Parachutes

Album: Young Pilgrim (2011)
Charted: 44
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • English musician Charlie Simpson has a strong musical pedigree dating back to one of his mother's ancestors, Sir William Sterndale Bennett (1816-1875), who was a distinguished classical music composer of the romantic school. Charlie first shot to fame as the lead guitarist of Busted, who were one of the most popular pop acts in the UK during the mid 2000s. Unfulfilled by the pop star lifestyle, Simpson formed the rock act Fightstar in 2003. Following three studio albums, Fightstar initiated an extended hiatus in 2010, allowing Simpson to focus on his solo career. This is the lead single from his debut solo full-length album entitled Young Pilgrim, which was released on August 15, 2011. An acoustic-driven record, it was heavily influenced by the 1970s Americana music Simpson listened to growing up.
  • Simpson told Digital Spy about the song: "It's one of the more instrument-heavy songs on the record - I wanted to strike a balance between the acoustic nature and more upbeat instruments. It's also the first track I've ever written with a piano, so it's a good contrast to other songs on the album."
  • Simpson was asked by CMU what inspired the Young Pilgrim album. He replied: "I think this record was inspired by looking at life in retrospect. 'Young Pilgrim' feels like a journey to me, and it was nice to look back over my life so far and be able to write about it. I dug out a lot of my '70s Americana records as well to feed my inspiration. Those albums will always be very special."
  • Simpson told CMU about his songwriting process: "I tend to start writing on either an acoustic guitar or a piano. Once I have found some melodies I like I then start to build the track up in my head, which usually means writing a drum part and then adding other instrumentation. I usually leave the lyrics until last, once I have nailed down all of the melodies."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Ian Astbury of The Cult

Ian Astbury of The CultSongwriter Interviews

The Cult frontman tells who the "Fire Woman" is, and talks about performing with the new version of The Doors.

Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki of Rusted RootSongwriter Interviews

Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.

Tom Waits Lyrics Quiz

Tom Waits Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Pool balls, magpies and thorns without roses - how well do you know your Tom Waits lyrics?

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Krishna Das

Krishna DasSongwriter Interviews

The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.

Church Lyrics

Church LyricsMusic Quiz

Here is the church, here is the steeple - see if you can identify these lyrics that reference church.