A bit of good news for folky roots-music fans, The Civil Wars are back with a studio cut clip for their new single, "The One That Got Away," the lead single off their upcoming sophomore self-titled album, is due out August 6. The acclaim for country-folk duo The Civil Wars is probably as high today as it's ever been. They've won Grammys, they've recorded with T-Bone Burnett and Taylor Swift, and their debut album "Barton Hollow" has been certified Gold. The trouble is, the two bandmates Joy Williams and John Paul White appear not to be in a place where they can truly enjoy their well-earned success.
In creating the song, Williams and White just poured the amazing passion they have for music and the band as well as all of the angst and stress they have been feeling into one perfect song about lost love. It is completely stripped of any excessive production so prevalent in music today. What we get is a heartbreaking story about the two people who are singing. The tension builds to the chorus where they end up wailing in a beautifully haunting harmony, "Oh, I wish I'd never, ever seen your face," Williams sings over hard-strummed acoustic guitar, "I wish you were the one that got away."
And while the song is simplistic in its approach, so is the video for this studio cut. It isn't high concept but is as painful as it is beautiful. More of a behind-the-scenes-type presentation, it consists mostly of a series of shots showing Williams and White recording the song in the studio. But it's a painful video to watch because it gets directly at your heart and stays there, as it seems to show that whatever rift exists between these two talented musicians is heartbreakingly real. For starters, as Williams and White harmonize beautifully on the song's often-painful lyrics, they never look each other in the eye. Glances are made back and forth, but there's a connection that's missing.
The Civil Wars have put everything they've got into their new single, "The One That Got Away." What we get is an amazing look at the anatomy of a band on the verge of a break-up. Then again, perhaps we shouldn't get carried away just yet: Judging by "The One That Got Away," not everything is heirloom peaches and artisanal cream between Williams and White now. Whether this is manufactured to emphasize the melancholy mood of the song, or is simply the way things are between them these days, we may never quite know. But either way, "The One That Got Away" is a haunting song you won't soon forget.
In creating the song, Williams and White just poured the amazing passion they have for music and the band as well as all of the angst and stress they have been feeling into one perfect song about lost love. It is completely stripped of any excessive production so prevalent in music today. What we get is a heartbreaking story about the two people who are singing. The tension builds to the chorus where they end up wailing in a beautifully haunting harmony, "Oh, I wish I'd never, ever seen your face," Williams sings over hard-strummed acoustic guitar, "I wish you were the one that got away."
And while the song is simplistic in its approach, so is the video for this studio cut. It isn't high concept but is as painful as it is beautiful. More of a behind-the-scenes-type presentation, it consists mostly of a series of shots showing Williams and White recording the song in the studio. But it's a painful video to watch because it gets directly at your heart and stays there, as it seems to show that whatever rift exists between these two talented musicians is heartbreakingly real. For starters, as Williams and White harmonize beautifully on the song's often-painful lyrics, they never look each other in the eye. Glances are made back and forth, but there's a connection that's missing.
The Civil Wars have put everything they've got into their new single, "The One That Got Away." What we get is an amazing look at the anatomy of a band on the verge of a break-up. Then again, perhaps we shouldn't get carried away just yet: Judging by "The One That Got Away," not everything is heirloom peaches and artisanal cream between Williams and White now. Whether this is manufactured to emphasize the melancholy mood of the song, or is simply the way things are between them these days, we may never quite know. But either way, "The One That Got Away" is a haunting song you won't soon forget.
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