Pyre

Album: Nothing More (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is one of a trilogy of songs on Nothing More along with "Jenny" and "God Went North" inspired in part by singer Jonny Hawkins' thought process as he observed his mother dying and his sister struggling with addiction to hard drugs. He explained to Artist Direct: "It was happening at the same time my mom was passing away from cancer and hanging for dear life to help my sister through the process. Simultaneously, I was going through my own calibration of my world view and what I thought about life. I was about 20- or 21-years-old when a lot of this was going down. I was starting to think on my own and ask a lot of questions. I was going back to a blank slate in my head of what I believed because I was born into what my parents believed like anyone else is. I wanted to see what I thought as a new adult myself. I was restructuring my beliefs."

    "At the same time, my mom was going the other direction. I was getting less religious, and she was getting more religious as she was getting closer towards death," Hawkins continued. "It was a weird separation process."

    "'Pyre' was something I felt solace in," he added. "Alan Watts was someone who basically said a lot of things that I was thinking, but I couldn't quite put them into words yet on my own. He put it so eloquently into words that I wanted to take some of his lectures I had been listening to and create a narrative that reflected some of my own thoughts going through that time of my life."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

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."

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

Boy Bands

Boy BandsFact or Fiction

From NKOTB to 1D, how well do you know your boy bands?