Falling In Love

Justin and I were a match made in heaven — aspiring rock guitarist meets aspiring country singer.

When I first met Justin, I thought Guns N Roses was the name of a biker brand, and Poison was a bunch of cross dressing girls. My parents had raised me on 80’s and 90’s country, and I had dreams of becoming the next Martina McBride.

In the year 1997 music was, by Justin’s standards, at an all-time low. Boy bands were all the craze. The Spice Girls were the biggest pop group in the world, and “MMMBop” was the new “BeBop”.

A few months into our relationship, Justin decided he was going to convert me to a “rock chick.”

“I’m about to rock your world,” he said with a smile on his face.

We went to a Turtle Music store, which was like a used furniture store for CD’s. Justin told me to pick three of my country albums to swap for rock albums.

“It’s just music,” I said while rolling my eyes.

As a singer, I loved to perform music, but I never had a strong connection to it. I usually gravitated towards radio friendly hits, and songs that made me “feel good.”

When Justin and I left the store that day, I ended up with three albums: Live! Live! Live! by Bryan Adams, Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi, and Big Ones (a greatest hits album) by Aerosmith.

On the way home Justin popped Big Ones into the cd player.

“What song are you playing?” I asked

“You’ll see,” he said while cranking the volume up.

The opening guitar riff was powerful and steady, and the tune sounded a bit familiar.

“I think I know this one,” I said while gazing into Justin’s eyes.

Steven Tyler sang, “We’re partners in crime, you got that certain something, what you do to me, takes my breath away.”

The song was none other than Aerosmith’s iconic 1989 grammy nominated hit Cryin.

In that moment, something happened to me. I’m not sure if it was Justin, Steven Tyler’s voice, or the experience as a whole but something clicked in my brain. I felt like Dorothy, waking up on the colorful side of the rainbow.

At 14-years-old I found myself falling in love, with not only Justin, but also with rock-n-roll.

Pretty soon Justin had me hooked on all the classics: Queen, Reo Speedwagon, Def Leopard, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Guns N Roses, and especially Aerosmith.

I’ve always credited rock-n-roll for transforming my spirit but it was actually Justin. I saw the intense way he loved music, and it rubbed off on me.

His passion became mine, and I became a person of substance; instead of just following the crowd like most everyone else.

One afternoon while hanging at my folks house, Justin picked up my mother’s 1963 Gibson acoustic and started to strum.

“I know a country song,” he said.

As he began plucking the opening chords to a familiar song I started to sing.

It’s amazing how you can speak right to my heart.

Without saying a word, you can light up the dark

Keith Whitley

“I love that song,” I said, “It’s always been one of my favorites.”

After a few moments of us debating who actually wrote it (I mistakingly thought it was Allison Krauss) we made a decision: When You Say Nothing At All would be our song.

I might have been young and a little naive, but in that moment I knew I had found the man that I would one day call my husband.

Come back tomorrow for Part Five: The Winter Formal

Click here for The Justin and Jessica Chronicles: Part Three – The first kiss