Calm Before The Storm

Album: Destiny (1988)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In an interview with Kerrang! published February 20, 1988, lead vocalist Biff Byford said of this track it "is about the pits," later he added it's "about ecology, using up all the coal and fishing the seas dry" - a protest song.

    The pits is a reference to coal mines. Saxon hail from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, which was a coal mining town until the closure of Barnsley Main Colliery in 1991. Coal is anything but an ecologically friendly source of power.
  • "Calm Before The Storm" runs to 3 minutes 46 seconds and is the third track on the band's 1988 Destiny album; it was co-written by Biff with guitarists Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn. The song is partly autobiographical because Biff's father did actually work as a miner. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.

Bryan Adams

Bryan AdamsSongwriter Interviews

What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."

80s Music Quiz 1

80s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

MTV, a popular TV theme song and Madonna all show up in this '80s music quiz.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"They're Playing My Song

Armed with a childhood spent devouring books, Mike Scott's heart was stolen by the punk rock scene of 1977. Not surprisingly, he would go on to become the most literate of rockers.