18,000 items are reported lost by travelers. But, thanks to newly installed artificial intelligence software, about 90% of the items are successfully returned to their owners.

Shimaa Fadul, who runs daily operations at the DFW lost and found, told CBS News that her team of specialists have collected 587 rings and 414 watches, including seven Rolexes, so far in 2023.

As she opened a secured cabinet to show CBS News reporter Omar Villafranca the magnitude of the collection, all he could say was "Wow" as he viewed the labeled plastic containers brimming with watches, bracelets, necklaces, rings and miscellaneous jewelry, as well as keys, sunglasses and cell phones.

When the airport's team finds an item, it is immediately photographed and entered into a database. The team does its best to described the item in great detail. When travelers inquire about items, they, too, will provide descriptive information and photos, if available.

Lost and Found software, which is operated by Hallmark Aviation Services, uses AI and image recognition to automatically match found items with inquiries. Once the match is confirmed, the items can be quickly returned to their rightful owners.

Fadul noted that distinguishing marks, such as stickers or serial numbers, help the process along. In the case of jewelry, we're assuming that detailed gem configurations, hallmarks and inscriptions will be equally valuable in making a match.

She explained how her team came to the rescue of a woman who recently misplaced her wedding dress at DFW. Fadul's team found the dress and, with the help of AI, matched it to the bride-to-be and overnighted it to her barely 24 hours before she was set to walk down the aisle.

Check out the CBS News report here…

Credits: Screen captures via cbsnews.com.

Music Friday: Chrissie Hynde Sings About Diamonds Sparkling in the Snow

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you spectacular songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. In the 1983 holiday release, “2000 Miles,” rock legend Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders paints a picture of a diamond-embellished winter scene while lamenting the fact that she’s far away from the one she loves at Christmastime.

She sings, “In these frozen and silent nights / Sometimes in a dream… you appear / Outside under the purple sky / Diamonds in the snow… sparkle / Our hearts were singing / It felt like Christmastime."

While many people see “2000 Miles” as a sweet Christmas song about a young woman yearning to be closer to her lover during the holidays, the tune is actually Hynde’s tribute to guitarist and founding band member James Honeyman-Scott, who died of a cocaine overdose in 1982 at the age of 25.

“2000 Miles” was released as a single in December of 1983 and appeared as the 10th track of The Pretenders’ Learning to Crawl album. The single was popular in the UK, where it peaked at #15 on the UK Singles Chart. Learning to Crawl earned the #5 spot on the US Billboard 200 albums chart.

While discussing the song in a 1990 interview with Select magazine, Hynde praised the excellent guitar work of former band member Robbie McIntosh while roasting herself as a vocalist and lyricist, stating, "… McIntosh plays beautifully on '2000 Miles'. Anything to avoid listening to my voice and my stupid words."

In 2014, while finishing up her album Stockholm, Hynde collaborated with Swede Bjorn Yttling on an updated version of “2000 Miles." It was released as a Christmas single in the UK that December.

She told Classic Rock Magazine, “I think it captures the mood of the season perfectly as it gets cold in Sweden, reindeer wander the streets freely and the snow was coming down! Happy Christmas!”

Coldplay (2003), The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (2010), Natalie Imbruglia (2010), Mark Kozelek (2014), Kylie Minogue (2015), Train (2015) and Tom Chaplic (2017) have all covered “2000 Miles” for their holiday albums.

Born in Akron, OH, in 1951, Hynde formed The Pretenders in Hereford, England, in 1978. The band has sold more than 130 million albums worldwide and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. They have been touring on and off for the past 45 years.

Please check out the live performance video of Hynde and The Pretenders performing “2000 Miles” in 1995. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“2000 Miles”
Written by Christine Hynde. Performed by The Pretenders.

He’s gone 2000 miles
It’s very far
The snow is falling down
Gets colder day by day
I miss you

The children will sing
He’ll be back at Christmastime

In these frozen and silent nights
Sometimes in a dream… you appear
Outside under the purple sky
Diamonds in the snow… sparkle

Our hearts were singing
It felt like Christmastime

2000 miles
Is very far through the snow
I’ll think of you
Wherever you go

He’s gone 2000 miles
It’s very far
The snow is falling down
Gets colder day by day
I miss you

I can hear people singing
It must be Christmastime

I can hear people singing
It must be Christmastime

Credit: Image by Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Choron Group to Unlock Secrets Within Historic 108-Carat Pink Diamond

The historic 108.39-carat pink diamond recovered in March at the renowned Kao mine in the Kingdom of Lesotho is now in Antwerp, where it will be skillfully cut and polished into a series of finished diamonds by the Choron Group.

"Over the coming weeks and months, we will be taking you on a manufacturing journey from our base in Antwerp as we bring this once-in-a-lifetime diamond to life," Choron wrote on its Linkedin page. Founded in 1985, Choron is a leading diamond-industry player with a division that specializes in the manufacturing of exceptional rough diamonds.

Earlier this month, Choron agreed to purchase the Type IIa pink gem from Kao mine operator Storm Mountain Diamonds (SMD) for an undisclosed sum. Type IIa diamonds are chemically pure with no traces of nitrogen or boron impurities.

"It is a privilege for Choron to unlock the secrets within this remarkable pink diamond and we look forward to revealing the story of this historic diamond," said company CEO Anshul Gandhi. "Our artisans will meticulously transform this rough diamond into an array of polished diamonds that will be remembered for generations to come."

It's likely that the 108.39-carat fancy intense pink diamond will be divided into a large hero stone and a series of satellite stones. The anticipated sizes and shapes on the polished stones have yet to be revealed.

Gandhi told Rapaport News that SMD will retain a minority share in the stone, while Choron will manufacture and market it.

Storm Mountain Diamonds, which is jointly owned by Namakwa Diamonds Limited and the Government of Lesotho, noted that its March 2023 find is one of the largest pink diamonds ever to be discovered globally. In fact, the gem is more than twice the carat weight of the Kao mine’s previous record holder: the 47.81-carat “Pink Eternity,” which was discovered in 2022. Other notable pink diamonds from the mine include the “Pink Palesa” (21.68 carat, 2021) and the Rose of Kao (29.59 carats, 2018).

“SMD continues to consistently deliver extraordinary diamonds, and this diamond further cements the Kao mine as the primary producer of pink diamonds globally," noted Robert Cowley, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SMD. "We are thrilled to enter into this agreement with Choron and we look forward to the next chapter of this diamond’s story.”

Pink diamonds are in high demand and short supply since the November 2020 closure of Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine, which had been the world’s primary source of high-quality pink diamonds.

Credits: Images courtesy of Storm Mountain Diamonds.