History Repeats

Album: Jaime (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The lead single from Jaime, "History Repeats" is also the oldest song on the album. In early 2017, Brittany Howard was showing a friend how she uses her recording software. In piecing things together in a demo, Howard came up with the song. She totally forgot about it until she found the track a couple years later.
  • This was the most difficult song on Jaime to record. Howard told HMV: "The drums are intense and mixing it was even more of a challenge."
  • Howard said regarding the song's meaning: "'History Repeats' is as much a personal song as it is a song about us as a human species. Our times of success may propel us forward, but our repeating failures hold us back from evolving into harmony."
  • The album is named for Howard's elder sister who died from retinoblastoma in 1998, aged just 13. The singer told Mojo magazine: "Spiritually that's someone I feel, even though they're not here. Most of my memories of my sister are of her teaching me something. Getting to talk about her, and how meaningful her presence in my life was, and it's not being a thing of, like, sadness, it felt like the right thing to do. She was one of those people, she never complained about anything. When she lost her vision, she still created art. That puts everything into perspective. I like sharing who she was with people."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went Mainstream

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went MainstreamSong Writing

These overtly religious songs crossed over to the pop charts, despite resistance from fans, and in many cases, churches.

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" Album

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" AlbumSong Writing

In the summer of 1990, you could get arrested for selling a 2 Live Crew album or performing their songs in Southern Florida. And that's exactly what happened.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Grateful Dead Characters

Grateful Dead CharactersMusic Quiz

Many unusual folks appear in Grateful Dead songs. Can you identify them?