Divided We Fall (Featuring Jenee Fleenor & Paul Nelson)

---

Recorded in Concord NC at the Studio of Jason Shaffstein

Produced by Donna Hughes

Engineered by Jason Shaffstein

Piano-Donna Hughes

LONG VERSION:

Violin-Jenee Fleenor

Cello-Paul Nelson

This is what Mark Kemp said:

Mark Kemp is Senior Editor at "Our State Magazine," a former music editor at "Rolling Stone," a voting member of the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," resident playlist maker, writer for "No Depression," former Vice President of music editorial for MTV Networks, Grammy Nom for Liner Notes for a Protest Singer named Phil Ochs, & Book Author of "Dixie Lullaby: A Story of Music, Race and New Beginnings in a New South," among tons of other wonderful accolades.

"Divided We Fall" by Donna Hughes, is one of the most compassionate, moving, and drop-dead realistic protest songs I’ve seen and heard in recent memory. In fact, it’s more like a much-needed sobering plea. Take a listen (and a look at every single frame of the video), and, if you’re so moved, please share it. People of all political perspectives need to see this.

A little background: Donna, the writer and performer of this song, is a humble realtor based in the small town of Trinity near my hometown of Asheboro in deeply red Randolph County, North Carolina. She also happens to be an extraordinary country singer and songwriter, who’s written for Alison Krauss, the Seldom Scene, Molly Tuttle, and many others. She’s released six albums, one (‘Gaining Wisdom’) produced by the late, legendary guitarist Tony Rice, and another (‘Hellos, Goodbyes, and Butterflies’) produced by the late, legendary banjo picker JD Crowe.

I met Donna when I was writing a story for No Depression magazine about the many iterations of the classic Naomi Wise murder ballad. Donna had written an entirely new ballad about the ill-fated damsel, and produced a lavish video for the song. I was riveted by her take on the tale, and I became an immediate fan of her work.

People often ask, “Whatever happened to protest songs?” Obviously, they’re out there. Anyone who listens to Kendrick Lamar knows that. But protest songs aren’t limited to any one genre or style. They’re everywhere. The thing is, they’re only effective when they reach the hearts and minds of many people. That’s why sharing them on social media is so important. To me, “Divided We Fall” is an important protest song. And I know protest songs. After all, I was one of the liner notes writers on ‘Farewells & Fantasies,’ the 1997 box set of songs by Phil Ochs, who was, arguably, the greatest protest songwriter ever. So please give this a watch and listen!