Taro

Album: An Awesome Wave (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song tells the tale of two twentieth century war photographers and their deaths in their line of work. Polish-German Gerda Taro died when a tank collided into the side of a car she was riding on during the Spanish Civil War. Taro's Hungarian companion, Robert Capa, met his end after stepping on a mine in a hostile war zone in Indo-China. "It was only after reading all this that I discovered she was his love interest and they were engaged," frontman Joe Newman told the Guardian. "I liked those two and that story. That really gripped me and I really trawled through as much as I could to get a good song out of it."
  • Speaking to NME about this tune, Newman explained: "The song's about that period just before he steps on the landmine. The two seconds before and two seconds after. It's a four-minute song about four seconds."
  • The song features additional vocals from St Ronan's School Choir, who are based in an independent co-educational prep school near Hawkhurst in Kent. The children also feature on the An Awesome Wave track "Bloodflood."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real Group

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real GroupSong Writing

The leader of the Modern A Cappella movement talks about the genre.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In Songs

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In SongsSong Writing

Songs where something goes horribly wrong (literally or metaphorically), and help is needed right away.

Charles Fox

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.

Art Alexakis of Everclear

Art Alexakis of EverclearSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer of Everclear, Art is also their primary songwriter.

Jon Anderson of Yes

Jon Anderson of YesSongwriter Interviews

From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.