Stephen Kellogg, ‘Love of My Life’ [Exclusive Premiere]

Singer-songwriter Stephen Kellogg originally wrote his new song "Love of My Life" for his wife's 40th birthday, but on his upcoming new album, he's letting the whole world hear it. Readers can press play above to listen to the track, premiering exclusively on The Boot.

"Love of My Life," Kellogg tells The Boot, was, at first, "kind of complex and art-y." The song went through several re-writes; Kellogg kept feeling like something about it was "off" but couldn't figure out why he was having such a hard time getting it right.

"It seemed simple enough: the notion that a person, if they’re lucky, will have one true romantic love that eclipses all others," he reflects. "It has been the case for me, and I’ve seen it enough to know it’s possible, but for some reason, I was struggling to articulate it."

Enter: a 1946 Gibson guitar. Kellogg was at the Chicago Music Exchange early one morning and started fiddling around with the axe -- and the song came out like it never had before.

"Really, the whole song flowed out," he says, "and in the bridge, I said what I should have said all along … 'Saying it simple doesn’t make it mean less.' We recorded it that week with the 1946 guitar that I ended up trading three of mine to obtain!”

"Love of My Life" is one of 12 songs on Kellogg's forthcoming record, Objects in the Mirror. Produced by Will Hoge, the project is set for release on Nov. 23 and available for pre-order now.

I wanted to make an album that sounded and felt like the ones I grew up loving ... emotional records where the songs relate to each other and the lyrics are front and center," Kellogg reflects. "That’s my true north.”

Formerly the frontman of folk-rock band Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, Kellogg now tours solo. In 2019, he'll be releasing his first full-length book, Objects in the Mirror: A Storyteller's Take on What Matters Most; it's a companion of sorts to his new album, a collection of essays about the things in life that should matter most.

Beginning in November, Kellogg will hit the road in support of Objects in the Mirror. Fans can visit StephenKellogg.com for details.