This week London musician Chloe Ray gives Musicvein readers the background stories to her songs on new EP ‘Reprise’.
Yesterday we heard of her ode to great musicians of the past in her track ‘The Bitter End’ and today we learn more about ‘A Long Time Ago’.
MV: The 2nd track on your album, A Long Time Ago, you’ve personified love as a woman. Was that just how the song came about or more to do with your personal life?
CR: “That’s an interesting one and a bit of both really.
Around 5 years ago when I went over to the states to perform, I was standing in a bar about to sing and this guy got up before me, he had dreadlocks and an almost girly voice! Anyway we got talking after our performances about how we ended up in America. He was originally from France and had been through a hard time. His girlfriend had left him so he was travelling around, had nowhere to go, he literally had no direction and was just playing music cause he didn’t know what to do with his life. It kind of resonated with me and how I felt quite similar at the time, so that song is really our conversation we had – it starts with him saying ‘my love she left me a long long time ago, so I headed west…’
Following our conversation I went and did Route 66. Me and my friend went from Chicago to LA – so did the actually old school Route 66 trip. When I went back to the States last year to sing, I was running around the bars saying have you seen Moha? (the singer I had met) Everyone was saying he was still around but I had no way of contacting him. Then on the last night of my stay, just as I thought I wouldn’t see him – I found Moha in the bar. He just stood there and said “I didn’t quit, I stayed on the road and now I’ve got a band.”
I was so proud that he had not gone back to his ex – who incidentally wanted him back – he was living his dream. So that’s why the song has a big elated saxophone solo. It kind of gives that big party feel to the song. We were both dumped by our girlfriends but decided we’re not going to get back with someone that’s not necessarily right – our experiences combined was the driving force for that song.”
‘Reprise’ by Chloe Ray is out now to buy on iTunes and Amazon
Don’t miss Chloe Ray talking exclusively about the tracks on her EP this week only on Musicvein. Tomorrow we hear about final track ‘Not Giving Up’.
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