Constance Street

Album: Clear Pond Road (2023)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Kristin Hersh named this song after the New Orleans street where she once lived. It is inspired by memories from her time on Constance Street, acknowledging loss but also finding beauty and hope in the past.
  • The unique culture and musical scene of New Orleans has provided inspiration for Hersh's songwriting for a long time now. "New Orleans is a very rich place, not as in wealthy but rich in experience, beauty and culture," she told Music OMH. "It's an island in America so it doesn't feel like America. If you get music, I think you get New Orleans."
  • "Constance Street" is a track from Hersh's autobiographical 11th studio album, Clear Pond Road. She recorded the record at Stable Sound Studio, Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and co-produced it with the owner of the studio, Steve Rizzo.
  • In contrast to Hersh's direct 2010 autobiography, Rat Girl: A Memoir, Clear Pond Road paints a less literal picture of her life. Instead of traditional storytelling, the album relies on mood and imagery to weave a deeper, more emotional narrative.
  • So where is Clear Pond Road and what does it lead to?

    "My youngest son and I were the last two people in our family of six, and we were traveling around the world together a little bit, and certainly subject to the ripples on the pond," Hersh told Uncut magazine. "And we wanted to be stronger than that and more hopeful and more clear."

    "We were in a junk shop somewhere on tour and we both stopped in front of that Clear Pond Road sign and decided, 'Oh, that's where we're trying to go so we bought it and we carried it around and put it up and everywhere we lived – it's still in my kitchen," she continued. "When we achieved a bit more solidity and clarity we decided, 'Alright, this is Clear Pond Road and now I'm allowed to make this record.' It's probably a street somewhere, but I've never been there. I just have the sign."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Shawn Mullins

Shawn MullinsSongwriter Interviews

"Lullaby" singer Shawn Mullins on "Beautiful Wreck," beating the Devil, and his writing credit on the Zac Brown Band song "Toes."

Bryan Adams

Bryan AdamsSongwriter Interviews

What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.

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.

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New Words

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Where words like "email," "thirsty," "Twitter" and "gangsta" first showed up in songs, and which songs popularized them.

Max Cavalera of Soulfly (ex-Sepultura)

Max Cavalera of Soulfly (ex-Sepultura)Songwriter Interviews

The Brazilian rocker sees pictures in his riffs. When he came up with one of his gnarliest songs, there was a riot going on.