Nashville Hit Songwriter Scores with Viral Song About Fatherhood: ‘Checking In’

Breitbart.com ^ | October 25, 2022 | John Kahn

[Twotone]

Sitting at a campground way outside Nashville, singer-songwriter Michael Farren turned on his iPhone to record a raw and acoustic version of a new song “Checking In,” a song that simply and intimately suggests to listeners to do one of two things: call your dad or take that call from your dad.

Little did he know that what he was about to record would go viral within a few days, garnering over 350,000 views on TikTok, with almost 30,000 likes along with thousands of shares and comments.

Farren had only performed “Checking In” once for people just a few days earlier at the famous Listening Room in Nashville. In fact, he had only written the song just a few days prior with fellow songwriters Kenneth Hart and Garrett Jacobs. But Farren knew they had chased and found a song that could “shake heart strings,” and the response to the maiden performance at the Listening Room only confirmed this.

“It wrecked the room,” Farren told Breitbart News. “Grown men sitting there crying at a public place.”

So, he decided to record a version acoustically sitting outside his camper with no studio, no frills, and with the wind blowing the iPhone mic periodically… just an honest singer singing an honest song in the middle of nowhere. In fact, it was so in the middle of nowhere that in order to upload the recording to Instagram and TikTok, Farren had to drive a bunch of miles to the dollar store right next to an Amish hitching post, simply to get Wi-Fi. And when it was uploaded, well, the song did the rest. “Checking In” began “wrecking” the internet.

[Twotone]

A very moving song for those of us who have lost our fathers.

[RummyChick]

thanks for posting this..someone in my family really needs to hear that song right now as a reminder

[Frank Drebin]

And for those who still have their father, I can’t tell you strongly enough, that you should do exactly what this song says and often.

[Rappini]

Kleenex warning on this one.

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

Obvious why it has gone viral. This will be a hit for some artists.

[TalBlack]

I read the article and the lyrics and listened to the song. Good song… but I don’t get it. Meaning what’s behind all the emotion? The song itself doesn’t light a light in my mind so I’d guess there is something wanting in the relationships of the listers and their kids.

[Twotone]

Those that miss their fathers & wish they could speak to them again have it hit closer to home. Or those that regret all the missed opportunities, & now there’s no chance of that connection again. It can go as easily for a mother or father. If all your loved ones are still with you & you speak regularly to them, maybe you just haven’t suffered that particular loss...yet.