I first heard Josh Hoke sing at my friend Annie’s house show last year. He and Annie did a duet and I was like, “Oh hello magical voices.” A fellow Portland dweller, mid-west native and former pastor’s kid, Josh and I have a few things in common. I’d like to add “and we are both musically gifted” but apparently playing the upright bass in 7th & 8th grade doesn’t qualify me for that title.

Pumped to have you hear this guy’s voice. Ladies, don’t stumble.

Photo Credit: Nate Grubbs

“I Need Your Love”

By: Josh Hoke

There was a time when I knew happiness
Nobody coming around to drag me down, leaving that emptiness
There was a time we were still innocent
I don’t believe you can save me
Oh, but you can hold me, you can hold me close

I need your love
I need your love
I need your love to light my way

No I won’t run away if you say that you’ll stay
Say you’ll stay

There was a time when I knew loneliness
Nobody coming around to paint this town, leaving that easiness
There was a time we were still wandering
And now I see you’ve been waiting
Oh, to welcome me, welcome me home

Opened your eyes, squinting in daylight
Hoping you’ll find it’s gonna be alright, alright

As a songwriter, I write about love a lot, and it can be easy to put romantic love up on a pedestal, as if it’s the ultimate goal or the endgame for finding contentment, when in reality, only the love of God brings real, lasting satisfaction.

 I wrote this song for the Illumination Project from a place of wrestling with the balance of being created to love and being loved while at the same time being rooted in the truth that…

…romantic love isn’t some savior that will fulfill all of my life’s desires.

The line, “I don’t believe you can save me, but you can hold me tight” speaks to the catch-22 that while the love of another won’t save me, it sure can be wonderful. For me, personally, love has never been a very black and white experience. I think love lives in the gray. 

Question: 

How do you deal with the catch-22 of enjoying romantic love while not letting it be your savior?

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Josh Hoke is a singer-songwriter of indie folk rock based in Portland, Oregon. His style is a tasteful mix of soul, country, pop and folk with influences ranging from Nick Drake to Otis Redding. He is best known for his intimate, live performances, which weave vulnerable, honest lyrics with palpable emotion and vocal intensity. He has been described as, “a thoughtful, concentrated performer and watching him stretch his vocal range as high and low as he can is something very special” (Lindsey Bluher, SSG Music). Currently, he is working on his first, full-length studio album, “Ghosts and Glory,” due out later this year.

Download “I Need Your Love” HERE. Visit Josh HERE. Song produced by Ryan Keith.