My Gen X Playlist: I Will Always Love You – Chris Cornell

My sister in law was over for dinner and the conversation shifted to our wedding. For some reason, the subject of our marriage certificate came up and we wondered out loud where ours was.

They should have mailed it to you after you applied for it with the state of Hawaii, she said.

There was this awkward silence as both my wife and I were contemplating the same thought. Did we forget to apply for our marriage license? Uh-oh.

We called my wife’s other sister in Hawaii and asked her if she went in person to apply for her license. Yes, of course, she said. Why? Didn’t you?

Crap. What an important detail to forget. My sisters in law both laughed and joked that we were not married and living in sin. It made me laugh a little at first until I started thinking about areas that may be an issue. We file our taxes as a married couple. A quick google search told me that the federal government might consider this fraud if we weren’t legally married. What the hell? And my wife is on my health insurance. A problem? Maybe.

Fortunately, my brother’s wife is an attorney and we gave her a call. She is a very calming influence and talked us off the ledge. No, we are not going to jail for fraud. Nor will my company pull our health insurance. She assured us we were married. Worse case scenario, we just need to figure out the paperwork. Plus, people only really needed their marriage certificate if there was an issue in dispute. We needed to contact the state to investigate.

We called and they said they couldn’t provide verification over the phone. We needed to show up in person or apply for a copy of our marriage certificate online with proper documentation. The online process would take eight weeks to get an answer. We applied. Everyday we expected a message notifying us there was nothing on file. It was a long, slow eight weeks. We checked the mail daily leading up to the deadline. And I’m happy to report we are legally married. Our officiant must have filed the paperwork on our behalf. What a relief!

I did a search for alternative rock wedding songs. There are a bunch of odd lists out there. Real head scratchers. I did find this one: Best Alternative Songs for Weddings: A Non-Traditional Playlist. I love both their 80’s and 90’s playlists. Some were just great songs, maybe not for a wedding though. As I perused the lists, there was one song that might fit. It was Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You, but covered by the Cranberries. Whoa. I searched YouTube hoping to find this obscure version. Although I couldn’t find it, I found another cover that is probably much better. Who knew Chris Cornell covered a Whitney Houston song. As I read the comments, it made more sense.

What gets lost in this over time because it’s such a great performance is that he performed this just days after Whitney Houston died. That’s why you hear the instant acknowledgment from the crowd. There was no fan fare, no announcement of a tribute, just this heartfelt nod to another great singer. This gets me emotional every time.

YouTube comment by WorkFromYourLaptop

Damn. Goosebumps.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

If I should stay
I would only be in your way
So I'll go but I know
I'll think of you every step of the way

And I will always love you
I will always love you
You
My darling, you
Mmm-mm

Bittersweet memories –
That is all I'm taking with me
So good-bye
Please don't cry:
We both know I'm not what you, you need

And I... will always love you
I... will always love you
You, ooh

I hope life treats you kind
And I hope you have all you've dreamed of
And I'm wishing you joy and happiness
But above all this, I wish you love

And I... will always love you
I will always love you
I will always love you
I will always love you

I will always love you
I, I will always love you

You
Darling, I love you
I'll always
I'll always love you
Ooh
Ooh