That’s Important To Me – Rory Feek

Introduction

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“That’s Important to Me” is a heartfelt song by the American country duo Joey + Rory, featured on their 2010 album, Album Number Two. The track was co-written by Joey Feek, Rory Feek, and Tim Johnson, reflecting the couple’s shared values and life experiences. The song emphasizes the significance of simple, genuine aspects of life, such as family, faith, and love.

The inspiration for “That’s Important to Me” came shortly after Joey and Rory married. They began discussing the fundamental elements they wanted to prioritize in their new life together. Joey, who was raised on a farm in Indiana, drew from her upbringing to list values like financial responsibility, enjoying nature, and being present with family. These discussions evolved into the song’s lyrics, capturing their desire to lead a meaningful and grounded life.

Initially, “That’s Important to Me” was slated as the lead single for their second album. However, after writing “This Song’s for You” with Zac Brown, the duo decided to release that track first, dedicating it to their fans. Consequently, “That’s Important to Me” became the album’s second single, released to country radio in October 2010. It debuted at number 58 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in February 2011.

The song’s music video offers a glimpse into Joey and Rory’s everyday life on their Tennessee farm, reinforcing the song’s themes of simplicity and authenticity. Over time, “That’s Important to Me” has resonated with many listeners, serving as a reminder to cherish the fundamental aspects of life that truly matter.

Video

Lyrics

Not plannin’ my day around the T.V. set
Payin’ our bills and stayin’ out of debt
That’s important to me
That’s important to me
Openin’ the windows and lettin’ in air
Holdin’ hands when we’re sayin’ a prayer
That’s important to me
Yeah that’s important to me
Havin’ somebody to share my life
Loving my husband and bein’ a wife
And the very best mother I can be
That’s important to me
Tellin’ the truth and bein’ real
And feeding my family a home cooked meal
That’s important to me
That’s important to me
Plantin’ a garden and watchin’ it grow
Keepin’ it country on the radio
That’s important to me
Yeah that’s important to me
Always havin’ you to hold
Bein’ beside you when we grow old
And they’ll plant us ‘neath that big oak tree
That’s important to me
Always havin’ you to hold
Bein’ beside you when we grow old
And they’ll plant us ‘neath that big oak tree
Believin’ our dreams,
Still bein’ ourselves if we ever get there
That’s important to me
That’s important to me
Yeah, that’s important to me
Hm that’s important to me

You Missed

A FOUR-YEAR REIGN ON COUNTRY STAGES — BUT THEIR FINAL MEETING HAPPENED UNDER THE FLUORESCENT LIGHTS OF A MISSOURI HOSPITAL. On the night of June 4, 1993, the bright, cinematic stage lights of Branson, Missouri, had just faded for Conway Twitty. Traveling home on his tour bus, the 59-year-old country legend collapsed from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. The bus was immediately diverted to the emergency room at Cox South Hospital in Springfield. Inside that exact same hospital, Loretta Lynn was already keeping a vigil. She was there as a devoted wife, sitting beside her real-life husband, Doolittle “Mooney” Lynn, as he battled his own severe health issues. For two decades, Loretta and Conway had been country music’s greatest duo, winning four consecutive CMA Vocal Duo of the Year awards and sharing a pure, enduring friendship. She was already terrified of losing the man she married, only to find out that her musical husband—the voice that had promised “I Love You More Today” to millions of listeners—was dying just a few walls away. There was no final duet, no grand farewell under the spotlights they were so used to sharing. The physical distance was only a matter of footsteps, yet the emergency room doors created a permanent boundary between life and death. The silence in that hallway marked the tragic end of country music’s most iconic partnership. How Loretta navigated the days that followed, balancing her private grief with the public mourning of an entire genre, remains a testament to the quiet strength she carried long after the music stopped.

SHE SPENT THEIR CHILDHOOD TRAVELING 300 DAYS A YEAR TO BUILD A COUNTRY MUSIC EMPIRE—BUT LORETTA LYNN’S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT WITH HER TWIN DAUGHTERS HAPPENED LONG AFTER THE TOURS STOPPED. When Peggy and Patsy were born in 1964, their mother was rapidly becoming the most famous woman in Nashville. To keep her family out of poverty and secure her place in a male-dominated industry, Loretta Lynn spent most of their early years on the road, leaving the twins at home while she worked relentlessly to build a legacy. She never hid the guilt of missing school plays and birthdays. Yet, instead of carrying the resentment of a childhood spent waiting by the window, Peggy and Patsy grew up to understand the grueling cost of their mother’s success. In adulthood, they formed their own country duo, The Lynns, and chose to step into her world. The very thing that once separated them became their bridge. For years, the three women traveled together on a tour bus, crossing endless miles of highways. The confined space of the road replaced the lost time, transforming a famous mother and her daughters into genuine best friends. The final years of Loretta’s life brought a quiet reversal of roles. After a 2017 stroke and a 2018 broken hip forced her off the stage permanently, she retreated to her ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. The daughters who once waited months for her to come home became her primary caregivers, staying by her side until she passed away in 2022. They gave back the care she had once sacrificed to give them a better life. How they spent those final quiet seasons at the ranch—and the specific conversations that fully healed the years of distance—reveals a much deeper chapter behind the public story of the Coal Miner’s Daughter.