Recover

Album: All the Colours of You (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Saville Shela, the father-in-law of James frontman Tim Booth, passed away because of COVID-19 in April 2020. Here, the singer details the isolation of lockdown and the death of his 83-year-old father-in-law "in a ward all alone."
  • Booth wrote the lyrics for "Recover" five weeks after his father-in-law died in England at Watford General Hospital. The singer and his wife Kate, who live in Los Angeles, could not fly back for the funeral, but penning the song helped him grieve.
  • We will remember
    Your last call was a song
    We will remember
    How to pass your spirit on


    Two hours before he died, a nurse held a FaceTime camera so Saville could say goodbye to his loved ones. Here, Booth recalls his ailing father-in-law asking him to sing the James anthem "Sit Down" for him in his last moments.
  • James included the song on their 16th album, All the Colours of You, recorded remotely during lockdown. The band teamed up with producer Jacknife Lee, who worked on the record from his own home. Booth told The Sun that when he came to sing this song, "I'd be in tears and Jacknife would have to be quite patient with me. It helped me go deeper into the sadness."

    Booth went on to say Jacknife made the song more uplifting. "He added the groove and called it a crying, laughing and dancing song."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of WayneSongwriter Interviews

The guy who brought us "Stacy's Mom" also wrote the Jane Lynch Emmy song and Stephen Colbert's Christmas songs.

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.

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

Mac Powell of Third Day

Mac Powell of Third DaySongwriter Interviews

The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album.

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"They're Playing My Song

The Nails lead singer Marc Campbell talks about those 44 women he sings about over a stock Casio keyboard track. He's married to one of them now - you might be surprised which.

Bill Withers

Bill WithersSongwriter Interviews

Soul music legend Bill Withers on how life experience and the company you keep leads to classic songs like "Lean On Me."