Aspects

Album: True Meanings (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In 2018, Paul Weller released True Meanings, an album that saw him swapping his usual rock swagger for something altogether more mellow. The track "Aspects" is a contemplative number where Weller reflects on life, change, and acceptance.
  • Weller wrote both "Aspects" and another True Meanings track, "What Would He Say?" on the same day.

    "My missus was out of the house, so it was just me and the kids," he told Mojo magazine. "I had both songs running through my head and I thought, I've got to get this down now. So I went to the toilet – the only place I could get any peace. Halfway through the demo on my phone, you can hear my daughter: daaad!"
  • The True Meanings album title was lifted from "Aspects."

    To find true meanings
    And patterns in things
    Symbols in making
    These moments exist


    "Towards the end of making the record we had a few other ideas, but that said it all to me," Weller told HMV. "It's a quote from a song called 'Aspects'. I liked it, these aren't all my own true meanings. People can find their own true meanings in the songs."
  • "Aspects" was released as a single on May 25, 2018, to coincide with Paul Weller's 60th birthday. It served as a reminder that he was still evolving and surprising.
  • "Aspects" is a regular highlight of Weller's live shows, particularly at his orchestral concerts. A performance with the London Metropolitan Orchestra during a Radio 2 special for his 60th birthday was later captured on the live album Other Aspects: Live at the Royal Festival Hall, released in 2019.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

David Bowie Lyrics Quiz

David Bowie Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

How well do you know your David Bowie lyrics? Take this quiz to find out.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.

Daniel Lanois

Daniel LanoisSongwriter Interviews

Daniel Lanois on his album Heavy Sun, and the inside stories of songs he produced for U2, Peter Gabriel, and Bob Dylan.

Sam Phillips

Sam PhillipsSongwriter Interviews

Collaborating with T Bone Burnett, Leslie Phillips changed her name and left her Christian label behind - Robert Plant, who recorded one of her songs on Raising Sand, is a fan.