^{As another year ends, I went back and forth about how to close out Slow Jam Saturday for 2024. I decided to go with a bit of a resolution theme, and that song is “Starting Over Again” by the legendary Natalie Cole.}

^{The ballad was composed by Michael Masser and lyricist Gerry Goffin, and it was first recorded by Dionne Warwick in 1981. Eight years later, Natalie Cole covered the song, shortening the title. It became the fourth single from her twelfth album, “Good to Be Back.”}

^{The song finds Natalie Cole singing about renewal and second chances in a romance. She wanted to restore and get a lost love back,” sang the lyrics. Natalie utters that she is to love again, with new &better love.  “The line We were just too young to know,” tells us that the first connection failed because of ignorance and inexperience. The couple had great feelings; they didn’t know how to work with them and broke up. And that goodbye hurt so bad it was difficult to let go.}

^{But the chorus is the determination to resurrect. Natalie agrees it will be challenging, but they will get through it. It is a song about the regret that they no longer have the love of their lives. They want to repair the broken heart and enjoy being together again. The second verse tells us that it took being separated and alone to grasp their love for one another. According to the song, they never would have found how much they needed each other. If it wasn’t for the separation}

^{All the while, the emphasis is on love’s healing and changing capacity. The repetition of “welcome home, my lover and friend” suggests a start and a feeling of ease and safety when starting a relationship. It finishes with the singer saying he wants to forget his regrets and have a future of love and joy.}

^{“Starting Over Again” is about second chances and love conquering all comers to save and rekindle the relationship. It’s about the expectation and promise of beginning again, of a relationship being reestablished.}

^{Final Grade: B+}

^{“Starting All Over Again” is available on all streaming platforms.}