Behind the Badge
Holly Cahill recalls being proud of her father’s profession while growing up but also, on the flip side, being a little sad — and afraid.
The south Orange County resident believed being a police officer was a noble calling, but she also worried about her father, Dan, coming home safe every night.
“As a little kid, it’s hard to sit in bed and not understand why your dad has to be on the front lines and why there are so many people out there who don’t appreciate what police officers do,” says Cahill, 17.
The multi-instrument singer/songwriter recently put that sentiment to music and words in an original song that is gaining traction in the law enforcement community and beyond.
Cahill, who started playing guitar when she was 12, wrote, “You Still Put the Uniform On” as a tribute to her father (Dan Cahill now is deputy chief of the Anaheim PD) as well as peace officers everywhere.
Cahill first performed her song, a 4-minute acoustic-guitar tune with an upbeat tempo and bright chords, in mid-May at the APD’s annual promotion and awards ceremony.
Most recently, she performed “You Still Put the Uniform On” on Sept. 11 at the National Day of Service and Remembrance ceremony hosted by the APD and Anaheim Fire & Rescue at the City National Grove of Anaheim.
That performance attracted the attention of ABC7 News, which did a segment on Cahill.
Following the 9/11 performance in front of several hundred people, police officers and, especially, their family members told Cahill “You Still Put the Uniform On,” now available on iTunes, brought them to tears.
Singer/Songwriter Holly Cahill performs “You Still Put the Uniform On” in a studio in Rancho Santa Margarita.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
And since then, she has booked three performances: Oct. 22, singing for the Patriotic Service Dog Foundation; Nov. 1, singing at a Harley Davidson rally; and Nov. 2, at the Trauma Intervention Program’s “Heroes With Hearts” program.
Cahill, a country music fan, composed “You Still Put the Uniform On” like a classic country composition (verse, long chorus, verse, long chorus, bridge, long chorus).
It’s not a gloomy song, and it doesn’t try to ram a message down listeners’ throats.
Rather, it’s a touching song whose main theme is appreciating what police officers do at a time when law enforcement is in the crosshairs of the haters.
Cahill said she was inspired to compose the song earlier this year after watching a police officer cry during a news segment about a controversial officer-involved shooting.
“I didn’t want this song to point fingers at anyone or say anyone’s wrong,” says Cahill, a die-hard patriot who keeps a folded-up U.S. flag on the dashboard of her Jeep.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
“I wanted it to encourage police officers and allow them to realize that some people out there are really thankful for what they do,” Cahill says. “I wanted it to be uplifting, and to put smiles on people’s faces.”
Smiles, yes — and maybe some tears, too.
“I took a long time to say it was finished because I wanted to make sure it sent the right message,” Cahill says. “I wanted to make sure it was exactly everything I wanted to say.”
Cahill, who attended Mission Viejo High School for two years but who is finishing high school via independent studies online so she can focus on her music, has a country-friendly voice with a touch of soul. Among her musical idols are Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert.
“I’m a Montana girl at heart,” says Cahill, referring to where her sister, Sierra, 19, is studying to be a veterinarian and where her family owns ranch property.
Cahill took up the guitar at 12, deciding she was done after years of playing sports.
“I never felt really in my own element,” she says. “My heart was never in it.”
But, as it turned out, her heart was in music.
Cahill now has a drawer full of unfinished songs written since then.
In addition to “You Still Put the Uniform On,” she has two other original songs on iTunes: “This Could Be Forever” and “Would You?”
Singer/Songwriter Holly Cahill.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
It’s not about the money, Cahill says. She donates half of sales proceeds from her iTunes songs to charity.
“I want to use my gift to help others,” she says.
Cahill says she would love a career as a professional singer/songwriter, but has a backup plan:
Kindergarten teacher.
***
“You Still Put the Uniform On”
Lyrics and music by Holly Cahill
People will talk, though they don’t understand
Situations you’re in can get so out of hand
They’ll state their lies as if they are fact
Once the damage is done you can’t take it back
You do your best to protect and serve
But are treated in ways that you don’t deserve
They call you names and spit in your face
But if you weren’t there, who would take your place?
Cause you spend your life in danger, could take a bullet for a stranger, always have to be brave and tough
Though it’ll never be enough
And when they are critical of you
They should walk a mile in your shoes
The days are hard, the nights are long
But you still put the uniform on
You come home from work
And kiss your kids on the head
Chase monsters from the streets
And out from under their beds
What they don’t understand is that you’re human too
Just trying to survive, got a family counting on you
You do your best to protect and serve
But are treated in ways that you don’t deserve
They call you names and spit in your face
But if you weren’t there, who would take your place?
Would you take your place?
Cause you spend your life in danger, could take a bullet for a stranger, always have to be brave and tough
Though it’ll never be enough
And when they are critical of you
They should walk a mile in your shoes
The days are hard, the nights are long
But you still put the uniform on
Too many gone, too many lost
Is it all worth it?
What is the cost?
Mothers and fathers, sons and daughters,
Got so much to lose, why do you bother?
But you always choose to…
spend your life in danger, and take a bullet for a stranger
Cause you spend your life in danger, could take a bullet for a stranger, always have to be brave and tough
Though it’ll never be enough
And when they are critical of you
They should walk a mile in your shoes
The days are hard, the nights are long
But you still put the uniform on
You still put the uniform on
You still put the uniform on
You still put that uniform on
Holly Cahill, daughter of Anaheim Police Deputy Chief Dan Cahill, sings “You Still Put The Uniform On” near the conclusion of Anaheim’s 9/11 remembrance ceremony at the City National Grove of Anaheim.
File photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Dan Cahill has his new Deputy Chief badge pinned on him by his wife Ellyn, left, and one of his two daughters, Holly, during a swearing in ceremony at Anaheim City Hall in September 2015.
File photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
