Glen Campbell's final recording session of a song he wrote about his ongoing battle with Alzheimer's disease is captured in a new video that is both incredibly heart-breaking and heroically uplifting to watch.
Campbell has been very public about his battle with Alzheimer's, bravely staging a farewell tour after his diagnosis in 2011 and even allowing camera crews to capture those performances for a new documentary. Now, he has released a new single, taken from the final recording session of his career, reports Sterling Whitaker of Taste of Country.
According to Radio.com, Campbell went into the studio in January 2013, just months after his final public performance. The resulting track is "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," a rumination on everything that Alzheimer's is slowly taking from Campbell as he enters its advanced stages.
Campbell co-wrote the song with Julian Raymond and recorded it specifically for the documentary film "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me," which is set to open in theaters Oct. 24. The film is about the five-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and wife Kim Campbell's handling of the singer's condition, which they made public in 2011, according to the LA Times. The film, directed by Stacy Keach, won the grand prize at the Nashville Film Festival upon its premiere there in May.
The lyrics of "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" are both sad and almost unbearably resolute, notes Taste of Country as the singer pays a final farewell to his wife and his life while acknowledging that much of the burden for what's ahead will not fall on him:
"I'm never gonna hold you like I did / Or say 'I love you' to the kids / You're never gonna see it in my eyes / It's not gonna hurt me when you cry / I'm never gonna know what you go through / All the things I'll say or do / All the hurt and all the pain / One thing selfishly remains / I'm not gonna miss you."
Interspersed with scenes from Campbell's final tour as well as flashbacks from his career, the video serves as a testament to the legend's impact in both his musical and personal life, as well as a fitting farewell to one of the leading musical lights of his generation.
Campbell continued performing, with some of his children in his backing band, until his Alzheimer's reached the point he could no longer play or sing effectively.
He was moved to a full-time care facility in April, and his wife, Kim, has said that it is unlikely that he will ever perform in public again.
Watch the video of "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" here.
The documentary "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me" features commentary from fellow musicians Blake Shelton, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift and Vince Gill, as well as friends and fans like Steve Martin, Bruce Springsteen, U2's the Edge, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Webb, Jay Leno and Bill Clinton.
A five-song EP soundtrack was released Sept. 30, reports latimes.com. The EP includes "I'm Not Going to Miss You" plus the Band Perry's version of Campbell's breakthrough hit "Gentle on My Mind" and his daughter Ashley Campbell's recording of "Home Again." It also includes live versions from Nashville's Ryman Auditorium of Campbell performing "Wichita Lineman" and "A Better Place," the latter a song from his 2011 album "Ghost on the Canvas."
