Derrick Boudwin is a singer from Utah. Min Reid Richards is a filmmaker, whose new movie For the Love of Fred will be released in September, on World Alzheimer’s Day. The movie relates the story of Fred, as he journeys through the devastating loss of his wife, Samantha, who is diagnosed with early-onset Familial Alzheimer’s.
Ms. Reid Richards took the song “Red,” Taylor Swift’s love song from 2012, and used it as the musical theme for a poignant trailer for her film.
As the trailer begins, Fred and Samantha are portrayed as a young couple, lovers out for a drive in the country. The trailer then segues to years later as Fred frantically searches for Samantha, who has wandered away. As the song “Red” progresses, the trailer travels back to the lovers lying on the ground, where Samantha asks Fred to promise he will never leave her, no matter what. Of course, he makes the promise. More importantly, he keeps it. Even though Sam descends into the dim twilight of dementia, he remains faithful and true.
The intro to “Red” is a solo piano, followed by a simple drum beat. Then Boudwin’s voice enters and the song takes off. The original lyrics go like this:
Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street Faster than the wind, passionate as sin ending so suddenly Loving him is like trying to change your mind once you’re already flying through the free fall Like the colors in autumn, so bright just before they lose it all
Losing him was blue like I’d never known Missing him was dark grey all alone Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met But loving him was red Loving him was red