The Mirror Of The Signs
by Bush

Album: The Sea of Memories (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This adrenaline-fueled rocker was inspired by the death of two close friends of Gavin Rossdale and his then-wife, Gwen Stefani. The Bush frontman told Spin magazine about the song: "It's about when you look back on your life and eulogize or get nostalgic about where you've been. I lost a couple close friends this last year, one who committed suicide and one who overdosed. It's rough when you lose people unexpectedly. It makes me wistful for more carefree days. This song is about looking back and seeing yourself in the mirror. You catch these moments when you think about what went down or what happened. I would've liked to have more time with those two people. My friend Sean committed suicide while I was on the road. That was really bad. He was a close friend and a great inspiration, but I couldn't make it back for the funeral. So I wrote something and Gwen read it. She stopped because it was too painful. That shaped the album a lot. Life is so precious but it's easy to be a little bombastic and not appreciate it."
  • The song was meant to deal with the way that we sometimes view the past through rose-colored lenses.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Billy Gould of Faith No More

Billy Gould of Faith No MoreSongwriter Interviews

Faith No More's bassist, Billy Gould, chats to us about his two new experimental projects, The Talking Book and House of Hayduk, and also shares some stories from the FNM days.

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song Titles

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song TitlesMusic Quiz

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have some rather unusual song titles - see if you can spot the real ones.

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Millie Jackson

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Outrageously gifted and just plain outrageous, Millie is an R&B and Rap innovator.

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.