“My voice was released. I found all these new places it could go, from having just done this one song.”
There are plenty of songs about independence; songs that give a bold middle finger to controlling men (Destiny’s Child’s “Independent Women”), silly societal expectations (“Ziggy Stardust”), and even colonizing imperialists (“The Star Spangled Banner”).
But Lianne La Havas’ “Midnight” is special; it doesn’t merely celebrate self-reliance and the value of solitude, it invites you into that place as well. In this episode of the podcast — recorded at San Francisco’s very echo-y Swedish American Music Hall — listen in as La Havas recounts the trip to Jamaica that inspired “Midnight,” why its chord progression might remind you of Beyoncé, and how the song made her a more confident singer.
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