I Must Be Saved

Album: Bare Bones (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Peyroux has generally recorded either covers or collaborated with other artists. This song is a rarity: a sole Peyroux-penned composition. She told Billboard magazine: "I'm really happy that I got to write. It feels like a new segment, and it's great work. I'm surrounded by beautiful sounds, really honest musicians, really honest playing."
  • This song is dedicated to the folk singer Odetta, who died in December 2008. Peyroux toured with her in 2006. The jazz singer told The Daily Telegraph April 9, 2009 that the artist and civil rights activist "changed everything" for her." She explained: "I was lucky enough to meet her while I was recording a Bessie Smith song in 2004. I looked up and she was conducting me from the vocal booth, not just with her hands but with every emotion running across her face. Without being less humble than I should be, I felt I had an understanding with her. I felt we recognised that the blues are a part of our heritage, too. That women are not only doing and experiencing the same things as men, but also that we can see what men are going through."
  • Peyroux told The Associated Press: "The song really reminds me a lot of my own life. It doesn't matter, somehow we always get through, we lose and then we continue."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Graham Parker

Graham ParkerSongwriter Interviews

When Judd Apatow needed under-appreciated rockers for his Knocked Up sequel, he immediately thought of Parker, who just happened to be getting his band The Rumour back together.

Christopher Cross

Christopher CrossSongwriter Interviews

The man who created Yacht Rock with "Sailing" wrote one of his biggest hits while on acid.

Benny Mardones

Benny MardonesSongwriter Interviews

His song "Into The Night" is one of the most-played of all time. For Benny, it took him to hell and back.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Country Song Titles

Country Song TitlesFact or Fiction

Country songs with titles so bizarre they can't possibly be real... or can they?

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.