Hope & Ruin

Album: Hope & Ruin (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In 2009, Rolling Stone magazine put Michael Jackson on the cover with the headline "Hope and Ruin" (the story was about the final days of the pop superstar). Trews frontman Colin MacDonald saw the magazine in their rehearsal area, and started singing "hope and ruin" over and over to a song he was working on.

    That didn't go anywhere, but his brother, Trews guitarist John-Angus, came in the next day with a slow piece of music in a Nick Drake vein. "I started singing the 'Hope & Ruin' lyrics over that, and it was really good, Colin told Songfacts. "Then Sean [drummer Sean Dalton] suggested we make it a really upbeat song with the slow-moving melody, and that's how it came together. Those are my favorite types of songs, the really slow, melodic songs that also kind of rock."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys

Mike Scott of The WaterboysSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Whole Of The Moon" and "Red Army Blues," and why rock music has "outlived its era of innovation."

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger

Kelly Keagy of Night RangerSongwriter Interviews

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger tells the "Sister Christian" story and explains why he started sweating when he saw it in Boogie Nights.

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.