A CORK man who captured hearts on YouTube with a musical tribute to his recently deceased wife said he won’t be ruling out the possibility of a nationwide tour with his daughter who co-wrote the song.
Jerry Long performed the song ‘Get Up, Dress Up’ with his 11-year-old daughter Emily in memory of his wife (Emily’s mother) Elizabeth Long. It opened the gateway for messages from around the world which continue to pour in.
Jerry and Emily Long performing together at their home in Cobh. Jerry and Emily captured hearts on YouTube with a musical tribute to his recently deceased wife.
“A tour is something I’d be open to,” Jerry said. “Phone calls are coming in hard and fast so the YouTube video may just be a drop in the ocean. The way I look at it, Emily calls the shots. As far as I’m concerned I’m just her backup singer so any decisions will have to go through her first.”
But the pair are firm when it comes to their position on music reality shows.
“Emily and I won’t be competing. That’s something I feel very strongly about. Our performance came from a very real place and we won’t change for anyone. If people are going to come and see us we’d like them to hear Emily and Jerry, not something manufactured.”
Jerry admits that despite their newfound fame, the grief can still be all consuming.
“At the end of the day we’re just two normal people doing our best and trying not to hurt anyone along the way. Every morning we get up for each other. There are days where we still feel very down but we know that if Liz is looking down on us, she is saying ‘get up, dress up’ just like in the song and that’s what keeps us going. As far as we’re concerned Liz is always with us. At the funeral she had my back. I think she carried us all that day. Sometimes she’ll send signs. There are nights where I just stand outside the door and ask her for a shooting star. As soon as I see one I’ll go to bed.”
He praised his daughter’s strength: “She is wise beyond her years, even if that’s not by choice, and I’m so very proud of her. We’re trying our best to live in the day as opposed to the month or year and although that’s sometimes difficult it works for us.
The father-of-one will always cherish “I was chasing Liz for so long. I couldn’t get her to love me so decided to just give up altogether. That was when she started to love me back and at 23 we had Emily. While most people our age were going out we were at home minding a baby, but we took to it like ducks to water and loved every minute. They say there’s no such thing as the perfect relationship but ours really was. Life was so great but we always sensed that tragedy was ahead, even before Liz got sick. This was something we spoke about on a number of occasions.”
Jerry said he feels extremely lucky to have such a wonderful daughter.
“She is my rock and I am hers. This song has given life a new shine. I know that if Liz really is looking down on us, she is bursting with pride at how strong Emily is being.”
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