The story of a soldier going
off to war is not a new theme in country and folk music – The Dixie Chicks with
Travellin’ Soldier, Toby Keith’s “American Soldier, the Australian song “The
Band Played Waltzing Matilda” by Eric Bogle among many others tell stories of
going to war, being at war or returning from war. Fighting for your country is a strongly held
belief, especially in America.
With their new single As Much
As I Miss You, Adele and Andy have brought their own angle to the soldier’s
story. The boy in this tale is the son
of a soldier, his father died when the boy was very young. It tells of being caught between following in
his father’s footsteps and honouring his memory, and the love for his
mother. The title is the words that he “hears”
when he visits his father’s grave “The place upon the Hill” – “as much as I miss
you, your momma she needs you more”. Despite this, he heads off to war, has
a battlefield realisation and survives so he can return home to the love of his
mother.
Although the song is about the
young soldier, it is also about the sacrifices the mother makes in life – first
seeing her husband go to war and not return, then watching her son making the
same journey.
Musically, the song is
essentially Adele’s vocals over a simple guitar backing from Andy with a little
percussion. The mix is very much biased
to the vocal, presumably to accent the storytelling, but although the
instrumentation is simple, it deserves a little more exposure! A slow song, which will perhaps have you
thinking rather than dancing or foot tapping.
Overall, the song is
heartfelt, well written and well performed by this Midlands based duo who seem
to have kept busy throughout lockdown!
As
Much As I Miss You, the new song from Adele and Andy is available to download
and stream from all major platforms from Friday 30 April
You
can connect with the pair on Facebook, Instagram, and on Spotify
If you've enjoyed this review, please give us a follow on our Facebook page and on our Insta
No comments:
Post a Comment