Let Me Live is a heartfelt rush of emotion and honesty and a story of unbearable severance. Overcome with sadness, and missing family, Kirsten Adamson has mastered the art of translating those feelings of separation and longing - an unbridled reaction of an artist in the
throes of creating a time resonant reference.
In April, missing her mother one evening and thinking of lost loved ones, Kirsten wrote Let Me Live while the burn of lockdown was being felt all over the world. “In a flood of tears, the song came tumbling out, and with grave circumstances in hospitals and care homes coming to light I couldn’t control my emotions!”
Kirsten Adamson is a songwriter of real depth, mother first, defender of live music, and pre lockdown, was one of Edinburgh’s busiest musicians. With her remarkably versatile voice and
vulnerable songwriting, she summons the listener with minimal adornments. Armed with a comprehensive repertoire of original folk and popular songs, Kirsten was used to performing 4 or 5 nights a week to help support her family. Playing into the small hours and up by sunlight for her little boy Sid, she found herself with no time to pen any new songs and in the cycle many mothers find themselves contemplating.
As the consequences of lockdown emerged, Kirsten determined to keep supporting her family. She began to play online shows from her garden summerhouse. The shows quickly gained traction and thousands of listeners were tuning in from Berlin to Brazil. Playing an eclectic mix of original songs and unexpected covers from Kate Bush to Dolly Parton, John Prine and Joni Mitchell, she gripped her audience with her relatable personality and magical vocal prowess.
Let Me Live has a driving, country rhythm, written with intent to signify the longing of reconnection with family and friends. Finger picking guitars and banjo are complemented by Joe Harvey-Whyte’s shimmering pedal steel and Rob Heath’s solid shuffle on the drums brings the whole track to life. Beautifully layered bird-song harmonies in the chorus alleviates the lyrical pain and sadness of the verses, leaving the listener with a clearer sense of hope and inescapable optimism.
The tale goes on to describe our heroes and how they used to exist only in comic books and fairytales and how they now live on the streets where we live. Talking about key workers she exclaims “We’ll remember them when this is over”, “How they showed us all what bravery
means”. A final chorus describing the desperation of the country and ending in a question with the final lines “When I open my eyes, it’s a new world outside. Will I live like I did yesterday?” The song perfectly gives all of us a voice for how we felt when the world went quiet.
lyrics
Verse 1
We never did imagine the future would be this
Caught up in our distractions our own eternal bliss
Sometimes we thought that ww3 might be the next big thing
Write the words for all the songs our great grand children sing
Verse 2
Now we’re all resigned to staying home and keeping clean
Suddenly the lives we knew live only in our dreams
Facts and figures flying out of peoples TV screens
Influential politicians make you wanna scream
Bridge
We don’t know when all of this over
So we sit tight and hold onto our dreams
Chorus
Let me live once again like I did yesterday
Before all of my freedom was taken away
Let me open my eyes to the world that’s outside
And live like I did yesterday
Verse 3
Our heroes used to live in comic books and fairytales
Rock’n’Roll stars astronauts and pirates setting sail
We see them in our movies capes a blowing in the gale
On the edges of our seats praying they don’t fail
Bridge
We don’t know when we will see our mothers
Or if we’ll fall apart at the seams
Chorus
Let me live once again like I did yesterday
Before all of my freedom was taken away
Let me open my eyes to the world that’s outside
And live like I did yesterday
Pedal steel solo
Verse 4
Now heroes live right on our street and go to work each day
Clawing back our freedom keeping death at bay
Wanna see their children what would the people say
Hero’s don’t wear capes no more cause they can’t fly away
Bridge
Well remember them when this is over
How they showed us all what bravery means
Chorus
Let me live once again like I did yesterday
Before all of my freedom was taken away
Let me open my eyes to the world that’s outside
And live like I did yesterday
When I open my eyes it’s a new world outside
Will I live I did yesterday
Let me live like I did yesterday
credits
from Let Me Live,
released November 6, 2020
Vocals + Acoustic Guitar - Kirsten Adamson
Drums - Rob Heath
Pedal Steel - Joe Harvey-Whyte
Bass - Dave Alex Burn
Kirsten Adamson is a diverse singer-songwriter from Scotland. With her remarkably versatile voice and vulnerable songwriting, she summons the listener with minimal adornments
Another devastatingly beautiful batch of indie rock confessionals from Ontario singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Linnea Siggelkow. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 28, 2024
J'ai découvert ce projet grâce au EP "Three", j'ai tellement aimé que j'ai acheté les autres disques existants dont ce second opus ! Superbe production due a Tony Lowe qui a joué avec pas mal de monde ! Apparemment, c'est un grand fan de prog rock sophistiqué. La musique est inscrite dans notre époque, mais on remarque parfois par-ci par-là des touches de prog des '70's de toute beauté. Mes titres favoris sont "Gunshot Lips", "Algorithm", "Butterfly suite", "22 Layers of sunlight'... Olivier SEGAS
