Tell Me a Tale

Album: Home Again (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • London based singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka opens his debut album, Home Again, with this jazz number. The singer explained to The Sun that the song is a dig "at people who lie to big themselves up." He added: "That's one thing I can't do, pretend to be someone I'm not. I can only be myself. I can't hide if it's not me."
  • Paul Butler of the UK indie rock band The Bees produced this song in a basement studio in his house in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. Kiwanuka penned this minor key song at Butler's house. He recalled to This Is Fake DIY: "I was upstairs with a guitar and just wrote it there and then. We'd been recording a session with some tracks that weren't really gelling, so I had to get away to try and focus. I wanted to do something a bit more up-tempo and then came downstairs with that song and it was exactly what we had been aiming for. It was all finished up really quickly and gave us a way into working on the rest of the record. It was when we really first found our groove, so I thought it would fit well as an opening track."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Edwin McCain

Edwin McCainSongwriter Interviews

"I'll Be" was what Edwin called his "Hail Mary" song. He says it proves "intention of the songwriter is 180 degrees from potential interpretation by an audience."

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80s

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80sSongwriter Interviews

'80s music ambassadors Wang Chung pick their top tracks of the decade, explaining what makes each one so special.

Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Stephen Christian of AnberlinSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."