Nathaniel Paul's "songbird" Will Soothe Your Soul
"songbird" is a meditative guitar ballad with a comforting groove and heartfelt lyrics. It was born from Nathaniel's conversation with an elderly man he met who had a feeling the world had forgotten about him. So the man made a plan of reconnecting with it by travelling the world on a train. Nathaniel's songwriting, just like that train, connects him with souls across the world. We asked him about the songwriting and recording process.
Nathaniel Paul
I think the most interesting aspect of the song that I have not talked about is the fact that I played all the instruments, mixed and mastered the song myself in a closet of 35 sq. ft total. Also, the bass guitar recorded was purchased at a pawn shop in El Paso, TX a day before we went into lockdown... Paid $80 for it. So the whole track is a "quarantine" sound if you will...
From a songwriting perspective – I think the lyrics really explore my own fears of being left behind – by having lost everything I discovered something along the way. That music alone is what makes me happy. That music is my train that will take me away. I keep imagining me on that train as the world whisks by... so many things are changing in quarantine and I'm not sure how I will fit in to the new world on the other side – if it looks like Tik-Tok I'll be on the first train out... Haha. So the song really displays my own insecurities about what the future holds – for me as a person and a musician.
From a songwriting perspective – I think the lyrics really explore my own fears of being left behind – by having lost everything I discovered something along the way. That music alone is what makes me happy. That music is my train that will take me away. I keep imagining me on that train as the world whisks by... so many things are changing in quarantine and I'm not sure how I will fit in to the new world on the other side – if it looks like Tik-Tok I'll be on the first train out... Haha. So the song really displays my own insecurities about what the future holds – for me as a person and a musician.
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