Cover Me, Justin Roberts & Anna Steinhoff: One Minute You’re Here

If you don’t know who Justin Roberts is, you probably don’t have kids at home.

If you do know who Justin Roberts is, you’re probably wondering what a four-time Grammy nominee for Best Musical Album for Children is doing covering an existential song like Bruce Springsteen’s “One Minute You’re Here.”

But if you’ve ever listened closely to Justin’s music, you know this Chicago-based singer-songwriter has a knack for writing poignant yet comforting songs that honor kids’ ability to deal with issues like death or divorce.

So while branching into covers by mainstream musical icons may be a bit of a departure for Roberts, his choice of song is still very much on-brand.

As for his performance… well, to be completely honest, I probably would have spotlighted it even if Justin had played it safe and stuck to the album arrangement.

But he didn’t. Instead, he invited Anna Steinhoff (his wife) to join him and arranged the song as a musical duet for guitar and cello.

And it’s just perfect.

Anna’s low cello adds a vein of sadness to the song, but Justin’s delicate guitar keeps their performance of “One Minute You’re Here” light on its feet and moving ever forward, just like life.

“One Minute You’re Here” is a song that speaks to many of us, which is probably why there are so many covers out there for such a new song. But Justin and Anna’s version is the first I’ve seen that adds something new to Bruce’s original, and it’s well worth a listen.