“there were ghosts in the lyrics, there were ghosts in those ancient streets”
I love highway songs. You know, those timeless classics about hitting the open road and leaving it all behind. It’s a romantic notion that has been the subject of countless epics through the years. It’s possible that no-one does it better than Bruce Springsteen, with songs like Thunder Road, Born To Run, or Racing In The Streets all finding salvation in the blacktop. Since this month’s song was inspired by hitting the highway in search of a new life, I thought it necessary to reference The Boss, and more specifically his song The River.
Given the subject matter, it’s only appropriate that this song features a whole host of Saint John transplants. First, my friend and former bandmate Jason Vautour (HFX, NS) played a pair of electric guitar tracks on this month’s song and helped me to flesh out the chord arrangement as well (thank you Jay!). Next up, my buddy Chris Fudge laid down some drums all the way from Sydney, Nova Scotia (and did a bang up job). Representing the West Coast, my longtime pal Alex Thorne sang a harmony vocal before heading off to start a new job in Victoria, BC. Finally, hometown-boy Chuck Teed played bass, while I finished things off with a 12-string acoustic guitar, piano, organ, harmonica and the mandatory tambourine. As always, Sean Boyer mixed this song (on the last day of the month!)
‘Something About A River’ was inspired by my friend and fellow songwriter Michael McDonald, who moved to Montreal a while back to start over. I thought it so brave that he shed his old skin and started over in a new place with only himself for company. This one’s for you Mikey….
Something About a River
(to download, right click and select “save as”)
My sincerest gratitude to Sean Boyer, Chuck Teed, Alex Thorne, Chris Fudge and Jason Vautour for sharing their time and talents.
Note: This song is also available in both .WAV and FLAC formats. If you’d like a copy in either format, please write to clintoncca@gmail.com