For me the inspiration behind writing is typically multi-layered. It's usually a combination of listening to a particular artist or two coupled with an experience that come together. In the story of "One of a Kind," it was just that sort of "hey you got peanut butter in my chocolate" kind of moment.
I'd been listening to a lot of John Prine music, specifically three chord foundations with simple melodies. There is a cadence to his melodies that is so simple, yet extraordinarily strong at the same time. It was also about this time that I woke up really hard one night from a rocky dream. When I got my whits about me, I realized I was holding my wife's hand. From a poetic standpoint it was as if she pulled me out of the dream to safety and I was somewhat struck that even in my sleep, my tendency was to reach out to her.
And thus was the foundation for "One of a Kind." I tried several ways to focus the lyric on the holding hand thing, but it wasn't working. So I took a page from Mr. Prine and wrote a simple "why we work" kind of thing. "You're so cool and you're so pretty, truly one of a kind. Best of all you somehow get me and I'm so glad you're mine." Simple. To the point. To me, at the root, a relationship is based on a simple truth. "You get me like no other." And so the song was going.
Eventually I reached a point where I needed to decide whether or not a bridge was in order. This is where the idea for the holding hands moment came into thought. Yes at the root it seems quite simple. We get each other and love each other. But as a couple we face the world every day and that can be a struggle. So to pour some more concrete on the foundation I felt, how profoundly simple it would be to make the statement that when our subconscious is dreaming, dealing with the stresses of our day and our world, our inclination is still to reach out to each other. That even in the darkness of our inner thoughts we still find comfort in knowing the other is there. Hence the line, "I'm alright, when I wake to find that we're still holding hands."
I love a good story song. Love to write the deep metaphor. But sometimes it's the simple lyric, the straight from the hip reflection that needs to be said to clearly state that the reason we're together is because "You're truly one of a kind."