“Watching Airplanes” by Gary Allan has impacted my life as well as my family’s. This song has brought my family closer together, even though how far away we are to each other.
The way I got told this song when I was younger, my mom and dad lived across the world from each other from a young age. My dad was in the States, and my mom was in the Middle East. While dating, this was the song they danced to, cried to, and said goodbye to each other. It was also their first dance together on their wedding day. It was their song, but then it slowly turned into my family’s song.
The first time I heard “Watching Airplanes,” I was a flower girl at my uncle’s wedding in London. Since it was the first time seeing my family in a long time, especially my dad, since he works overseas, my uncle and his wife decided to dedicate a moment to my mom and dad during the reception. They got the floor to themselves but were also joined by my grandparents, my uncle, and my aunt. It was truly magical.
My family lives far apart from each other; my eldest brother is in the military, and he is currently stationed in Ohio, but waiting for his orders for his second deployment. My dad’s family is in Texas, and my mom’s family is all over the United Kingdom. I’ve never known anything different, but this song brings us together. Every time “Watching Airplanes” comes on the radio, it’s not just a melody or another song; it’s the joy of my family close by, knowing that no matter what, they are here with me.
My family being separated, every airplane I see in the sky is a symbol of connection. I remember when I was little, I was always asking when my dad was going to be home, or when we were going back home to England. My mom, brothers, and I would always find comfort in this song. “Trying to figure out which one you might be on” is a lyric in the song that I can relate to by just looking out at the “caramel colored sky,” trying to see the plane that my dad could be on. Waiting for him to land at the airport was an exciting and nervous feeling inside.
I’ve spent so much time at Pittsburgh International Airport. I could nearly drive there myself, no directions or anything. From picking up family, to leaving to go visit, it became the usual. While listening to “Watching Airplanes” to seeing airplanes, it’s a magical feeling. Just hearing the engines on the plane makes you feel just as powerful as the song does to me.
When I watch airplanes fly over me, I can’t help but think of the people I love who are far away from me. The sight of a plane flying across the wide sky is more than just a sight of transportation going from one place to another; it’s a reminder that even though we are separated by distance, Gary Allan made this song to make families feel close together, even when miles apart.
Airplanes hold more than just people and luggage; they carry love, reunion, and hope. For families like mine who live far apart, they symbolize that anything can be possible. Each plane shows that even distance between us can be crossed through; being separated from each other is not forever.
When I look back on my uncle’s wedding night, it wasn’t just the beginning of his family, but it became the start of a family tradition. Listening to this song has brought me the happiest and saddest memories that I can remember. It’s our goodbye song, not forever, but just a see you later song. “Those runway lights are getting brighter,” is a lyric that takes me back to being on the tarmac, waving see you later, even though they can’t see me, but I know they know I am.
