“I have loved this song for so long and I finally got a chance to jump in on it with Josh,” Emmylou Harris announced from the stage at SXSW this week. This is one of those moments we never expect, but can’t imagine it never existed after it’s taken place. “Girl in the War” is not only one of our favorite Josh Ritter tunes, but the The Animal Years opening track is among our favorite songs of all time, too. But back to the feeling of post-performance inevitability: Given that Harris has sung duets with many of our go-to singer-songwriters, from Conor Oberst to Gram Parsons (of course) to Ryan Adams, this pairing makes all the more sense.
Even in its unrehearsed state, the impromptu take brings the cut’s bittersweet tone of love lost in a turbulent, unpredictable world of mishap and misunderstanding home. A million thanks are owend to the YouTube user who caught the moment on film above.
