Jude York's mom joins him for ABBA's 'Slipping Through My Fingers' and now we're all a mess
The lyrics hit different when you sing them with an aging parent.

Jude York's mom, Liza Beamish, had been a professional singer.
If you're in the mood for a good, cleansing cry session, you're in luck. We've got something that just might do it, so grab a tissue and settle in for this sweet little musical moment between a mother and son.
It began in February of 2025 when 26-year-old Australian music artist Jude York casually recorded himself singing ABBA's "Slipping Through My Fingers" in his family's home. For those who are unfamiliar with the song, "Slipping Through My Fingers" is about a mother's feelings about the speed at which her little girl is growing up. With lyrics like Sometimes, I wish that I could freeze the picture / And save it from the funny tricks of time / Slipping through my fingers it's easy to see how touching it is.
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Then there's the chorus:
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind?
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Oof. You get the picture. As York was singing the song, his mother joined in to harmonize with him. "Getting older is realizing these lyrics work both ways," York wrote, and seeing him sing the words with his aging mom…welp, it got people right in the heartstrings.
@itsjudeyork when mum starts harmonizing 🥺 #coversforlovers
The video went incredibly viral, with over 46 million views and thousands of comments, most of which were some version of "Someone should have held my hands for this," and "Great, now I'm sobbing. I was not prepared."
But that was just their little ditty in the dining room. There was more to come. York's mother, Liza Beamish, had actually had a successful career as an opera singer, and the two had performed together many times starting when York was only 9. Beamish is retired now, but at a live performance on Aug 16, 2025, York brought her on stage to sing "Slipping Through My Fingers" with him. As her voice rang out, the crowd cheered.
"Mum had no idea people still wanted to hear her sing," York wrote. The video again wrecked millions, partly because Beamish herself got so emotional. It was the first time they've sung the song for a live audience together. So beautiful.
Just like the first time around, tens of thousands gushed over the gorgeous duet and praised York for honoring his mother's voice this way. Beamish had been nervous about people hearing her "older" voice and about her hands shaking when they recorded the song together in February of 2025, but clearly people are thrilled by the performance.
"We're both so blown away by the response, we can't believe it," York tells Upworthy. "Mum has always been 100% herself, whether she's nervous, excited, sad or joyous and that authenticity just immediately makes people want to root for her. In that moment on stage, Mum was just overwhelmed and deeply surprised by the love the audience was showing her. I also think our relationship somehow reminds people of their own mothers or children and the music enhances that."
@itsjudeyork Replying to @Ana Kohler pt 2 the end was so sweet 🥺 thank you for being an audience of 15 million cheering my mum on. now it’s your turn to sing 🫶
It's true, and people who have experienced the physical and/or cognitive decline of an aging parent are feeling it particularly keenly. Beamish has developed some kind of condition that's causing her hands to shake, and it's a visible reminder for those watching that at some point our relationship with our parents flips. They cared for us as we grew up; we care for them as they grow old. The roles are so similar in so many ways, which is why the song feels so poignant through the lens of seeing our parents age.
The feeling that I'm losing her forever
And without really entering her world
I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl
Phew. No wonder these two go viral every time they sing this song together. Look for the single, "Slipping Through My Fingers All the Time" by Jude York on Spotify or wherever you stream music. And you can follow Jude York on Instagram and TikTok.