About this song
- “Jesse” is the third single from Mia Dyson’s acclaimed fourth album The Moment. The song shines a light on a dark corner of Australia’s history, the practice of forced adoptions. “Jesse” was written after fan Lesley Pearse approached her after a show to ask whether she could write a song about her plight. “Lesley’s story had a profound effect on me,” said Dyson. “As an unwed mother in the early 70's, she was sent to live out her pregnancy away from family and friends, told she was an unfit parent and coerced by social workers into signing papers to hand her baby over under immense pressure.” “I was shamed into giving up my baby and told that if I loved the child I would do what was 'right' - relinquish my baby to a married couple,” explained Lesley Pearse. “I was told I would 'never be able to have any contact with my baby again'.” “The idea that this was not just a one-off, but a systemic atrocity that has affected both mothers and their children for decades after really shocked me,” said Dyson. “I was driven to write Jesse as I think that understanding and sharing their story is the best tribute we can give to these brave women as we move towards a national apology in 2013.” Mia gave a heart-wrenching solo performance of “Jesse” before the Australian Parliament and an audience of thousands of victims at the conclusion of the National Apology for Forced Adoptions, delivered by Prime Minister Julia Gillard on the 21st of March 2013. . User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply. — lastfm
