Hatch pens a ballad to Kennedy

WASHINGTON — Sen. Orrin Hatch, the conservative Utah Republican, has written hundreds of songs on patriotic themes — with such titles as "Freedom's Light" and "I Love Old Glory" — as a way of paying tribute to his country.

But his latest trip down Tin Pan Alley had an even more personal resonance: Hatch said he was asked by several colleagues to put down his feelings about a very close friend who is facing a serious illness. The friend is the legendary liberal Ted Kennedy, and the colleagues are Democrats who envision having the song played as a tribute to Kennedy at next month's Democratic convention — and as a living example of a brotherhood that transcends party lines.

The result, "Headed Home," is a lilting ballad that even its author can't repeat without tearing up. The lyrics, he said, refer to Kennedy's heroic return to the Senate where Kennedy has served for almost 46 years and Hatch for 32.

"He's a special person to me. I want to honor him this way," Hatch said in an interview, his eyes welling up slightly as he listened to a demo tape of jazz and soul singer Tony Middleton perform the song in his signature deep baritone.

"Just honor him, honor him, and every fear will be a thing of the past," Middleton croons in the demo tape, which Hatch played for the Globe.

The gesture — extremely unusual in a Congress that has become increasingly polarized along party lines — reflects the close relationship between the two veteran lawmakers, whose friendship and alliance on health-care issues has baffled and maddened activists in both parties. The 76-year-old Kennedy said the 74-year-old Hatch "is like a brother to me."

And despite the unorthodox notion of a Republican senator's song being played at the Democratic convention, colleagues said they were very moved at Hatch's effort.

"It's a wonderful thing," Senator John F. Kerry, the junior Democratic senator from Massachusetts, said when told of Hatch's composition. "I think it's entirely appropriate" to play it at the convention, Kerry said, because it would send a message of unity.

House majority leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., called the song "a testament to the deep affection that Senator Hatch and Senator Kennedy have for one another. Both share a deep love for this country. I think that's what the song reflects," Hoyer said. He confirmed that the song is under consideration for use at the convention.