Crucial Track for 24 June 2025

"Let It Be Me" by The Everly Brothers

Listen on Apple Music

Your browser does not support the audio element.

“Let It Be Me” by The Everly Brothers was the first English song I could sing (besides “Happy Birthday” and “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” of course). My English teacher taught it to us in class when I was in elementary school. I remember practicing this song even after school, singing it to my mom over and over until she could sing it with me. I can still remember most of the lyrics now.

The song is simple, yet it conveys meaning and emotion in just a few words. Thai songs are usually more verbose, so I really appreciated its simplicity even as a young child.

I really love this part: “Each time we meet, love
I find complete love
Without your sweet love
What would life be?”

I often find myself singing this part without even realizing it, even though I never owned the physical record or downloaded it. It has stayed with me more than 25 years after I first learned the song.

Looking back, I can say that this song was the gateway to my love for English. At that point, I was learning English only for reading and writing, and grammar was not fun at all! (Yes, we Thai people tend to focus too much on grammar before speaking, so I still speak broken English while being able to read English academic research with no sweat.)

I fell in love with English music and the English language right then, and I will never fall out of love with it, even in my last breath.

So, it’s the song I will forever be grateful for—my door to another world I never thought I could see and hear.