“”Broken Vows”, if anything, is inspired by my parents’ divorce, which was a hundred years ago.”Pegi Young (350)

“”Starting Over” just came through really fast – the words. That was after I went to a memorial service for a friend of mine who had lost his wife after like 50-some years of marriage.”Pegi Young (350)

“That’s one where I woke up out of a dream. I was actually dreaming of something else completely. I was dreaming about this guy, Reverend Ike, and this venue up in Harlem called the United Palace. It’s a big beautiful old church they’ve converted into a musical venue. But it’s Reverend Ike’s church. And I was just thinking about Reverend Ike, and I woke up and I started to write this one song, and then this other one just arrived. I started thinking about foul deeds and I don’t know, maybe when you go to church that’s something you’re supposed to think about. I was raised Catholic.”Pegi Young (350)

“It told a story. I kind of look at it as a soundtrack to the seven stages of grief [written after husband, Neil, filed for divorce after 36 years of marriage – Ed]. You’ve got anger, then shock and disbelief. As we go through the album, the later songs show my growth and … I can’t say total acceptance, but I think the last song [on the album – Ed], that wonderful Don Henley song [The Heart of the Matter – Ed], talks about forgiveness. That’s really where it’s at, you know? Those early songs seem like the angriest. I had to figure out at 61 years of age: ‘Holy moly! Who am I?’ So much of my life has been dedicated to my family and to Neil. So I was a bit lost for a while. I was on my own for a long time before I married Neil, and now I’m on my own again. I’ve kind of gotten over the separation and divorce. I’m capable. I can do this. Even though this is probably the most personal record I’ve ever done, I still think there’s a universality to it. I’m certainly not the only person to have gone through a divorce. I’m not the only person who’s had heartbreak. Heartbreak is pretty universal, sadly but truly. And I hope that other people that have gone through similar or different situations can relate to it. I guess I just want people to know there’s hope, and not just hope but forgiveness, which is so key to our mental health. We go through things we may not’ve expected, what we thought was maybe our future. But even if we get the shock of our lifetime, life goes on. You figure out who you are again, and you just keep going on. I’m a living persona of that.”Pegi Young (893)