Human

Album: Blue Electric Light (2024)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Lenny Kravitz has always been a uniter, welcomed in disparate cultures, where he's inevitably the coolest guy in the room. In this song, he's here to be human, just like the rest of us.

    "It's about all of us," he explained. "We are all in this, we are here to be human, we are all spiritual beings and in the human spirit, the journey is beautiful."
  • "Human" is the second single from Kravitz' album Blue Electric Light, following "TK421." He recorded it at his compound in the Bahamas, where he found himself living when he got stuck there during the pandemic (we can think of worse places to be!).
  • Kravitz' engineer Craig Ross played the guitar solo on this track, but Lenny did the drum programming and played all the other instruments, including chimes, Fender Rhodes piano, cowbell and synthesizer. Kravitz is one of those one-man bands who can play pretty much anything and also handle production and songwriting. Prince and Steve Winwood are other examples.
  • Mojo magazine noted a decidedly poppier sound on "Human." Kravitz, ever the rockstar sage, responded. "I was two years into a three-year tour when the planet shut down. I do not say this lightly because I understand people were sick and people died, but for me it was a blessing. Time was suddenly an open concept and I had not experienced anything like that since I was a child. I was in the Bahamas in a bubble of eight including Craig (Ross)."

    A pause, a glint in his eye. "Apart from not being able to see my daughter Zoe for two years - she was in London, making The Batman - I was in the best physical, mental and spiritual place of my life. I spent time in prayer and meditation, and it was phenomenal. It was a reboot of my life."
  • Leave it to Lenny to still be winning MTV Video Music Awards at 60. In 2024, he took the Moonman for "Human" and also performed the song on the show along with "Fly Away" and "Are You Gonna Go My Way."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song Spoofs

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song SpoofsSong Writing

When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.

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.

Adam Duritz of Counting Crows

Adam Duritz of Counting CrowsSongwriter Interviews

"Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous.

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

N.W.A vs. the World

N.W.A vs. the WorldSong Writing

How the American gangsta rappers made history by getting banned in the UK.

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.